Vineyards of Bodegas Berroja in Urdaibai in Vizcaya
Sure for you travel to Euskadi is synonymous to enjoy gastronomy. There are so many gastronomic arguments offered by this area of Spain, which have become the second reason that leads visitors to make tourism in Euskadi.
And if we talk about gastronomy, what better way to complement your trip to Euskadi with participation and enjoy gastronomic experiences.
In recent years, a wide range of such travel experiences has been created, but currently the tourism department of the Basque Country, under the brand Euskadi Gastronomika, is developing a strategy to further enhance these tourist activities and facilitate access to visitors, and, thus, encourage visits to the regions.
The highlight of this offer is the variety of gastronomic tourism activities, and its extension throughout the territory.
As proof of this, I will highlight below 8 gastronomic experiences I've had the chance to enjoy during my Recent trip to Euskadi.
Josetxo Lizarreta at the Pintxos Workshop in San Sebastián
1.- Pintxos Workshop in the Old District of San Sebastián
A reflection of the gastronomic potential of Spain is the profusion of classrooms and cooking workshops with prestigious chefs. And, of course, this tourist activity cannot be missed in Euskadi.
Now in the Old Quarter of San Sebastián You can participate in a very peculiar activity, such as the Pintxos Workshop that takes place in a private house by the chef Josetxo Lizarreta.
In the house of his partner Gabriela Ranelli, Josetxo teaches you in a very pleasant way how to make the famous pintxos, so common in the bars of the old part of the city. Of course, to get to taste them, between wine and wine you must participate in its elaboration, and possibly at the end of the day you will end up singing Basque songs.
2. Txacolí wine tasting in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve
Surely you know that Txacoli is the typical Basque wine. Now, did you know that there are different types of txacolí winesWho can have a quite different taste?
I have had the opportunity to learn it during the Txacoli wine tasting in which I participated. This tasting can be done in Berroja Wineries, which since 1985 is producing txacoli wine in its wonderful landscape site of Urdaibai.
It is only worth visiting the winery to enjoy the panoramic views of this natural area, very close to Guernica, with its 18 hectares of mountain vineyards.
In addition to visiting the winery, during the tasting activity you will be able to know and differentiate the different txacoli varieties, all made with the native grape Hondarribi zuri.
Tolosa beans
3.- Attend the Tolosa Bean gastronomic contest
Enjoying a good dish of beans is a must during any tourist trip to Euskadi (at least that's my opinion ...). And what better way to do it during the celebration of the gastronomic contest that takes place in Toulouse, in Guipúzcoa, during the month of November, and in which the gastronomic societies They compete to offer the best bean dish.
In addition to seeing how each participant makes their dish, you can sign up for the popular food that takes place on the premises of the Tinglado Market.
The famous Tolosa beans, almost black, they have the quality mark Eusko Label, and the Bean Fair 2012, which takes place during a week in Tolosa has its culmination in this popular contest, during which in this year 2012 the winners have been designated by a jury among which were prestigious chefs such as Martín Berasategui and Arguiñano.
Chef Dani García in his Kitchen Classroom at the Zortziko restaurant in Bilbao
4.- Dani García's kitchen classroom
Dani García is one of the precursor cooks in organizing kitchen classrooms.
In his prestigious Zortziko restaurant in Bilbao It has an enclosure where you can show cooking, that is, a cooking class, during which you will discover some of the secrets of its gastronomy.
Dani's worldwide fame is such that he teaches cooking schools in New York ... via Skype. For you it is simpler, just sign up for some of the two or three hour courses, with very different themes, which you organize periodically in your restaurant in the center of Bilbao.
5.- Visit of a canned anchovy and bonito from the north in Bermeo
The great fishing tradition of the town of Bermeo, in Vizcaya, is prolonged in canning.
Bermeo has had the largest fishing fleet in the Cantabrian, and in the 1960s there were 45 canning factories. Currently there are only four left, but you have the possibility of visit Zallo, the most important artisan canning where the prestigious Cantabrian anchovy is produced, as well as anchovies in vinegar and light tuna in oil.
During the visit you have the opportunity to know stories of fishermen, and discover the artisanal production process of the delicious anchovy.
Rafael Gorrotxategi during the guided tour of the Confitero de Tolosa museum
6.- Gorrotxategi confectionery museum in Tolosa
Do you know that a museum in the history of confectionery is the Tolosa's biggest tourist attraction in Guipuzcoa?
Indeed, the Tolosa Confitero museum, which is also known as the Gorrotxategi museum, is a private initiative of confectioner José María Gorrotxategi, who decided to set up a museum with pieces and tools used historically in confectionery and chocolate.
Your activity starts with the guided tour of the museum, made by one of his sons of the founder, master confectioner, and completed with a tasting of chocolate and sweets produced by this famous Tolosa patisserie.
One tip, don't stop try an xaxu, delicious sweet with almond, yolk and marzipan.
7.- Ordizia market visit and cooking workshop
Surely you don't know that traditional market of Ordizia, which is held every Wednesday, dates back to 1512, when Juana la Loca authorized its celebration after a great fire suffered by this locality of the Goierri region, in the interior of Guipúzcoa.
In Ordizia you can also live a gastronomic experience whose axis is the visit of the historical market. Accompanied by a local chef, you will buy seasonal products, and then you will go to a gastronomic society, where in a cooking workshop It will help you prepare some delicious dishes.
Plate of black pudding of Beasaín and chillies in the region of Goierri
8.- Taste typical farm products
Thanks to an initiative of a group of local producers in the Tolosa area, who in 1997 joined to offer their typical farm products Directly to the client, without going through the intermediaries, now you can taste and buy these products in their bistro shops in Tolosa or San Sebastián.
It is not a gourmet store concept, although they are quite exclusive products, from Tolosa beans or piquillo peppers, to Idiazabal cheeses or Basque cider. It is a tasting center in a store, where you can buy the products and ask to be cooked.
