8 recipes you need to try if you travel to the Basque country

The Basque Country is an area in the North of Spain that stands out for its cultural traditions, beautiful landscapes and cities, a characteristic language, and of course, for its gastronomy. The Basque Country is also becoming one of the touristic capitals of Spain, every year there are more tourists that decide to rent apartments in San Sebastian, Bilbao, or other cities and travel around those areas.

Apart from the beautiful buildings, cathedrals, beaches and landscapes that you can enjoy in the Basque Country, a very important part of the touristic experience, is the gastronomy. The Basque Country is one of the richest culinary regions in Spain. The region has 39 Michelin starred restaurants, and, in total, the region has 48 Michelin stars!

Here, we present you a list of the most typical Basque recipes. If you travel to the Basque Country, you cannot leave without trying out these typical dishes!

1. PIL PIL COD

One of the most used ingredients in the Basque Country, of course, is fish. The Basque region is located in the coast of the Cantabric Sea, where the best fish comes from. Pil Pil Cod, or Bacalo al Pil Pil, how Spanish people call it, consists of cod with a sauce made with oil, garlic and the jelly of the fish. It tastes really good!

2. COD WITH VIZCAINE SAUCE

Another typical dish from the Basque Country is cod with Vizcaine sauce or Bacalao en salsa Vizcaína, as Spanish people call it. As you can see, cod is very present in the Basque cuisine. This recipe consists of cod with a sauce made of a variety of pepper that is typical from the Basque region.

3. POTATOES WITH CHORIZO

Patatas a la Riojana or potatoes with chorizo is a very typical recipe during winter time, however, there is some people that has it during the whole year. Even though the recipe is typical from the Basque Country, it is done in most Spanish houses. As its name says, this recipe consists of a casserole of potatoes with chorizo. It is probably the casserole that every Spanish person loves!

4. GILDAS

As you might know, pintxos are very typical in the Basque Country. New pintxos are made very year, however, traditional ones are the most successful ones. Gildas are a traditional pintxo, that consists of a chili pepper skewed on an anchovy.

5. MARMITAKO

The name of this dish comes from marmita, which is the recipient where the dish was prepared traditionally. Marmitako consists of a casserole made of tuna, which is very typical from the North of Spain, with potatoes and the typical Basque pepper.

6. KOKOTXAS IN GREEN SAUCE

Kokotxas are the part of the fish that is located in its head. Kokotxas usually come from cod or hake. This dish consists of kokotxas with a sauce made with garlic and parsley (thanks to the parsley the sauce is green). It is delicious!

7. PORRUSALDA

The word porrusalda is Basque, and it comes from ‘porru’ which means leek, and ‘salda’ which means soup. So, porrusalda is a soup made mainly with leek, but also with other vegetables like potatoes, fish, usually cod and the Basque pepper called pimiento choricero. It is the perfect dish for a cold day!

8. BASQUE CAKE

For those who love sweets, we also have Basque sweet recipes for you! If you travel to the Basque Country, you must have the Basque cake, you will love it. It is a cake with a base made of almonds, pastry cream on the top and it is made in a rounded baking tin, which gives it its characteristic rounded shape. You will love it!

The author of this article is Leyre Ínigo Lázaro. She studied a double degree in International Relations and a bachelor in Global Communication at the University Of Comillas in Madrid. Leyre is a very creative and determined person. She always has new projects in mind and loves to overcome challenges.