April 2022: PINTXOS AT HOME
Slowly but surely, the world has begun to revert to a state of normalcy. With cases receding and masks becoming less mandatory, human interactions are gradually shifting back to face-to-face after two years of virtual communications. Small but festive gatherings return at home and public spaces for the blissful dining experience offered by the host or restaurant owner. Resuscitating the pre-pandemic norm on human relations has prompted me to tackle the theme of Pintxos this month.
Not to be confused with Spanish tapas, pintxos have their own autonomy because they are uniquely Basque. Pintxos will never be found in taverns based on the south of the Burgos, Cantabria, La Rioja, and Navarre regions where the Basque demographic does not statistically contribute to the total population. Its etymology stems from their primordial manifestations as banderillas or miniature skewers of food morsels. Always eaten while standing up and occasionally complementary with drinks, a serving of pintxo often caters to only one individual. Its consumable size of one bite or two serves the intent of leaving a minimalist space in the digestive system to accommodate a night of pintxos crawl with a cuadrilla without worrying about the possibility of an acid reflux or a heartburn ruining the nocturnal escapade across different bars.
Basque pintxos fall into five categories. Banderillas are nibbles skewered with toothpicks. Montaditos refer to open-faced canapés or pressed-shut cocktail sandwiches. Hojaldres are filled savory and flaky pastries based on either a shortcrust-based or puff paste-based dough. Cocina en miniatura present themselves as shrunken versions or microscale servings of highly refined restaurant dishes. Raciones apply to communal servings meant to be shared among cuadrilla members.
Because they are usually bar dishes, pintxos sparsely appear in private spaces. That rarity does not automatically translate to their impracticality in home cooking and hospitality to house guests who look forward to catching up and touching base by face-to-face interactions. At their very core, pintxos are still social party food; they can gather friends and close acquaintances for reopening, reconnecting, and restoring the personal bonds to a state of normalcy.
