Traditional cuisine
Basque traditional cuisine is based on good ingredients and simple but skillful cooking. Fish is the star ingredient, but meat such as chops, sirloin steak and lamb; cheese and other dairy products are also widely used in Basque traditional cooking. In Bizkaia cod is king! For many centuries, the Basque have ventured into the Atlantic in search of cod, which was salted and preserved, and formed their staple diet. It is also worth mentioning other fish dishes such as marmitako (tuna stew), chipirones en su tinta (squid in its own ink sauce) and hake “a la ondarresa”. Recommended meat dishes include callos and morros a la vizcaína (tripe), lengua estofada (baked tongue), or chuletón de Berriz (T-bone steak). The vegetables are also highly recommended especially menestra de verduras (vegetable stew), and pimientos rellenos (stuffed peppers). For dessert, it is worth considering pastel de arroz (milk tart) or canutillos (cylinder-shaped pastry).