What to eat in the Basque Country: traditional dishes

Tuna marmitako on ceramic dish Basque cuisine

Stews like marmitako, seafood delicacies such as kokotxas, or the classic dish for meat lovers, txuletón. Whichever part of the Basque Country you visit, you will be able to enjoy an endless variety of traditional dishes. These are just a few of them!

Eating in the Basque Country is a treat for the palate and all the other senses. What’s their secret? Making the most of the excellent products of their farmland, and most of all, their coast. Grab a table and enjoy!Marmitako deserves to be at the top of this list. It has all of the flavour of the Cantabrian Sea in just one stew. It is a dish that fishermen would prepare at sea, cooking some of their bonito catch (albacore tuna) with potatoes and vegetables in a metal stew pot.You can then move on to a hearty leek and potato stew called porrusalda.

Top left: Traditional Basque marmitako. Top right: Porrusalda. Below: Traditional Basque barn © Basquetour

Cod al pil pil requires a great deal of preparation and patience - the secret to the dish is properly emulsifying the gelatin from the fish skin with oil, stirring the stew slowly and constantly to produce a delicious sauce. This dish can be prepared the same way with kokotxas or hake cheeks.When it comes to meat dishes, in addition to txuletón, especially with beef from a caserío or farm, it’s worth trying sukalki, a meat ragú made with zancarrón (ossobuco) and potatoes - the most important cooking competition in the region is named after this dish.

Above: Basque fishermen in Guetaria © Basquetour. Bottom left: Cod al pil-pil Bottom right: Basque txuletón

As for desserts, you have to treat yourself to cuajada or sheep’s milk junket; goxua, with separate layers of cream, sponge, custard and caramel; or a pastel vasco, made with shortcrust pastry and custard.There is no doubt that the Basque Country is the place to go for great food. Bon appétit, or as they say in Basque, on egin!