Did you ever go to a bar that made you want to go back to school? I found myself in that situation after my first time having pintxos in San Sebastián. My trip started in Madrid, from there I made my way to Northern Africa. After a long boat ride from Tangier to Barcelona, and getting robbed there on my arrival, I found myself on the way to San Sebastián.
I had read about the majestic town of San Sebastián, and its concentration of Michelin starred restaurants, over the years, but only decided a few days after getting to Barcelona to make the trip based on a strong recommendation from a friend of mine. You can read reviews of all the accomplished chefs and amazing restaurants there, but this isn’t a story about that. I planned my trip at the last minute, as most of mine are, and most of the famed restaurants there require reservations months in advance. I had not made any. Instead, I was looking for pintxos.
When I got to San Sebastián and checked into the hotel, I dropped my bag and made my way to the old part of town. It was a short walk and as I got closer to the epicenter of the pintxos bars, I noticed they all had one thing in common, they were all packed full of people eating and drinking; most importantly, everyone was talking and laughing—enjoying each other’s company.
The typical day in Spain consists of a light breakfast, desayuno, maybe some bread, or a slice of tortilla de Espana—a heavenly egg and potato dish—whether it should or should not have onions is a national debate. There is a mid-morning snack, almuerzo, usually just some bread and more coffee. Lunch, comida, doesn’t really start until 1pm, and most places it would be closer to 2pm. Dinner, cena, is around 9pm on the early side, usually closer to 10pm or 11pm, so in between lunch and dinner, you need a snack. Enter the pintxo.
Pintxos are snacks, usually one or two bites, that are often served on bread. Pintxos means spike, or skewer, and refers to the toothpick or skewer they usually have through them. It isn’t as common now, but you used to keep all the toothpicks from the pintxos you ate and present them to the barman when you were ready to pay, and he would calculate the bill based on the sticks. When you walk into a bar, the bar top will likely be loaded with pintxos that you either grab yourself, or the bartender gets for you; the protocol entirely dependent on the bar and can be opposite from one bar to the next. Some places make the pintxos to order and have a menu to order from, otherwise, you pick whatever looks good to you.
You will notice that no one sits down. You stand with your beverage of choice and have a few pintxos while catching up with your friends and neighbors about what happened since you last saw them, which was likely over pintxos the day before. It is a way of life and a way to live life. You can have pintxos by yourself, and they are excellent, but part of the allure of the experience is the social aspect of talking with other people about their day while having a bite of something delicious with a beverage to wash it down.
Each pintxo bar has its own specialities, from a simple piece of seared foie gras on a slice of buttered toast, to the iconic Spanish Pulpo, or squid with garlic. Skewered prawns are ubiquitous as is Iberico ham. Think of decadent dishes like an Iberico ham mousse topped with sliced Iberico ham on a slice of bread. Ham and egg croquettes followed by onion and leek blood pudding. There are even more contemporary styles of pintxos like a squid ink donut, foam of caramelized custard, chocolate with olive oil and salt, or an herb infused grappa. There are no shortage of choices of things to try and most places have their own spin on pintxos, so investigating the offerings at multiple places is necessary. Better to make late dinner reservations.
The thing that is the most striking, is how it is more social hour than anything. Friends greeting each other over a glass of wine eating a pintxo or two. Then saying their goodbyes and making their way to the next pintxo bar for a different pintxo and, well, another glass of wine. It was this spirit of community that made me want to learn Spanish. I had taken several other languages in school, but spoke almost no Spanish. After the first hour of seeing how much fun the locals were having, I decided it was time to learn a new language. So, on my next trip to Spain a few months later, I took an immersion course in Madrid for a month. My reward to myself at the end of my studies was to be another trip to San Sebastián for pintxos and conversation.
Unfortunately, even after a month, my Spanish wasn’t ready to carry on conversations with the locals as I had hoped, but I wasn’t going to punish myself and skip the pintxos. While my conversational Spanish skills needed some work, it did not slow me down from finding some new delicious pintxos. My goal was still to chat with people in Spanish on a future trip to San Sebastián someday. In the furtherance of that goal, I took another five weeks of Spanish immersion classes, this time in Buenos Aires. If I weren’t laser focused on my goal to learn Spanish, I would have never discovered the Argentinian Parrilla and the Choripan. Sometimes in the purist of learning, you find some amazing food along the way.
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
Pintxo Bars to Try
· Goiz Argi - Brocheta de gambas – prawn skewer
· Txvelta – foie gras
· Gandarias - Solomillo – beef tenderloin
· A Fuego Negro - Black Rabas – squid ink donuts
· Sirimiri - Cordero - lamb
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