Some months ago, I wrote several blog posts about food, but I thought I ought to revisit the topic one more time before I stop. So here are a few fairly random musings about the things that have tickled our stomachs. (Many of the pictures below are taken from the internet.)
Tortillas and Empanadas
After my previous posts, I realised that I had written a lot about ‘pintxos’, but said nothing about two other very important foodstuffs with a similar snack function: ‘empanadas’ and ‘tortillas’ (spanish omelette).
Tortillas are omnipresent, sold in large quantities in every one of the thousands and thousands of bars and cafes in Spain, and the mouth-wateringly delicious food for every occasion. Fancy something savoury for breakfast instead of a pastry filled with custard? Have a slice of tortilla. Elevenses and still over 3 hours to go till lunch? Have a slice of tortilla. Want a quick light lunch instead of the usual three course extravaganza? Have a slice of tortilla. Teatime and still 5 hours to go till supper at 11pm? Have a slice of tortilla. Ate too much at lunch but need a little something before bed? Have a slice of tortilla. Going on a train journey and need something to sustain you on the way? Have a slice of tortilla. And so on.
Tortillas and Empanadas
After my previous posts, I realised that I had written a lot about ‘pintxos’, but said nothing about two other very important foodstuffs with a similar snack function: ‘empanadas’ and ‘tortillas’ (spanish omelette).
Tortillas are omnipresent, sold in large quantities in every one of the thousands and thousands of bars and cafes in Spain, and the mouth-wateringly delicious food for every occasion. Fancy something savoury for breakfast instead of a pastry filled with custard? Have a slice of tortilla. Elevenses and still over 3 hours to go till lunch? Have a slice of tortilla. Want a quick light lunch instead of the usual three course extravaganza? Have a slice of tortilla. Teatime and still 5 hours to go till supper at 11pm? Have a slice of tortilla. Ate too much at lunch but need a little something before bed? Have a slice of tortilla. Going on a train journey and need something to sustain you on the way? Have a slice of tortilla. And so on.
Less common, but still popular, are empanadas. Mostly sold in bakeries, but also sometimes found on the counter in bars along with the tortillas and pintxos, they are a kind of flat baked pasty – two layers of pastry with a delicious filling of oniony meat, fish or cheese, made in big rounds like pizza and eaten in slices
The most wonderful empanadas in Bilbao are served at ‘Obrador de Jon’ (‘Jon´s workshop’) on Calle Ronda, on the other side of the old town near our first flat, a wonderful little friendly bakery and café which opened shortly after we arrived in Bilbao. Some of the empanadas there have amazing sweet and savoury fillings like ‘jamon y manzana’ (ham and apple) and ‘atun y pasos’ (tuna and raisins) – and others have sweet fillings like mango. Highly recommended.
After a winter of very good apples, pears and quinces, the summer brought a plethora of wonderful soft fruit. First, there was the strawberry season in May, then the (particularly good) cherry season in June, with the peach season just starting at the end of June. And it was all so cheap: we’d get through a couple of big boxes of cherries a week in June. Wonderful melons seem to be available all year too, as do walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts.
Fish
We’ve continued to enjoy eating simply cooked fresh fish ‘a la plancha’ (grilled) – often turbot (‘rodaballo’) or bream (‘dorada’)– both at home and out, and particularly in fishing towns along the coast, and much more cheaply than in the UK. The traditional way of cooking it is to grill it with some slices of garlic and lay it on top of buttery grilled or baked sliced potatoes.
We’ve continued to enjoy eating simply cooked fresh fish ‘a la plancha’ (grilled) – often turbot (‘rodaballo’) or bream (‘dorada’)– both at home and out, and particularly in fishing towns along the coast, and much more cheaply than in the UK. The traditional way of cooking it is to grill it with some slices of garlic and lay it on top of buttery grilled or baked sliced potatoes.
Delicious. Fresh tuna has been another simple and wonderful pleasure, though it disappeared over the winter and only came back again in June. However, bottled tuna – far superior to the stuff you get in tins in the UK – was a useful replacement. (Tuna here is often referred to as Bonito del Nord - the beauty of the North. The man at our local 'charcuteria' was fond of telling us that the tuna we were buying was the second best in Bilbao: he himself was the best ('bonito' also meaning 'beautiful man.'))
Beans and Peppers
Other favourite staple foods to eat in and out include ‘alubias’ (bean stews, usually made with chorizo) and ‘pimientos de Gernika’ (or ‘pimientos del pais’), the wonderful little sweet green peppers, which one simply fries whole with garlic and salt: you can’t get them in the UK and we’re going to miss them hugely. There are also the lovely sweet red ‘piquillo’ peppers which you buy, cooked, in bottles.
Beans and Peppers
Other favourite staple foods to eat in and out include ‘alubias’ (bean stews, usually made with chorizo) and ‘pimientos de Gernika’ (or ‘pimientos del pais’), the wonderful little sweet green peppers, which one simply fries whole with garlic and salt: you can’t get them in the UK and we’re going to miss them hugely. There are also the lovely sweet red ‘piquillo’ peppers which you buy, cooked, in bottles.
Beans of many different kinds are a very popular staple here, and we ate lots of them at home. Grocers all have sacks of dried beans to dig into, whilst bottles of cooked beans are also omnipresent. Indeed, bottles of food are far more popular here than in the UK; beans, peppers, chillies, fish, onions, asparagus, etc. – bottles of all of these cram the shelves of every grocer.
Breakfast
Most weekends, we have gone out for breakfast on either Saturday or Sunday. Our nearest café, where we normally go, is the unpretentious but atmospheric and friendly little Café Bizvete opposite the cathedral. Other nearby alternatives include Café Santiago, Café Brasil, Café Exquisita and Café Lago (the latter particularly good for ‘chocolate con churros’.)
Most weekends, we have gone out for breakfast on either Saturday or Sunday. Our nearest café, where we normally go, is the unpretentious but atmospheric and friendly little Café Bizvete opposite the cathedral. Other nearby alternatives include Café Santiago, Café Brasil, Café Exquisita and Café Lago (the latter particularly good for ‘chocolate con churros’.)
Breakfast consists of coffee – usually ‘café con leche’ – plus a sticky croissant or custardy thing, and a glass of orange juice. Custard (‘natilla’) is extremely popular here, and typically the choice at breakfast, other than sticky croissant, might consist of custard tart, custard and apple tart, ´leche frita´(fried custard), ‘torrija’ (fried custardy bread), and something called ´gypsy’s arm’ (‘brazo de gitano’) which is like a swiss roll with custard instead of jam.
For breakfast at home, we relied on 'La Casa Del Yogur', a little Cantabrian dairy shop round the corner where we could get fresh milk, plain yoghourt and bottle stewed fruit purees. At the Fiesta de San Tomas, in December, we bought a bottle of bee pollen from a farm in the Basque mountains, largely out of curiosity, and ended up sprinkling a few grains of that on our yoghourt ad fruit each day!
Coffee
Coffee would be pretty straightforward, you’d think, especially since choices other than ‘café con leche’ or ‘café solo’ are unusual. But there was one puzzle we had to work out early on. When we ordered ‘café con leche’ it always came in a rather dull cup and saucer, whereas around us we saw most Basque people drinking it out of much more attractive, and bigger, glasses. Turns out that you have to ask for ‘café con leche en vaso’ if you want it in a glass - which is what most of the locals seem to do.
Coffee would be pretty straightforward, you’d think, especially since choices other than ‘café con leche’ or ‘café solo’ are unusual. But there was one puzzle we had to work out early on. When we ordered ‘café con leche’ it always came in a rather dull cup and saucer, whereas around us we saw most Basque people drinking it out of much more attractive, and bigger, glasses. Turns out that you have to ask for ‘café con leche en vaso’ if you want it in a glass - which is what most of the locals seem to do.
Cake
Cake, in the English sense, is not easy to come by at all, and even ‘tartas’ – delicious cake-like tarts – are not often sold in cafes, which generally sell pastries and savoury things instead: generally one has to buy ‘tartas’ from a ‘pasteleria’ to take away. One important exception, however, is ‘Obrador de Jon’ (again), which specialises in exquisite home-made ‘tartas’– their ‘tarta de Santiago’ is unmatched, and there is always a selection of mouth-wateringly moist almondy, fruity and chocolately ‘tortas’ to choose from.
Cake, in the English sense, is not easy to come by at all, and even ‘tartas’ – delicious cake-like tarts – are not often sold in cafes, which generally sell pastries and savoury things instead: generally one has to buy ‘tartas’ from a ‘pasteleria’ to take away. One important exception, however, is ‘Obrador de Jon’ (again), which specialises in exquisite home-made ‘tartas’– their ‘tarta de Santiago’ is unmatched, and there is always a selection of mouth-wateringly moist almondy, fruity and chocolately ‘tortas’ to choose from.
Horchata
Ever come across ‘horchata’ before? I hadn’t. It’s a popular sweet cold drink made with water, tiger nuts (‘chufas’) and sugar – an ancient drink dating from the time of the Muslim occupation of Spain, and very refreshing. And what exactly are tiger nuts? Well, it turns out that they are not nuts at all, but the tubers of a kind of sedge grass! Horchata tastes and looks a bit like you might imagine a nutty milkshake to taste and look, but there’s no milk in it.
Ever come across ‘horchata’ before? I hadn’t. It’s a popular sweet cold drink made with water, tiger nuts (‘chufas’) and sugar – an ancient drink dating from the time of the Muslim occupation of Spain, and very refreshing. And what exactly are tiger nuts? Well, it turns out that they are not nuts at all, but the tubers of a kind of sedge grass! Horchata tastes and looks a bit like you might imagine a nutty milkshake to taste and look, but there’s no milk in it.
Pintxos
Pintxos continued to be a delight, and a regular default for a cheap, light and very tasty supper if we didn’t feel like cooking. We often headed for the bars ‘Irrintzi’, ‘Kukusoak’, and ‘Xukela’, all approximately one minute walk from our flat, and all serving delicious things. Irrintzi is one of the best, with some quite avant-garde pintxos, and by far the best selection of vegetarian pintxos in Bilbao. Not far away, in Plaza Nueva, there is a plethora of pintxo bars, mostly very good. ‘Café Bar Bilbao’ is always a good starting point, traditional but lively. ‘Victor Montes’ is a bit more staid, more traditional and more expensive, but full of old-fashioned character. A little further away still, in the new town (‘ensanche’), the streets around the Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia (county hall) contain some great treats, especially the wonderful ‘Vino del Ensanche’ with its ham, tomato and garlic toast, and delicious little warm pintxos in dishes (‘pintxos calientes’), and the equally wonderful ‘El Globo’ with its fresh tuna and caramelised onion pintxo amongst many others.
Pintxos continued to be a delight, and a regular default for a cheap, light and very tasty supper if we didn’t feel like cooking. We often headed for the bars ‘Irrintzi’, ‘Kukusoak’, and ‘Xukela’, all approximately one minute walk from our flat, and all serving delicious things. Irrintzi is one of the best, with some quite avant-garde pintxos, and by far the best selection of vegetarian pintxos in Bilbao. Not far away, in Plaza Nueva, there is a plethora of pintxo bars, mostly very good. ‘Café Bar Bilbao’ is always a good starting point, traditional but lively. ‘Victor Montes’ is a bit more staid, more traditional and more expensive, but full of old-fashioned character. A little further away still, in the new town (‘ensanche’), the streets around the Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia (county hall) contain some great treats, especially the wonderful ‘Vino del Ensanche’ with its ham, tomato and garlic toast, and delicious little warm pintxos in dishes (‘pintxos calientes’), and the equally wonderful ‘El Globo’ with its fresh tuna and caramelised onion pintxo amongst many others.
Also in the new town one finds two classic 19th-century bars, reminiscent of some of the grand Victorian pubs of the industrial revolution in Liverpool, Manchester,, Glasgow, etc. – ‘La Granja’ and ‘Café Iruna’. Café Iruna is a particularly handsome building decorated (very unusually for Bilbao) in Moorish style, and serving ‘pintxos morunos’ – delicious Moroccan-style skewers of lamb marinated in lemon and spices and grilled over coals in front of you as you wait. ‘La Granja’, on the other hand, has a special counter during the winter months serving freshly cooked ‘talos’ (very tasty flat cornbread filled with the usual things – cheese, fish, meat, peppers, mushrooms, etc.), excellent for winter evenings.
Cazuelitas
For delicious ‘cazuelitas’ (‘little stews’), you can’t do any better than the wonderful Rio Oja, again just by our flat. You can pop in and eat a plate of stew and a chunk of bread standing up at the bar with the locals, with an array of steel pans full of different stews on the counter in front of you.
For delicious ‘cazuelitas’ (‘little stews’), you can’t do any better than the wonderful Rio Oja, again just by our flat. You can pop in and eat a plate of stew and a chunk of bread standing up at the bar with the locals, with an array of steel pans full of different stews on the counter in front of you.
Eating Out
We didn´t do a huge amount of full-on eating out during the year. With all those delicious ‘pintxos’ and ‘raciones’ to snack on, fitting in big meals out seemed a bit superfluous! Maybe once every couple of weeks we’d have a ridiculously cheap ‘menu del dia’ on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Several restaurants just by our flat were generally a good bet for this (for instance ‘Kasko’ and ‘Harrobia’), and Café Iruna in the new town was also good. We also went several times to the two low-key but excellent fish restaurants by the sea in our favourite seaside village, Mundaka, an hour’s train ride away – the cosy ‘Bodegon’ and the ‘Casino’ on the floor above it, with a superb sea view out of its picture windows.
We didn´t do a huge amount of full-on eating out during the year. With all those delicious ‘pintxos’ and ‘raciones’ to snack on, fitting in big meals out seemed a bit superfluous! Maybe once every couple of weeks we’d have a ridiculously cheap ‘menu del dia’ on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Several restaurants just by our flat were generally a good bet for this (for instance ‘Kasko’ and ‘Harrobia’), and Café Iruna in the new town was also good. We also went several times to the two low-key but excellent fish restaurants by the sea in our favourite seaside village, Mundaka, an hour’s train ride away – the cosy ‘Bodegon’ and the ‘Casino’ on the floor above it, with a superb sea view out of its picture windows.
There are plenty of good restaurants all round town, in fact – by the sea in Getxo, Portugalete and Algorta, for instance, and across the river from the old town in Bilbao La Vieja and San Francisco, as well as in the Casco Viejo and the Ensanche. One we wanted to go to but never got round to was ‘El Perro Chico’, just across the river from us, well-known locally for the quality of its food and its atmosphere.
As for grander dining, there are several arty Michelin-starred options in Bilbao (and many more around the food-obsessed Basque country generally), but we only had one meal in the whole year that might qualify under this category, and that (an anniversary treat) was in a little, relatively unpretentious, restaurant called Mina, just across the river from our street, which has one newly-acquired Michelin star. Mina keeps its prices and pretentions down by being in Bilbao La Vieja, a rather bohemian, down-at-heel area of town. It’s called Mina (which means ‘mine’) because it’s on the site of a tunnel going to an old iron mine in the hill above the river. Although I’m not always keen on this kind of food experience, the 7-course tasting menu was very interesting, superbly cooked and beautifully presented, (along with a different (small!) glass of wine with each course.
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