pintxo

pintxo, an appetizer similar to tapas (although more typically served on top of bread), especially common in Spain’s northern Basque Country. They are often served with a skewer or toothpick, hence the name. The small plates of food are usually displayed on the tops of bars—particularly during midday and for the barhopping ritual of txikiteo—or made to order, and they are consumed most often with a short glass of beer (zurito) or wine (often txakoli, a white wine from the Basque region). Pintxos can consist of any number of foods, including local produce, meats, and fresh seafood, particularly bacalao (salt-cured cod), anchovies, spider crab, and squid. The appetizers can range from the simple—skewers of olives, pickled peppers, and anchovies; a plate of sautéed pulpo (octopus); ham and Idiazábal cheese in a tortilla—to the innovative, such as foie gras with an apple glaze.