Food

Txarriboda is the name of the annual slaughter of the pig. This is an ancient, rural ritual. Farmers help each other slaughter the pigs each has raised and fattened. Several men hold the animal down while the farmer who has coddled this intelligent and affectionate animal from its infancy cuts its throat. It´s a very slow death. From this is made blood sausage, ham, bacon, chops, loin, pigs feet but only for the family and their friends. This form of processing food would not be up to EU health standards for sale in stores.

Very familiar to me in Southern California, this tying together of peppers for drying is an important part of Basque cuisine. Introduced to Europe from the Americas, the Basque pepper is sweeter because it ripens in a sun that is less harsh than the Mexican and Southwest United States sun.

Every morning, most of the bars and the restaurants set out pintxo which is the term in Euskera for tapas. Plates and plates of a wide variety of food, most of it with seafood, ham or chicken. Lots of breads and sweets, too.

This is a Spanish tortilla. To me, a tortilla is a cornmeal or wheat crêpe but to the Spanish it´s an egg and potato torta.

Typical morning customers gathered for pintxo. Fast food is perhaps a Spanish invention.

Makailaua is Basque for bacalau is Spanish for cod. It was in their ever-widening pursuit as they depopulated the waters of the Bay of Biscay of this lucrative fish (as well as whale), that the Basques were drawn ever further out into the Atlantic and closer to the Americas. To make the trip, over the centuries the Basques learned to build and navigate strong, seagoing vessels and became the best mariners in Western Europe.

Basque cuisine is considered by many to among the finest on the planet and pil pil is considered by those same many to be the ne plus ultra of all Basque dishes. Essentially, it´s made of cod, garlic and peppers.

My teacher Naroa´s parents go to this bakery every day to buy their bread fresh. Most Basques buy their bread fresh daily.

It´s very hard not to get fat in Donostia.

The large open-air market area and covered market areas from the late 19th century have been modernized and turned more or less into malls and food courts. But, outside, you can still go and get fresh vegetables. Little stores throughout the city also sell fresh, delicious fruit.