ABSTRACT
In the last decades, the increase of tourist influx to the Basque Country has introduced significant changes in the way food is prepared and consumed in public eateries and restaurants. In many tourism-orientated initiatives, gastronomy appears as a major means of discovering and, above all, experiencing through taste. The changes within the pintxo culture are a good example of some of the deep transformations occurring in the Basque urban gastronomic scene. Considered a culinary art piece in its own right for the most sophisticated ones, the pintxo (literally ‘spike’, ‘skewer’) is a small one-bite appetizer consumed in bars, generally when going out with friends. Its name refers to the toothpick holding together the food on top of the bread slice. For many, it is an essential part of contemporary Basque cuisine as well as one of the best ways to taste the latest creations in culinary innovation for a reasonable price. Taking Donostia as an ethnographic case, this chapter addresses the impact of tourism on urban food habits in the last decades. Pointing out the sensorial experience of pintxo eating, it also questions the effects of tourism in contemporary Basque gastronomy.
