There is one phrase that makes me cringe, and I am telling you now so you never have to make this mistake if you come to Northern Spain.
“I’m so excited to eat tapas!”
There ARE NO TAPAS. The food culture in this part of Spain is not about tapas. It’s about pintxos.
The difference in culture across Spain’s 17 regions is something I feel strongly about. With such diversity it’s almost impossible to make generalisations about the country as a whole. Sitting in a cafe in Granada last year my boss called me a “culture nazi” explaining that I am “the typical example of someone who lived in Italy and now is all hung up on the way things should be done”. Or something like that. No. I just think it’s important to understand the differences between the food culture in different regions and countries.
In Northern Spain, you will generally find places serving pintxos. Not just in the Basque Country, where San Sebastian’s ‘foodie’ reputation has recently made pintxos well known, but also in La Rioja and Navarre. Pintxos are not limited to these three regions, but these three regions have the most noticeable pintxo culture.
The tapas culture is much stronger in Madrid and Southern Spain, but again, it’s not limited to these areas. In some regions of Spain (Catalunya is an example of this) the food culture is about sit down meals. A fiercely Catalan girl told me once that they prefer to be “civilised” when they eat, not like their “noisy Spanish neighbours”. They don’t have a tapas OR pintxo culture, but you will still stumble across bars serving either/or in the region. So please don’t tell me in Barcelona there were tapas and pintxos, because Barcelona has everything regardless if it is local to Catalunya or not, like sushi and burgers.
Phew. I’m glad we got that out of the way.
But what ARE pintxos?
The way I always explain it to people, whose dreams I have just shattered by telling them that they won’t be eating tapas OR paella on their trip to the north east of Spain is: a tapa is a small serve of a particular dish, such as meatballs or fried eggplant which can also be prepared in bigger sizes – a half or full ración – and shared. A pintxo is a small snack made of a combination of ingredients for just one person. It would be physically impossible for a traditional pintxo to be prepared as a bigger serving, as is possible with tapas.
What tapas and pintxos do have in common is they serve the same purpose – something small to eat with drinks or before a meal.
Pintxos are a casual way of eating, taken in pintxo bars standing up against the bar or around a table. Going out for pintxos is a social affair. For locals it is a very popular way to meet up with friends. Bars will be busy until midnight with people of all ages doing their ruta de pintxo. Some bars have their pintxos displayed on top of the bar, others are made fresh to order.
Traditionally pintxos were always served served on a skewer and often on top of a piece of bread.The word pintxo has come from the Spanish verb pinchar – to pierce (the tx and ch have the same sound).
Many bars, particularly in La Rioja, are still serving pintxos on a skewer, but times are changing and pintxos are evolving. There are bars now serving modern, fancier pintxos, which are often a small plate of food (I use that word loosely, some of these are works of art), served with a knife and fork and finished in a few bites.
San Sebastian was once to be known for (and still is) the ‘toothpick method’ of eating pintxos, as I like to call it. The pintxos are displayed on top of the bar, each little concoction held together by a toothpick. You collect a plate and select your pintxos, and at the end you pay your bill based on how many toothpicks you have.
Whilst there are still bars in San Sebastian doing the ‘toothpick method, the best pintxos now are the ones that are made to order. San Sebastian is particularly well known for it’s modern, gastronomic take on the pintxo culture, more so than Logroño, due to the Basque’s willingness to evolve and experiment with their cuisine.
So there you have it. That’s a pintxo. The most important thing? Whether you are eating pintxos or tapas, don’t be afraid to try something new. Pintxos can often be creative and experimental, or simple but using ingredients that you wouldn’t have considered eating at home. This is part of the excitement, you never quite know what’s around the corner.
Have you visited Northern Spain? What pintxos did you eat?
PS: Sometimes you will see pintxo written as pincho. The Basque spelling is pintxo and the spanish spelling in pincho. The most common spelling of the word in La Rioja, Navarre and the Basque Country is pintxo, but you may see pincho used too.
* PPS: I am going to add a disclaimer here that whilst Northern Spain does not have a tapas culture, you may still stumble across the odd place serving tapas. But what would more likely find is bars serving ‘raciones’ (even larger dishes designed for sharing).
Mike of Mapless Mike says
I had pintxos about 10 years ago in San Sebastián, but that was on a trip I took in high school where it was more about sneaking into a bar for a beer when I was 16 than enjoying the cuisine. They were delicious though! Other than that, I’ve only eaten tapas in Andalucía, so I’m really looking forward to living in La Rioja and taking advantage of the pintxo culture!
Cyra says
Pintxos are great but there is something to be said about tapas in Andalucia as well. I particularly love Seville, it’s one of my favourite Spanish cities in eat in at the moment!
Macky says
cantabria, asturias and galicia (east to west) are also northern spain where you’ll find tapas and raciones of varying sizes, sometimes huge, sometimes stinggy. You’ll also find pinchos in the more modern vinotecas, but they largely ape the pinxto tradition of the Basque region. Of course, the pincho/pintxo in some areas is also known as a montadito. It’s complicated at times.
Cyra says
It is true that it is complicated at times!