History

Basque sidra (cider) has been made in the Astigarraga and Hernani area inland from Donostia since at least the 12th century. The sidreria txotx ritual, where guests catch the wine straight from a hole-punched barrel onto their glasses, dates to the 19th century. Petritegi, Zapiain and Saizar are the canonical sidreria visits; Donostia bars including Akerbeltz and Bar Sport pour the cider year-round.

Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 bottles Basque cider (Petritegi, Zapiain or Petritegi)
  • 600g salt cod (bacalao) fillet, desalted 24 hours
  • 8 eggs
  • 200g chorizo cider sausage (txorixoa) or smoked Spanish chorizo
  • 1kg txuleta or aged ribeye on the bone
  • Coarse sea salt
  • 2 green Anaheim or Italian frying peppers
  • 200g Idiazabal cheese, room temperature
  • 200g Marmelada de Membrillo (quince paste)
  • 100g walnut halves
  • Wide flat-bottomed tumblers or thin Basque sidra glasses

Method

  1. Take the cider from the fridge 30 minutes before serving; sidra is best at 12 to 14C, not ice-cold.
  2. Heat the oven to 250C. Fry the chorizo cider sausage in a dry pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, splashing in 100ml cider when the casings crackle. Slice on the bias.
  3. For the txuleta, season the steak heavily with coarse sea salt 20 minutes before grilling. Char on a smoking-hot grill 4 minutes per side; rest 10 minutes; slice across the grain.
  4. For the cod tortilla: poach the desalted bacalao in milk 6 minutes. Flake. Beat the eggs lightly with the cod and a pinch of salt. Cook in a 24cm pan over medium heat as a thick omelette; serve in wedges.
  5. Char the green peppers in the pan until blistered. Salt heavily.
  6. Set up the dessert plate with Idiazabal, membrillo and walnuts.
  7. Serve the courses in the txotx order: cod tortilla, chorizo, txuleta, cheese course.
  8. For each pour, hold a sidra bottle high above your head with the bottle tipped sideways, glass at hip level. Pour a thin stream that hits the inside lip of the glass and froths up. Drink straight away while the spritz is alive.

Tip from the editors. The escanciado pour from arm's length is the entire point; pouring sidra like wine gives flat liquid. The fixed sidreria menu is unchanged for centuries.

Where to eat sidra vasca

Sidra Vasca in San Sebastián

Akerbeltz ★ 4.2

Basque€€Until Wed-Sun 01:00

Akerbeltz on Calle Mari in San Sebastian's Old Town runs Basque cider and craft beer past midnight Wednesday to Sunday, with the harbour-side terrace open.

Try: Basque sidra natural and pintxos

Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Terrace fills first.

Calle Mari 19, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian

Bar Sport ★ 4.3

Basque€€Until Mon-Sun 24:00

Bar Sport on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian's Old Town runs the foie-and-txipiron pintxo counter daily until midnight, the late-evening reliable.

Try: Foie a la plancha and txipiron stuffed with crab

Tip: Counter standing only; weekends from 11:00.

Fermin Calbeton Kalea 10, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian

Casa Vergara ★ 4.2

Basque€

Casa Vergara on Calle Mayor in San Sebastian's Old Town since 1948 turns out the bacalao al pil pil pintxo for under 4 euros, the canonical budget bite.

Try: Bacalao al pil pil pintxo with a glass of Txakoli

Tip: Terrace fills first; the pintxo plus Txakoli is under 6 euros.

Calle Mayor 21, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian

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