Original subtitles

Here it comes.

Ah!

I want to hug it.

I'm not in a-- the storm. This isn't the weather.

This is an actual fog sculpture here

at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

The Basque Country is a global Mecca

for creativity and innovation,

and exchanging ideas with the rest of the world

is a tradition that stretches back centuries.

It's very fitting that this is here

because the Basque people are so innovative and creative

when it comes to culture and of course, food.

I'm Eva Longoria.

And I'm a proud Mexican American.

11 generations ago,

one of my ancestors

left Spain for the new world and a new life.

400 years later, I'm back.

I'm so excited!

- Salud. - Salud.

And I'm exploring Spain and its 17 regions

to see how the land and its people

have created one of the world's most exciting cuisines.

I think you know what you're doing.

The Basques are Spain's great mystery.

They're the oldest surviving society in Europe.

So ancient, that their origins are unknown.

Everything is coming from my memory,

from the soul of my family.

But they're also at the modern, cutting edge

of innovation and creativity.

It's very important to be open-minded.

Right, and I think that's what makes you guys so special.

Here they speak the ancient language "Euskara."

And many Basques

don't consider themselves to be Spanish at all.

Their centuries-old traditions evoke strong emotions.

And here there are only two ways--

the Basque way and the wrong way.

Ah!

In the kitchen, this passion has driven

their innovative chefs...

What is this?!

- They ain't got that in Texas. - No.

...to constantly reinterpret their culinary heritage...

Look at this.

It's like magic in front of our eyes.

...into world-renowned works of art.

This is cuisine at a different level.

I don't know what I'm going to do after this.

I think we just throw in the towel, guys.

We have found Spain.

The tiny Basque country is cut off from the rest of Spain

by soaring mountains.

It's led to an independent spirit

that has seen them fight back Roman conquest,

repel Moorish invaders,

rebel against fascist dictator General Franco,

and overcome decades of separatist violence

to find the peace and prosperity

they enjoy today.

and at the region's heart

is the elegant seaside city of San Sebastian

or "Donostia," as the Basque call it.

Hi! - Hi!

- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.

An American and San Sebastian.

Food writer, Marti Buckley

has been savoring every bite here

since trading Alabama for San Sebastian 15 years ago.

Whenever anybody comes to visit me in San Sebastian,

the first thing I like to do is take them for pintxos .

- Oh, really? - Yes.

It's the best introduction to the Basque cuisine,

to how people eat here,

to the culture. - Yeah.

And we just keep going all night long.

How could it not be? - I mean, is that the plan?

- That's the plan. - Great.

Pintxo is Spanish for spike.

And around here, food on a stick

has been elevated to an art form.

Locals bounce from bar to bar,

nibbling on pintxos and sipping Txakoli, the local wine.

So Marty has brought me to the iconic Casa Valles

the bar that created the first pintxos back in the 1940's.

So are all pintxos eaten at a bar?

Yes, standing up and eating at the bar.

You need to be able to eat it in 2 or 3 bites

because you're meant to stay on the move.

One bar, one pintxo , move on.

So we are on the bar crawl of pintxos.

Yes. That's it. This is us.

This is the Gilda an example of really the earliest pintxo.

It's Manzanilla olive, some pickled Guindilla peppers,

and the salty Cantabrian anchovy.

Okay, so you see the shape.

You see how it's kind of like a woman's body.

- Yeah. - It's actually named after Rita Hayworth.

Her movie "Gilda". - Oh, my God.

- Yeah. - I love Rita Hayworth.

I didn't even know that.

The story goes that despite censorship

during the fascist regime

of Spain's dictator General Franco,

Rita Hayworth's 1946 movie "Gilda" was a sensation.

To some, her allure showed defiance

against the conservative values of the time,

inspiring a small rebellion in the very Basque way

through food. - Really, the earliest pintxos.

Beautiful. So, is it supposed to be eaten in one bite?

- Yeah. - That's pretty big.

Okay, you go first. So I want to see...

- Okay. Okay. - Oh, you-- Oh, she's a pintxo expert.

Go ahead and show off. Okay, I'm gonna try.

- Mm-hmm. - The flavors blend so well together.

- That is so good. - It is.

Wow. There's a lot of different flavors at one time.

That's why you have to eat it in one bite.

- Yes. - This is my kind of bar,

my kind of drink, my kind of food.

San Sebastian is just like this perfect storm.

It's this place where you have amazing ingredients.

And then you have this tradition of cooking,

which has led to, like, this demand from the Basque people

who hold all the restaurateurs to a high account.

Today, the pintxo has evolved beyond the stick,

and the Basque obsession with eating well

has turned their bar snacks into world renowned food.

To España.

Hola! Now, each bar competes

to become the local's favorite.

My favorite pintxo is delizia.

Oh, what is it? What is-- What is on top of it?

It's got a slice of bread, a salt cured anchovy,

hard boiled egg, mayonnaise,

and this amazing onion parsley egg vinaigrette.

- Wow. - This is the secret--

secret garnish.

Worcestershire sauce.

Don't make me say it. I can't--

I can't say it any better than-- than you.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

Mmm. So good. - Wow.

The onion, the parsley.

Wow.

Owner Jésus serves up dozens of pintxos

at La Espiga every night.

From staples like deep fried ruby red peppers

stuffed with meat...

Oh, my God. This one might be my favorite one on the tour so far.

...to seasonal specials that change

depending on what is harvested in the mountains

or caught at sea.

Oh! You gotta try that. Have you had this one?

This is a life changing trip for me,

eating so many anchovies.

Why are they so popular in the Basque Country?

They're a special fish,

'cause the ones this time of year are at their peak

because they're breeding.

And so they're, like, nice and rich and fatty.

Oh, my God.

No, no.

Pintxo bar hopping is central to Basque identity,

but it's hard not to notice the similarity

to Spain's other iconic small plates.

What's the difference between pintxos and tapas?

Okay, this is definitely the question

that I get the most-- - Is this controversial?

Am I asking something controversial?

It's not controversial per se,

but the tapa, you know, it's usually, like,

one food item in quantity on a plate,

whereas the pintxo is always sort of elaborate

with several ingredients. - Oh. Oh.

Marti...

- Yup. That's it. - Okay.

Don't get that wrong, guys.

- Okay. - Don't get that wrong.

This is amazing. Muchas gracias.

Thank you, Jésus.

Here, you have to do things in a certain style.

And even a bar crawl is an expression of the Basque way.

For millennia, the Basque Mountains

have acted like castle walls...

Look at this.

Beautiful.

...dividing Spain's sun-soaked Mediterranean south...

and this wilder Atlantic north.

And in these mountains is the town of Tolosa,

a medieval trading point for Basques meeting merchants

from the rest of Spain.

Its market has been running since the 13th century,

and today, the Mercado del Tinglado

is still filled with treasures.

Oh, my God. I want everything.

This is a dangerous place to be when you've skipped breakfast.

Honey? Is this honey?

Okay, I'm gonna grab a fuet.

This is my favorite thing.

No, no... - Si.

I did get some good stuff.

I got some kind of lemon cheese.

I'm-- I'm so happy.

But I actually didn't come here to eat.

I came here to find these very famous Tolosa beans.

As a Texican, I consider myself a bean aficionado.

Hola.

- Que va? - How are you?

So I'm meeting Javier Rivero Yarza,

one of the town's best chefs,

to figure out why their beans are so beloved.

We are going to prepare our famous black bean--

- These are them! - These are the black beans.

- Oh, my God. - We have different varieties

of beans in Spain, but for us, the most special one

is the black bean from Tolosa. - Tolosa.

- We call it the black pearl. - Oh.

You call it the black pearl? - Or in Basque, babarruna.

- Babarruna. - Babarruna.

I do have some money.

You are not going to buy any much more product with this.

I spent it all on my cheese.

To cook them, Javi is taking me to a txoko,

one of the Basques most unique institutions.

Hola! Wow, this is beautiful.

What is it, a club or something? - Something similar.

This is a gastronomic society.

The Basque Country is full of them.

It's a tradition started in the mid-19th century

by men looking for a late night drink

and somewhere to cook and share recipes.

These days, women are included

in the 1,500 clubs throughout the region.

And today, we're in charge of lunch,

cooking one of the town's most treasured recipes.

We are cooking Tolosa classic black bean,

and this is the traditional way of preparing them.

Oh, okay, 'cause there's different ways.

Not for us, because for us,

it's the only way of cooking them.

- It's the only way. - And the most--

Yeah. And the best one.

So we are going to put them. - Is there salt

or anything in the water? - No.

It's very important because if we add the salt at first,

the bean is going to break.

- And if it break-- - That's why my beans break.

I make pinto beans all the time. - Maybe. Yeah.

And I put salt in the water.

You haven't put any spices in yet.

Like, where are the spices? - No, I know.

We are not going to add any spice in this recipe.

It's very traditional.

It's a far cry from how we do it back in Texas.

But at the gastronomic society,

even the simplest of recipes are like sacred rites.

When did your love of cooking begin?

I love cooking because this food was prepared by my mother,

by my grandmother.

First cooking, it's like the feeling we want

to take care about the people the way a mother...

Would take care of her family.

Oh. That's beautiful. - That's why.

Look. This look like hot chocolate.

This is, like, very-- - It looks like chocolate.

Now, that sauce is just generated by the bean?

Yeah, and that's why it's so special.

Wow. That is a magical bean.

Why is that? Why do you think it has that?

I think it's because of the ground.

We have a really beautiful mountains around.

The ground is very rich.

And also there is here a lot of knowledge

about how to grow this bean to be magical, special.

And they're not broken. None of them.

And you have done another thing which is prohibited.

Ahh! I touched it?

- Don't touch it. - You can't put in the spoon.

- Why? - Because they break.

Okay, so we're not supposed to break the beans, ever?

This movement is the way to move the beans.

It doesn't look like I'm getting a utensil anytime soon.

Okay, I'm tired.

But maybe it's for the best,

as it sounds like the club members will know

if we've messed with tradition.

Salting the beans.

With the salt going in at the last possible moment...

Yeah. That's enough.

...the beans are ready, and we can finally use a ladle.

Oh, you're touching the beans! Just for me?

No. You didn't-- Yeah, just for you.

And serve them up with some local sausages and ribs.

Hola. - Hola.

Alubias. Bien.

Buen provecho.

Oh, my God.

Wow.

Well done. - Well done.

It's so crazy how flavorful this is.

Don Luis, what exactly is a gastronomical society?

Oh, si?

Yay!

- Yeah! - We have a lot of friends here.

These societies may be joyful places,

but their role in protecting Basque traditions

has been serious.

In the 1930s,

the Basques fought against Franco's fascists

in the Civil war.

So after he won, he set out to destroy Basque identity.

During the regime,

their language and institutions were banned.

Thousands of dissenters were imprisoned,

tortured, and killed,

and more than 150,000 Basques went into exile.

So that made almost the gastronomical societies

even more important.

And we believe that these gastronomic societies

could preserve this Basque culture in the future.

And if you can preserve your food and your recipes,

then you can teach the rest of the world who you are.

Ready? Cheers.

Tolosa. - Tolosa.

Tolosa.

Today, Basque food and culture is recognized globally.

And given the hard road it took to get here,

there is much to celebrate.

Hola, Eva. Down, down to the right.

- Okay. - Si. I meet you there.

- Okay. Thank you. - Hasta ahora.

Amazingly, a quarter of Spain's

three Michelin star restaurants,

their highest accolade, are in the Basque Country.

- Eva. - I can't believe

Elena knew my name.

Elena Arzak. She's, like, Basque royalty.

It's like I'm meeting the queen.

In fact, San Sebastian is home to the highest number

of Michelin stars per head in Europe.

Hola! Bienvenida.

Restaurant Arzak is the jewel in that crown.

One of the most important restaurants in the world.

Started by Elena's great grandmother

as a tavern in 1897,

generations of the Arzak family have taken the helm,

and Elena has been voted the world's best female chef.

So it's fair to say this isn't a kitchen to mess with.

Okay, wait, let me put my hair back,

because I feel like I'm a health code violation.

- Hola, Cynthia. - Hola.

She's the head chef.

I love that it's two women.

Claro.

Before the stars and the global acclaim,

Elena's grandmother served up Basque staples.

And they still inform today's cooking.

We are going to cook kokotxas.

Very traditional from the Basque cuisine.

Kokotxas? The kokotxa

comes from the head.

Here is the kokotxa. - Oh, there. The throat?

It's very special for the Basques.

We adore kokotxas. She will take it out.

- Okay. - You are with the princess

of the sea. - Oh.

She's the princess of the sea.

Oh.

That's it right there.

Once considered a waste product,

Basque fishermen started cooking up the kokotxas

in clay pots called cazuelas.

- As you can see... - It's just in olive oil?

Si. These are in olive oil, is infused with chopped garlic.

For us, extra virgin olive oil is like water.

We need it to live.

To eat everything.

Ah, okay. Now you empty it.

- You will see. - Okay.

The technique is called pil pil.

- Pil pil. - Pil pil.

What is the translation of that?

- Pil pil. - Okay.

You have... - To make slow movement first.

- Uh-huh. - For no broke the kokotxas.

- To not break them. - Yes.

You make, like, a type like mayonnaise.

- Oh, okay. - Only with the oil

and the kokotxas. - Oh.

No more. So that kokotxa have collagen.

It's all collagen. - Collagen. I need collagen.

I want some collagen.

- And now she dance. - Now we dance. Now we all dance.

Slow all your move.

Look at it. It's making a sauce.

- It's great, eh, Eva? - Look at this.

What's happening? It's like magic in front of our eyes.

This is so crazy. Just by moving the fish.

- Just by moving. - Oh, my gosh.

And this traditional version, it's as simple as that.

Wow. That is a super rich sauce. - Yeah.

It just melts in your mouth, very creamy.

And you can taste the beauty of the fish.

It's so fresh.

But today, Elena's kitchen has given Granny's classic

a 21st century upgrade,

serving them up with fermented leeks and peppers...

...and a savory squid ink stamp.

It was the reimagining of traditions

that won Arzak its global reputation

under the leadership of Elena's father, Juan Mari.

For his generation of Basques,

General Franco's death and the end of fascism

in 1975 allowed them to publicly embrace their culture.

It was a revolution.

And alongside other local chefs,

Juan Mari started the new Basque cuisine movement,

blending Basque traditions

with the flair of French nouvelle cuisine.

It set off a chain reaction,

eventually bringing Basque cooking

global recognition

and inspiring chefs across the country,

putting Spain on a totally new culinary path.

We try to be... very Basque,

but also trying to use the ingredients

and the techniques for other cultures

that can enrich our cuisine.

It's very important to be open-minded.

Right. And I think that's what makes you guys so special.

- Bueno. - This outward-looking approach

is alive in today's kitchen,

and dishes like sea bass with blades of onion

are a perfect fusion of Basque roots,

French technique, and global inspiration.

This is exciting.

Blades of onion. - Bueno.

Wow.

It almost has the texture of a steak.

Mmm. This is heaven.

Cooking like this has won Restaurante Arzak

three Michelin stars for 35 years in a row.

The most difficult is to maintain...

- The reputation. - Si.

- Maintain the reputation. - So this--

As you can see, Eva, this never stops.

It feels like this is why San Sebastian's chefs

keep on winning those stars.

They cherish their traditions,

but also have a desire to look outwards.

- Cheers! Salud. - Salud.

Muchas gracias.

Wow, I wish you could smell the streets.

It's-- It's this. Oh, my gosh.

Wow.

A grill always reminds me of my childhood.

Reminds me of Texas, y'all.

Hola. - Hola.

I really wish you guys could smell the entire town.

Halfway between San Sebastian and Bilbao

is the village of Getaria,

where seafaring is in the blood.

It was home to Juan Sebastián Elcano,

the captain of the first ship to circumnavigate the world.

And today, it's a paradise for lovers of grilled fish.

I've been smelling the grill

from the whole village.

Yes. Just in time for lunch.

El Txoko is the original commercial asador,

or grill house, in a village that is now full of them.

Opened by Maialen's grandfather 70 years ago,

she now runs it with her husband, Enrique.

- Where are you from? - From Mexico City.

I knew there was something I liked about him.

What is this? - Bueno.

Here we have a besugo. - Okay.

As the families, they usually enjoy this fish

in the special events like... - Baptisms, communions.

Okay.

As you see here, you see that color?

It's a silver color. - Yeah.

It's amazing.

That means the quality of the fish.

This, you know, like the-- - Wow, that's very bright.

- Very bright. - It looks like a seashell inside.

Here, the freshest fish delivered

from the harbor twice a day

is cooked simply in a kitchen centered around a grill.

So Enrique is giving me a lesson on grilling

Getaria style.

That's so hot. Oh, my gosh.

Okay.

Do you think the Basque people do grilling a specific way?

Si. One of the DNA of the Basque people--

Uh-huh, the DNA of the Basque people.

...is everybody grills or everybody wants to try.

We cook the fish with these type of tools.

They are very particular from here.

So we call besuguera. - Besuguera.

They use this type of tools.

And then this is a Basque traditional grill.

Like, you can move the height. - Oh, higher and lower the heat.

Eso es. So you can-- If you have a small fish

you always go down.

Big fish, you need to know which is the level.

- Yeah. Yeah. - And I will add also... look.

This type of . We call .

- ... - Yes.

This is the holy water of bass grilling...

made from vinegar, local txakoli wine,

brandy, and garlic

that coats the fish every time it's turned.

Oh, my God, I can smell it already.

This is what I was smelling walking through the streets.

This... - Si, si, si.

In my case, it's my wife knowing that I'm coming...

- Yeah. - ...two blocks ago.

"My husband is coming."

If you have a fish and you have a grill,

it's a happy life.

With fish this fresh, you don't need much.

Just some flakes of garlic,

that bass classic,

the pil pil sauce, and some chives.

It's the way Maialen's family have prepared their fish

for generations.

Oh, my gosh, I love how they pour it.

There's no better day than txakoli with a fresh fish

and this view.

This is perfectly cooked.

Oh, my gosh. - Amazing.

Mmm. Oh, my God, it's so fresh.

You can taste the garlic. You can--

You know what I love about fresh fish is the texture.

Why is fish so important to this region?

How did it evolve to become these amazing dishes?

Centuries ago, the Basques set sail to navigate the world.

Famed for their adventurous spirit,

these sailors led Spain's exploration

of new lands and oceans.

And while on these treacherous journeys,

they started to grill fish on board.

It became so popular

that they brought the grills home to Getaria.

Yeah.

To share what they caught on the boat?

- Yes. - Yeah. With their friends.

In a typically Basque way,

grilling became a local obsession.

And once tourists started to arrive in the 20th century,

the grills opened to visitors.

And the first was here at El Txoko.

Now, as we call this, Txoko Getaria Asador.

- Asador. - Asador Main Street.

- A grill. Yeah. - But in that moment,

Restaurante, it was a word a little bit more sophisticated.

Now everybody wants to have an asador.

Everybody wants to go to an asador.

Thank you guys so much.

This was such a special day for me to enjoy

not only this amazing fish and view, but your company.

Thank you for coming.

I wanted to do a toast to the pagan god Mary.

They say she lives in this mountain

and she's very powerful.

She actually controls the weather.

And what the Basque people say is that when it's overcast

like this and it's cloudy,

it's going to be a good day

because she's cooking in her cave.

Salud.

The Basque have been worshiping Mary here for millennia,

but there's a more recent local resident

who's also worshipped-- an extraordinary chef

whose devotees come from around the world to pay homage.

So my pintxo buddy Marti has managed to bag us a reservation

that's one of the most difficult to get in the world.

I smell the grill already.

In the mountains outside Bilbao,

Axpe is a small village of just 200 people.

But amongst its farmhouses

and barns is Etxebarri,

a restaurant that has been voted

one of the best in the world.

This is stunning. - I mean, it's really

unlike any restaurant in the whole world.

Victor, he started it almost 35 years ago.

This restaurant has been open 35 years?

Yeah, yeah, but you know, when he started it,

it was just another grill house.

What he's done is really taken it to the next level.

At first glance, this might seem

like any other bass asador.

But this famous chef,

Victor Arguinzoniuz is an obsessive

who has taken the coastal tradition,

transported it to the mountains,

and turned it on its head.

He insists on wood from the nearby forest

to make daily fresh charcoal.

He uses ingredients foraged,

farmed, and fished close by,

and designs equipment that allows him to grill it

all to perfection.

You being from the South

and me being from Texas,

I'm a harsh critic of grills.

Have you, in Texas, ever grilled egg yolk?

- No. - Okay, well, then I think we'll

have something to try here.

We might have something to try.

Dishes change throughout the year,

and while it's rare to see Victor outside his kitchen,

his solo trips to nearby forests

in search of ingredients inform the menu.

Oh, no. This is great.

- What is this? - This is really good news.

So this is the guisante de lágrima, the tea of pea.

And they call this here the caviar from the--

- The caviar of the region? - Yeah.

They're in season for a super short time.

So I know people get really excited about fish and meat,

but for me, this is, like, true-- truly a delicacy.

This is like popping in your mouth, exploding with flavor.

You can taste the smoke.

But they really leave them to, like, shine

and for you to enjoy them as they are

in all of their glory.

There is a bounce and a crunch.

Each one explodes in your mouth just like caviar.

I really don't say this often,

but I really think I'm going to cry.

- Oh. - Food makes me so happy.

Yeah.

Don't cry in the caviar.

This mysterious one-man show grills things

that should be impossible to grill,

from actual caviar

to bass traditions like egg yolks

served with mushrooms direct from the forest.

You grilled the egg yolk? - The egg yolk. Yeah.

Slowly for a few minutes. So enjoy.

- Thank you. - You ain't got that in Texas.

- No. Oh, wow. - Wow. Gorgeous.

Mmm.

And I feel like if you went to any other restaurant,

you know, at this level, there would be five more things

on this plate.

Again, two ingredients.

Two ingredients that make magic.

Oh, my gosh, I've never had that experience in my life.

I see.

I licked it, I licked it clean.

I would have licked hers, but I thought it was inappropriate.

Despite this world class food,

Chef Victor is the culinary world's great enigma,

shying away from glamour and awards,

instead remaining in his happy place--

by his grill.

But enigma or not,

I just have to get a glimpse of the master at work.

I can guarantee you that this is, like,

probably the most no frills kitchen on this level...

- Yeah. - ...anywhere.

It's so simple.

Now, the plan was to let the great man work in silence,

but I just can't stop my curiosity

getting the better of me.

It's not complicated, but it doesn't make it easy.

Yeah.

I love that Victor's, like, a man of few words.

But he says so much through his food.

So much.

With food like this, it's no wonder

some Basques believe they live amongst the gods.

There's such confidence in a chef

letting incredible ingredients shine.

I think the common denominator is simplicity.

Like, the food is insanely amazing,

but it's one, two, maybe three ingredients.

That is so simple. - Do you love it?

I love it.

I don't know what I'm going to do after this.

I don't know if we can continue on with the show.

I think we just throw in the towel, guys.

We have found Spain.

This region is always innovating

while continuing to do things the Basque way.

And now a next generation of chefs

is taking on the challenge,

led by Eneko Atxa.

Hola. Kaixo.

- Oh. - I learned this, too.

- You speaking Basque perfectly. - I'm speaking Basque.

I am fluent. - Nice.

Eneko's restaurant Azurmendi,

near the Basque Country's largest city, Bilbao,

is at the forefront of the latest Basque wave

of innovation, winning him a coveted three Michelin stars.

- Kaixo! - Kaixo!

At Azurmendi, the diner's culinary journey starts

by eating the first of their 20 courses

right in the kitchen.

We start with one real sea aroma.

And if you smell,

you can feel that you are very close--

- In the ocean. - ...to sea here. Yes.

- Oh, yeah, that is-- - Yes, it's like a bruma.

We offer a different snacks and--

I love that you call this "snacks".

It's just snacks.

They're pretty complicated elevated snacks.

Whatever you want to call them,

they're mind blowing takes

on traditional Basque dishes

that make you feel like Charlie in the chocolate factory.

But instead of everlasting gobstoppers,

there's edible cocktails using local txokoli wine.

Boom.

And a fritter of cod, known as a buñuelo,

coated in a .

Wow. - Like it?

Mm-hmm. How do you prepare the fish?

We prepare very slowly, very slowly, like pil pil.

You know. - I've learned this

in this journey. - Yes.

You guys don't use a utensil.

And a unique take on a Basque favorite--

eggs and truffles that you assemble yourself.

Oh, God. This is like surgery. - You're a very good cook.

Fantastic. - Oh, my gosh.

I could get a job here.

The egg yolk is raw

and we will cook from inside to outside.

Cooking it from the inside out.

Carefully, carefully, carefully.

We have a new chef in Azurmendi. - Yay!

Bravo! In one bite, it's this egg yolk

with truffle that you will eat

never. - In my life. Really?

- I promise you. - I believe you.

Wow.

This is all the difference in the world.

It's truffle juice. Hot truffle juice.

Oh, that is delicious.

Guests do also get to eat these inventive takes

on traditions in the dining room,

where Eneko's team serves up complex dishes

like raw prawns coated in chive oil

and served with a shrimp mayonnaise,

micro parsley, flowers from the restaurant's garden,

and stunning blue shrimp caviar.

This is so beautiful. I don't even want to eat it,

it's so beautiful.

Oh, my gosh, it's so silky. - Yes.

And the shrimp is so soft.

Oh, yes.

It's like somebody giving a nice hug to my tongue.

- Yes. - I mean, look at this.

You're such an innovator. And you've done something different.

But also holding on to tradition.

Everything is coming from my memory,

from the soul of my family, from my grandma, from my mom.

And when you have this treasure in your hands,

you feel very comfortable to innovate.

I do feel like so much innovation

comes out of Basque cuisine.

Why do you think that is?

Everybody say that.

The Basque between is eating for lunch,

is thinking in dinner all the time.

All the time.

Everybody in the Basque Country cooks.

Everybody. Like something natural or intuitive.

Creating a new recipes or new concepts or new views

or new ways to work.

They're just always looking to push

the boundaries of cuisine.

And this is something that we can use

to build the future new Basque gastronomy.

The new new Basque gastronomy.

New new Basque gastronomy.

-I think this is what makes the Basque Country special.

The people are secure in being part of Spain,

yet proud of their unique history and traditions.

They embrace innovation,

confident that it won't destroy their identity.

So they're always looking outwards,

welcoming diverse influences

and building on their traditions

to create new ideas.

And of course, doing it all the Basque way.

Cheers. Salud.