Fabada asturiana
Asturias's mighty white bean stew, simmered with cured pork — chorizo, morcilla and lacón — until rich, smoky and unctuous.
Fabada is the great bean stew of Asturias, in Spain's green north. Large, buttery white beans called fabes are cooked low and slow with the compango — the cured-pork trio of chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) and lacón or tocino — until the broth turns thick, smoky and orange with paprika fat. It is deep-winter food, served in a bowl deep enough to get lost in, and one of the dishes northerners are proudest of.
How it's served
As a substantial main in a deep bowl, the creamy beans ladled up with the sliced cured meats. A cold-weather dish, rarely a light lunch.
- Origin
- Asturias, Spain
- Etymology
- From faba, the Asturian word for the large white bean at its centre.
Where to try it in Barcelona
One restaurant on Guidavera mentions fabada asturiana in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What beans are used in fabada?
Fabes de la Granja — large, thin-skinned, buttery white beans from Asturias. Their creamy texture is what sets a real fabada apart.
What is the compango?
The cured-pork elements cooked into the stew: chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) and lacón or tocino. They give fabada its smoke, colour and richness.
Related terms
- ChorizoThe iconic Spanish pork sausage, deep red from smoked paprika (pimentón). Comes cured (sliced cold like jamón) or fresh (cooked in stews and over coals).
- MorcillaSpanish blood sausage. Burgos style is rice-based and crumbly; Asturian style is onion-heavy and richer. Always cooked before eating.