This is composed of an olive, a chili or ‘piparra’ from Ibarra and an anchovy fillet. It was created in Casa Vallés in San Sebastián and named after Rita Hayworth’s character of Gilda in the homonymous film of 1946.

Mushrooms cooked in a variety of manners, such as grilled, stewed, stuffed, with garlic and parsley, etc.

This is an extremely gelatinous cut from the area of the chin found in cod and hake. There is plenty of ways of cooking them, like in ‘pil-pil’ sauce, in ‘salsa verde’ sauce, battered, ‘donostiarra’ style or grilled.

This name is used for several elaborations based on spider crab. It can be served in ‘donostiarra’ style, stuffed in its own shell and gratinéed, over a puff-pastry tartlet, etc.

It also receives the name ‘Lorea’. It is a mussel elaboration where the steamed mussels are chopped and mixed with bechamel sauce and piquillo peppers and later panéed and deep-fried.

There are three main ingredients to this pintxo: half a boiled egg, a boiled king prawn and mayonnaise. Apart from these, some people will add an olive or an anchovy fillet.

This consists of a grilled sirloin medallion and piece of foie-gras that are then topped with various sauces like a reduction of berries, a reduction of balsamic vinegar, a ‘morrón’ pepper sauce, etc.

This pintxo consists of slices of boiled egg, anchovy fillets, piquillo peppers and mayonnaise on a slice of toasted bread. Some people make this using ‘serrano’ ham or grilled squid.

Cod is a staple in Basque restaurants. On the one hand, in the ‘vizcaína’ style the sauce is elaborated using ‘choricero’ peppers, garlic and onion. On the other, the ‘pil-pil’ sauce is obtained by emulsifying olive oil and the gelatin that comes out of the fish when it is being cooked.

Tuna can be cooked in various ways like grilled, in ‘piperrada’ (with peppers), or even tinned. However, one the most popular dishes is ‘marmitako’, where the fish is stewed together with potatoes, garlic, tomato, ‘choricero’ peppers and paprika. It got its name from a recipe that Basque fishermen prepared in a pot, ‘marmita’ in Basque, on board.

This sauce can equally be used for any other type of fish recipe such as cod ‘kokotxas’, although it traditionally accompanies hake. In this recipe the hake is cooked in a sauce made with parsley and white wine and later clams, peas and garlic are added.

Typically, it is elaborated following the ‘donostiarra’ style, where the meat of the spider crab is mixed with an onion, leek and carrot ‘sofrito’. Later, it is flambéed with whisky, bread crumbs are added to it and the shell is stuffed with the mixture and put in the oven.

This recipe of squid cooked in a black sauce of onions, peppers, tomato, garlic, white wine and the squid’s ink is a staple of Basque cuisine.

It is, perhaps, the simplest recipe of all but, at the same time, the most expensive because a kilo of elver can cost up to something between 650 and 1,000 euros. The recipe consists of frying the fish in a pan with some olive oil, garlic and chili. They are usually consumed during winter in Christmas or festive days like San Sebastián.

It is a typical Basque soup that is perfect for the cold months of autumn and winter. It is made of cod, bread, garlic, ‘choricero’ peppers and egg. Its name comes from the Basque word ‘zurrupatu’, to slurp or sip in English.

It is the star of the grill-show. The sauce, which consists of olive oil, vinegar, garlic and chili, is elaborated all along the Basque coast, but it is especially renowned in the village of Orio, whence it takes its name.

Its taste and exquisiteness make Basque steaks the star of all cuts. The experience that it offers goes beyond the mere eating, it is a joy to see it sit on the grill⎯which is possible in many steakhouses⎯, hear the sizzling of the fire, feel its tenderness when cutting it and, of course, taste it. It is an essential part of restaurants, ciderhouses and gastronomic societies and a great choice for all special occasions.

The best companions for all types of stews, especially those of beans, although they can also be fried, boiled or grilled. Each producer adds their own twist to the original recipe to enhance the flavor. Perhaps the ‘mondeju’ is the most special. This is mainly elaborated in the regions of Goierri and Tolosaldea by combining sheep fat, leek, egg and onion.

Suckling lamb, ‘bildotsa’ in Basque, is typically cooked either roasted or stewed, although in Rioja Alavesa it is common to grill the lamb chops on vine shoot fire, which gives the meat a special aroma.

This is the most popular Basque meat-and-potato-stew that combines shank meat with a delicious sauce made of pepper, onion, carrot, leek and white wine.

Snail-based dishes are typical in Easter. They are commonly cooked in rich sauces, the most resorted to being the ‘vizcaína’ sauce, which is elaborated using ‘choricero’ peppers, leeks, onions, pork belly, white wine and parsley.

Typical from Álava, it is a specialty in Rioja Alavesa and mainly consumed during spring. It is elaborated by stewing potatoes from Álava and chorizo together.

There are three types of native kinds of beans in the Basque Country: the one from Tolosa, a second from Gernika and a third ‘pinta’ from Álava. Usually, bean stews are accompanied by side dishes, ‘sacramentos’ in Spanish, that are later added to the beans themselves. Among these, we can find blood sausage, chorizo, cabbage, chilis from Ibarra, and pork belly and ribs. Some people also add ‘mondeju’. All in all, this makes for a hearty and delicious meal.

Yet another comforting dish for the colder months. This is a mixture of leeks, potatoes, carrots and onions together with any greens that are seasonal in the orchards.

This is a delicious dessert coming from the region of Álava, more precisely from the capital Vitoria-Gasteiz, which in Basque means sweet and tasty. It has three layers: one of whipped cream, another of sponge and a last one of crème patissiere. Then the surface is sprinkled with sugar and burnt with a blowtorch.

This dessert is made from sheep milk and sugar. The milk can be obtained from local farms, which adds to the characteristic flavor of the ‘mamia’. Traditionally, it is served cold in a clay cup with some honey or cinnamon on top.

This consists of a base made of flour, butter and eggs that is then filled with crème patissiere. Some people fill it with chocolate, cocoa cream or berries.

It is a walnut cream, similar to custard but more consistent. It has been consumed in rural areas for over 150 years, especially in Guipúzcoa. It is made of crushed walnuts, milk, sugar and, occasionally, a touch of cinnamon.

A delicious dessert that consists of layers of pastry filled with créme patissiere and topped with almonds and icing sugar. It is better to have it rather warm in order to enhance its flavor.

Each region and town or city in the Basque Country has its own elaborations that have become staples. Desserts like the ‘Carolinas’ from Bilbao, ‘Tejas y Cigarrillos’ and ‘Gorrotxas’ from Tolosa, ‘Vasquitos’ and ‘Neskitas’ from Vitoria-Gasteiz, ‘San Blas’ tarts, ‘Ignacios’ from Azpeitia, ‘Guardiaciviles’ from Areatza, ‘Cocotes’ from Markina, Segura tart, ‘Martintxos’ from Beasain, ‘Artopila’ from Durango, chocolate from Mendaro, etc. Each place puts their own icing on the cake.