Pintxos and the txikiteo

What it is

A pintxo is a bite or two of food, often set on a slice of bread and held together with a cocktail stick. The name comes from the Spanish word for a spike. Cold pintxos sit on the bar counter. Hot ones are cooked to order and listed on a board, and these are usually the ones a bar is proud of. The drink is small too: a zurito of beer, a txikito of wine, or a glass of txakoli, the sharp local white poured from a height.

Where it comes from

The txikiteo began as a round of small glasses of wine among groups of friends, the cuadrilla, in the old quarters of Basque towns. Food came later, to go with the wine. The Gilda, a skewer of olive, pickled green chilli and anchovy, is widely held to be the first modern pintxo and is linked to a bar in San Sebastián in the 1940s. Since the 1980s bars in San Sebastián and Bilbao have turned the pintxo into small, careful cooking.

How it works

In a traditional bar you take a plate, help yourself from the counter, and tell the staff what you ate when you pay. Sticks are sometimes counted. In many bars today you order everything from the staff, including the cold pintxos. Hot dishes are called out when ready. The round runs before lunch, from about noon, and again in the evening from seven. Thursday evening is pintxo-pote night in many towns, with a drink and a pintxo at a set low price.

How to do it

1. Head for the old town (Parte Vieja in San Sebastián, Casco Viejo in Bilbao).
2. Order one drink and one or two pintxos per bar.
3. Ask for the hot pintxos on the board. They are often the best thing in the house.
4. Keep your sticks or keep count, and pay when you leave.
5. Move on after one round. Four or five bars is normal.

Good manners

• Do not pile a plate high from the counter as if it were a buffet.
• Be honest about what you ate. The system runs on trust.
• Stand if the bar is busy. Tables are few and often meant for full meals.

What is eaten

Spanish omeletteEgg and potato omelette, often served as a tapa in SpainBacalao al pil pilSalted cod gently cooked in olive oil with garlic and a silky emulsion sauceChistorraThin, bright-red sausage from Navarre, often fried and served as a tapaCroquetteA deep-fried roll with a creamy or starchy filling, coated in breadcrumbsIdiazabal cheeseAged sheep’s milk cheese with a firm texture from Spain’s Basque Country

Also part of it, and being written: Cod tongue, Tuna pot.

Sources and further reading

• Pincho on Wikipedia
• San Sebastián Turismoa: official tourism site
• Basque Country Tourism (Euskadi)