With its diverse and innovative cuisine, San Sebastián is regarded as the heart of the Basque gastronomy scene. One evident sign of this is the high density of Michelin star restaurants. Read on to discover what’s so special about the cuisine in this city, which is also part of the Basque Tour de France stage 2023.
If you’ve ever been to the Basque city of San Sebastián in northern Spain, you’re sure to remember the delicious hot or cold snacks known as ‘Pintxos’. For example, you can get slices of bread topped with small delicacies and held together with toothpicks in almost every bar.
Whether with paprika, cheese, aioli or chorizo - the almost endless selection of pintxos leaves nothing to be desired. Donostia, as San Sebastián is also called, is particularly renowned for pintxos made with fish or seafood, such as crab, cod or tuna, But French ingredients such as foie gras also end up on the famous slices of bread.
The strong influence of French cuisine on the culinary scene in San Sebastián can be explained on the one hand by the geographical proximity to France and on the other by the Basque Country's political past. This is because the city was under French rule in the 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars.
There are multiple Michelin star restaurants in San Sebastián. This results in active competitive dynamics driven by strong business rivalry. Even the high-end gastronomy is heavily influenced by French (haute) cuisine – for example with regard to how exquisite sauces or refined desserts are made. Nevertheless, the local cuisine is of course unique and is characterised by a special innovation.
Well-known restaurants such as the "Arzak" or the "Mugaritz" are run by avant-garde chefs. Elena Arzak, who learned a great deal from her father and iconic 1970s chef Juan Mari Arzak, focuses on creativity and tradition in her restaurant. She regards local and seasonal ingredients as key to the successful interplay of flavours and textures. For example, the olives popularly used for tapas are shock-frozen with liquid nitrogen to make them melt in the mouth.
Active cultural exchange still exists between the French and Spanish Basques. For example, they collaborate closely from a gastronomic perspective in the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), where they cook together on BORA appliances. The School of Gastronomy was founded in 2011 and has been shaping the architectural cityscape of San Sebastián ever since. The BCC offers degree courses and further training programmes for aspiring chefs and is working on research projects.
In addition, over a hundred gastronomic societies, known as "Sociedades Gastronómicas", organise free cooking evenings with different local chefs and gatherings of people interested in cooking. These cookery associations are financed by donations.
The importance of cuisine in San Sebastián is also reflected in the numerous food festivals that take place here regularly - such as the "San Sebastián Gastronomika" or the "Semana Grande", in which the best pintxos in the city are chosen. Another important event this year is the Tour de France, which will pass through the Basque Country. What a great opportunity to visit northern Spain’s culinary metropolis!
