Spanish Octopus Plate with Harissa at Central Table Food Hall in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Photo by Sid Hastings Sid Hastings ...

If you love octopus—run to Mareva 1939. The Spanish Octopus with potato cream, smoked paprika and arbequina olive oil was literally a party in my mouth, I’m still dreaming about this dish.

know that there's a reason behind this curious practice. The idea comes from the Mediterranean tradition, especially Portuguese and Spanish, where octopus is a constant presence in typical recipes.