This is where a Basque menu rewards a little vocabulary — the seafood list is long, and the good stuff often isn't translated.
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Bacalao | Salt cod — the regional staple, served a dozen ways |
| Bonito | A lighter, milder tuna, often grilled or in a stew (marmitako) |
| Txangurro | Spider crab, usually baked and bound in its own roe |
| Kokotxas | Hake (or cod) "throats" — a silky, prized cut, served in pil-pil or grilled |
| Rodaballo | Turbot — the whole-grilled-fish icon of Getaria |
| Chipirones | Baby squid, usually fried or grilled whole |
| Gambas / Langostinos | Prawns / larger prawns, often simply grilled |
| Percebes | Goose barnacles — a pricey, briny delicacy, eaten with your hands |
| Angulas | Baby eels — a traditional, expensive delicacy, sautéed in oil and garlic |
| Merluza | Hake — the everyday white fish, usually simply prepared |
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Txuleta | A thick, bone-in beef chop, salted and seared over coals — order to share weight (e.g. "para uno," for one) |
| Solomillo | Sirloin/tenderloin — leaner and milder than txuleta |
| Chuletillas (al sarmiento) | Baby lamb chops, grilled over burning vine cuttings — the Rioja classic |
| Cordero | Lamb, generally |
| Morcilla | Blood sausage — rich, often with rice or onion, sometimes grilled as a pintxo |
| Jamón ibérico | Cured ham from Iberian pigs — ask for "de bellota" (acorn-fed) for the best grade |
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Gilda | The original pintxo: anchovy, pickled guindilla pepper, olive on a skewer |
| Pintxo | A single bite, usually displayed on the bar or ordered by name |
| Ración / Media ración | A full plate / half plate — for sharing or a heartier portion |
| Montadito | A small open sandwich, similar to a pintxo on bread |
| Txotx! | The cry at a cider house when a new barrel is tapped (seasonal, Jan–May) |
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| A la plancha | Seared on a flat hot griddle |
| Al pil-pil | An emulsified sauce of olive oil, garlic, and the fish's own gelatin — classic with bacalao |
| A la brasa / parrilla | Grilled over live coals |
| Guisado | Stewed |
| Pimientos de Padrón | Small fried green peppers — mostly mild, the occasional one is hot ("ruleta") |
| Patatas bravas | Fried potatoes in a spicy tomato-based sauce |
| Idiazabal | Smoked sheep's-milk cheese from the Basque highlands |
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Bacalhau | Salt cod — Portugal's staple, "365 ways" |
| Polvo | Octopus, often roasted (à lagareiro) with olive oil and potatoes |
| Sardinhas | Sardines, usually grilled whole |
| Bifana | Thin marinated pork in a soft roll — a Porto rite of passage |
| Francesinha | A towering layered meat sandwich under melted cheese and beer sauce |
| Presunto | Cured ham, the Portuguese counterpart to jamón |
| Posta | A thick steak, often beef or veal |
| À brás | Shredded and tossed with egg and matchstick potatoes |
| À lagareiro | Roasted simply in olive oil — classic for octopus |
| Grelhado / Assado | Grilled / roasted |
| Pastel de nata | Warm custard tart with a lacquered, caramelized top |
You'll be choosing wine and cider constantly on this trip — here's the short version of what each label actually means.
Light, bone-dry, faintly fizzy. Served well chilled and often poured from a height ("escanciado") to wake it up. The default pour with pintxos and grilled fish.
Aged a minimum 1 year in oak + 1 in bottle. Fruity, approachable — your house-pour, every-night red.
1 year oak + 2 years bottle minimum. More structure and complexity — a good pick for a real sit-down dinner.
2 years oak + 3 years bottle, only declared in excellent vintages. Order this for a splurge moment, not a quick glass.
Oxidized and barrel-aged for nutty, caramel notes. Served slightly chilled — the friendliest style for a tasting flight.
From a single exceptional year, aged mostly in bottle. Deep, fruit-driven, meant to be decanted. The splurge pour.
Young, light, faintly effervescent. Drink it very cold with anything from the sea.
Naturally fermented, tart and still — also poured from height at a sidrería. (Cider-house season is Jan–May, so off the table for this trip, but you'll still see it on menus.)
A popular pre-lunch sipper in Spain. Ask for "vermut de grifo" (on tap) where it's offered — it's a local ritual, not just a bottle pour.