Only In Pamplona

Introduction to The Pincho

Spain is famous for its tapas and you will be able to go tapear (go out for tapas) in every city from Cantabria from Andalucia.  However, here in the north, it is important that you realize this one difference – tapas are called pinchos (or pintxos in the Basque language of Euskera).  You’ll want to remember this next time in the bar.

Sometimes you may see it written pincho (which is Spanish for spike or thorn and is the apparent origin of the word).  We will continue with pintxo, because it is seen more often than not here in Pamplona.  A unique feature of many pintxos, especially compared to tapas, is that they are often “spiked” or held together by a toothpick.  The largest difference compared to tapas, is that pintxos are generally much more elaborate.

A pintxo is hard to define but it could be best described as a gourmet appetizer.  They are created by the specialists home to every bar, and these cooks will add their own ingredients and styles to their creations.  Pintxos are to be enjoyed visually as well.  All of these elements and criteria make it easy to see how these bit of the Basque cuisine if followed by such a large subculture.

Pintxos are a huge deal for Pamplona. Alongside with San Sebastian, these are two of the biggest entities in pintxo circles.  The Ayuntamiento of Pamplona offers tours (La Ruta de Los Pintxos) and even sanctions a competition every spring , for a week in April, between every pintxo bar in Navarra, though most are in Pamplona.

For this Semana del Pintxo, each competing bar will create and submit a new pintxo for the competition.  Cooks are brought in from all over Spain, and people come from all over the world to circle around Pamplona and try new dishes at nearly 100 different places.

Needless to say, we strongly recommend you get out there and try some.  If you need a place to start, head down to El Casco Viejo at night, or take a look at Guia de Pinchos from the Asociacion Hosteleria Navarra.  It is organized by zone with locations, opening hours and a description of their specialties.

We have our own favorite pintxo bars here in Pamplona, but we’ll share some of those another day.