All language subtitles for Eva.Longoria.Searching.for.Spain.S01E04.San.Sebastian.and.the.Basque.Country.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_Track03

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.