One of the continent's most mysterious peoples, the Basques, have developed gourmet dining to an exceptionally high level. Thanks to the favorable climate, fantastic ingredients are paired with a high-level cooking culture and a very popular dining style.

While there are certainly plenty of traditional restaurants in the Basque Country, anyone traveling here is guaranteed to fall in love with the "pub crawling," which is not primarily about drinking, but about eating small bites. Of course, they may consume drinks alongside, especially low-alcohol local beers, ciders (the Basque cider), and a light white wine called txakoli, but the main focus is on the bites, with pintxos being the most popular, similar to Spanish tapas, which are piled high on the counters of small pubs.

The selection mainly consists of very simple dishes, mini sandwiches loaded with all sorts of delicacies, freshly grilled bites, shrimps, squids, or even foie gras with white chocolate(!), salads, cold, refreshing soups, long-aged, excellent hams, freshly fried padron peppers in oil, stuffed croquettes, anchovy and sardine fillets raw or grilled, omelets (tortilla). They use a lot of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, various fresh or pickled, sweet or spicy peppers, olives, seafood, quail eggs, capers and caper fruits, but also fine beef, fresh mushrooms, cod, or pork (the pig's ear and local blood sausage are legendary). And the crowning of the evening is almost always the legendary La Vina bar's Basque baked cheesecake, which contains almost no flour, just cream cheese and eggs, charred on top but soft, even runny in the middle, the real deal.

For a true pintxo tour, the most suitable place is San Sebastian, where the entire old town transforms into a restaurant in the evenings. Locals and tourists alike visit their favorite spots, and according to local custom, used napkins are thrown under the counter, onto the floor.

Jókuti András - Világevő