Potato is also a favorite of Spanish raw materials.
Restaurant Grand Hansa, Chefs Matti Romppanen, Aitor Fernández Eve Paljakka
There is an area in Spain that is praised by food culture and is considered a favorite destination for culinaryists.
What makes the Basque Country of Northern Spain so special?
The answer is to know the Michelin kitchen master Aitor fernándezwhich is also a few times awarded Pintxo Champion.
According to Fernández, the brilliant raw materials of the Basqueland are an important factor in the culinary success of the area.
– We have very good summers, so everything grows great. Most importantly, we respect seasons and raw materials, says Fernández.
Winner Pintxo from 2024. This year Aitor Fernández intends to renew the championship. Eve Paljakka
Under his leadership, La Palma has recently received several awards, including the Best of the Year’s Best Tuhka-Pintxo 2024, Best Idiazabal Cheese-Pintxo 2024, Best Restaurant Concept of the Year 2024.
Fernández popped up in Helsinki in Helsinki and Grand Hansa’s Pintxo event, sent by the Baskimaa Cultural Center. At the end of August, the Pintxo event in Tampere also gained a lot of popularity in Helsinki.
In addition to Fernández Matti Romppanen.
Romppanen is well aware of the Spanish cuisine as he had his own restaurant in Barcelona for several years and then the Tapas and Wine restaurant in Helsinki.
In the Basque Country, nurturing your own cuisine is very important and is proud of it. The proximity of the sea and the mountains is also visible on the plate.
– We love meat and fish. It is important to me that traditions are not forgotten. I combine new and traditional kitchen, Fernández says.
Aitor Fernández’s view of classic potato and egg food. Eve Paljakka
Pintxos are a good example of this. They are like tapas, but not. Fernández says that the most important difference is that the tapas can be divided between the whole party, Pintxo is eaten alone.
– Pintxo is used to eat with a few hawks. It is often served with bread and eaten with one hand. The other hand is a glass of beer or wine, Fernández explains.
But the rules have been made for violation. This guide also follows Fernández himself.
He has designed and implemented Pintxos, which are eaten with a spoon and is enough for more than two hawks.
Pintxo may also have a small stick that keeps different raw materials together. After all, the pintxo means piercing or injecting. According to Fernández, Pintxot is usually enjoyed next to the bar counter. After one bar, we move on to the next taste of its Pintxo creations.
Romppanen has noticed that there are surprisingly many similarities in Spanish and Finnish cuisine. We have several raw materials, which is a food favorite in both countries.
Anjovis is a classic classic. Eve Paljakka
– There are a lot of mushrooms in Finland, as well as in Spain. We often think it is a Nordic thing, but this is not the case, says Romppanen.
Similarly, eggs are an integral part of Spanish cuisine. But perhaps the most surprising raw material is the potato.
– We Finns eat a lot of potatoes, but the potato is really not just our thing. Many Spanish foods contain a lot of potatoes, Romppanen laughs.
Tortilla de Patatas is the best example of this. It is also eaten in the Basque Country for breakfast and dinner as such or between bread.
For centuries, it has been the food of ordinary people, as potatoes, eggs and flour are cheap raw materials and the food is filling.
Spanish classic dishes also have a lot of stewed and long -ripened carcass parts. They do not show artistry and decorative appearance of many pintxes. Rather, they resemble traditional Finnish meat dams.
Fernández knew only a little before his visit to Finland in the Finnish kitchen at the end of August. His purpose was to taste salmon soup and reindeer.
But one thing had been impressed by the very first morning. It was a plentiful selection of bread at the hotel’s breakfast. Fernandez praises the Finnish bread selection. It made him amazed.