Whether or not you have been to the Basque Country you have surely heard of its varied gastronomy or their tradicionales pintxos. The typical food of this Spanish region is characterized by the calidad de sus productos, with a mixture of sea recipes, thanks to the fresh fish provided by the Cantabrian, and mountain. Do you want to know more about the gastronomy of the Basque Country and its most typical dishes? Stay with us.
The region with the most Michelin stars
Although the fame of the gastronomy of the Basque Country it crosses borders for its excellent quality, most people are unaware that it is the region with the most restaurants that have achieved Michelin stars, specifically 23 this year 2021. Some of the best known and having three are the Akelarre, in Donostia-San Sebastián (Guipúzcoa); the Martin Berastegui in Lasarte-Oria (Guipúzcoa); the Arzak, also in Donostia-San Sebastián; and the azurmendi, in Larrabetzu (Vizcaya).
Star foods of the gastronomy of the Basque Country
Although the gastronomy of the Basque Country leave us infinite rich and tasty products, today we are going to highlight the essential ones, those that if you go to the region you cannot leave without trying or buying. Firstly, Tolosa beans. This food is known both outside and inside Spain, they are delicious and are collected by Basque villagers.
The second product that you should know are the Gernika peppers. With the stamp of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) are tender, not very big and without a raincoat (skin that is created to the pepper well due to lack of watering, bad kind of pepper or other causes), so you have to try them yes or yes.
Two other star products that cannot be missing from our recommended list are: txacoli and He came from Rioja Alavesa. This wine is included in the Rioja Denomination of Origin red bright, lively, fruity and with a fine aroma. Last but not least, we strongly recommend you try the Basque PDO cheese, specifically the Idiazabal. A luxury for your palate, and more so if you are a cheese lover, which will not leave you indifferent.
The best recipes with seafood
In addition to the wonderful and varied foods that exist in this Autonomous Community, there are also numerous dishes and recipes that make its gastronomy one of the best in Spain. As we have already mentioned, fresh fish from the Cantabrian Sea cannot be absent from Basque dishes, therefore, one of the most typical recipes is the Cod al pil pil. This recipe is one of the most typical of Basque cuisine and consists of creating a sauce known as pil pil, linking the oil where we have fried the cod with the gelatin released by the cod to form it.
Following with sea recipes is the marmitako, a very popular typical seafood stew. If you like spoon stews, this one is perfect for you. For its preparation, the sailors used a kettle, which is a metal pot with a hermetic lid, hence the name of the dish. There they added water from the sea itself, potatoes and bonito. Nowadays, a base sauce is made with onion and pepper, fish broth, the meat of the chorizo pepper, potatoes and, finally, the bonito is added to it so that it is made with the residual heat and does not remain dry. It is a real delicacy if it is prepared with the authentic pretty basque freshly caught in the Cantabrian Sea.
Lastly, you could not miss a traditional pintxo Basque: the gilda. It is a very simple skewer to make, although the quality of the ingredients makes the difference. You only need a toothpick in which to prick a pitted olive, the end of an anchovy, a chilli or green piparra, the other end of the anchovy and another olive. And ready!
After having known the best products and the incredible recipes of the gastronomy of the Basque CountryYou just have to try each one of them. Which one do you most want to taste? Did these foods that are born in the north of the peninsula already sound familiar to you? The truth is that there are more, as well as dishes, but we are left with that selection.
