The Festa Exaltación da Lamprea is the event that puts Arbo on the map of Spanish gastronomy. It is held over a long weekend each year, in late April or early May depending on when the lamprey run from the river. The fish — a primitive jawless eel that has been swimming up the Iberian rivers for several hundred million years — is prepared in dozens of styles by local cooks in big communal tents set up by the river.
The classic dish is lamprey à la bordelesa, stewed in its own blood with red wine and onions; you will also find it grilled, rolled into empanadas and cooked into rice. The festival has been recognised as a Festa de Interese Turístico de Galicia and is the busiest weekend of Arbo's year — book ahead if you want a table. The local Condado de Tea wines from the surrounding hills are the pour of choice; do not expect them to taste like the Albariños from the coast.