the bucket list of terms, translations, and the meaning of it all

Of the three primal urges that come to my mind first, the wanton lust of the palate is debatably the least objectionable to write about. Thus begins this scribbling quest to flesh out the a placater of concupiscible sustenance and desire for the flesh of a grape; the 'where?'/'how?' as to locate that perfect hangout of calm repose or maniacal debauchery.

This blog is a tool for the famished traveler or common ”picoteo’er”* (see TOGG List below) alike. As its primary aim is to help fill the belly of its reader according to their tastes and interests, it also hopes to teach a thing or two extra.

It has been a Monday night project (Monday being a true test of an establishment’s dedication to patron’s palates…and service). Likewise this first post serves as the map key to deciphering any hard to understand terminology or Blog jargon. If anything remains unclear this is where you should complain. 

Scoring

·         Rating system is scaled from 1 to 5 scale (1 being the lowest)

o   0 – Unscoreable         /  Inedible

o   1 – Lacks that umph     /  Taste is nominal

o   2 – Standard derivation /  Aimed to satiate not impress

o   3 – Standout but Outstanding?  /  Good but not memorable

o   4 – Calls to my attention / Tastes like a angel

o   5 – To top this I’d need a bigger scale  / My mouth never felt so loved  

Terms of EnGorGement or TOGG List (periodically updated for useful interpretation):

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·         Caña – (ka-awn-nuh): That’s Español for the brew you ask for whilst wetting whistle and downing pintxos. And you thought you’d get away with knowing just ‘cerveza.’ Nope. It’s not a pint, that’s for the ‘guiris.’ It’s 8oz or half a pint of tap beer. Not impressed? Check out the ‘zurito’ below.

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·         Confit de pato/ Duck confit– Originally a French dish made with duck leg, cured in salt and garlic (sometimes other herbs). Nice and tender. 

·         DO or Domination Nation of Origin (califcada): Areas regulated by a governing body so that the production of wine within adheres to certain standards. Each DO is different and can vary in standards; there are two in Spain that are recognized as ‘quality’ Do’s the Rioja, Priorat, and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja tends to be the most well known among the three and produces some of Spain’s best wines. Though it is not wise to consider a wine good just because it is from the DO Rioja, wine personality depends on much more than a name.

·         Euskadi – (Eww-ska-dee): Basque word for the Basque Country, a region that includes the 4 provinces that make up the Spanish Basque Country of the 7 Euskal Herria provinces. Also known as País Vasco.

·         Euskal Herria – (Eww-skal-Aird-ee-ah): Tierra de los vascos or Basque Land made up of 7 provinces of two main areas: Hegoalde or southern Basque Country in Spain is made up of four of the provinces: Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, and Nafarroa and Iparralde or northern Basque Country in France is made up of the remaining three: Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea, and Zuberoa.

·         Euskera – (Eww-scare-ah) : Basque for ‘Basque language;’ other spellings: Eusquera, Vascuence, Vasco, Éuscaro, Vascongado or Vizcaíno

·         Fiesta de Corte Inglés – (fee-s-ta day core-tay in-gless): literally ‘English Cut Holiday’ it refers to any foreign holiday brought to Spain by ever-growing consumerism brought on by globalism; ‘El Corte Inglés’ or The English Cut (as in look) is Spain’s biggest chain of department stores set up much like Macy’s in the U.S. with many brands and diverse departments.

·         Guiri[s] – (G-ee-rd-ee-z): Ever heard of ‘Haole?’ How about ‘tourist,’ ‘foreigner,’ or ‘stranger (some more that others).’ Can be derogatory when used in a harsh tone and proceeded by another, often curse, word, but usually it’s just the term the locals in Baskonia (the Basque Country) call visitors.

·         Merienda – (merry-end-ah): The afternoon snack. Since the typical Spanish lunch falls around 2:30 in the afternoon and the dinner not until 9, the ‘merienda’ is a handy way to not get cranky around co-workers. A typical ‘merienda’ timetable being between 5:30 and 7:30pm.

·         Moderno – (mo-dare-no): too fashion conscious/rather spend  money on clothes than pintxos

·         MPS or my  Monday Personal Status – How I’m feeling. It’s important to note any personal qualms that are circling my mind that might affect the score I give; therefore the MPS provides a bit of background to the environment in which I find myself and helps the reader imagine the mood.

·         Picar – (peek-ar) : verb meaning to dine on starters/pintxos; what ‘picoteo’ers’ do; Me gustaría unas aceitunas para picar – I’d like some olives to start.

·         Picoteo - (peek-o-tay-oh) : The practice common in Basque Country, Spain and more broadly in Northern Spain to go from bar to bar and eat pintxos. The ritual is comprised of entering a bar and asking for a drink, usually wine or small beer, and just grabbing a pintxo which are laid out on the bar. When you’ve finished you tell the bartender what you’ve had in a ‘customer-bartender trust’ that you will pay for what you’ve taken. The practice is of the dying sort, as dishonest practice is stifling a culture once extending throughout the Iberian Peninsula, but still well-alive in País Vasco.  

·         Picoteo’ers – (peek-o-tay’ ers) : Englishized version of of the Spanish word in the Basque Country for someone who goes bar-in-bar infusing his or her taste buds with delectable Basque delicacies such as vino and pintoxs and conversation; a type of sport of sorts, an afternoon glimpse into any Basque plaza and one can visibly note the professionalism and dedication to the Picoteo still today.

·         Pintxo – (peen-cho)(also written as pincho in Spanish):  Essentially the Northern Spanish/Basque Country cuisine like the Spanish ‘tapa,’ but usually smaller and more elaborated little morsels to quench hunger much like the before meal appetizer. The tapa is served with a drink, sometimes gratuito (free of charge), while the pintxo is ‘pinched’ off the bar (origin of the word is from the action of staking the morsel with a toothpick like stick to pick it up); when it comes to taste, and three years living in País Basco, I will show little reluctance in saying that the art of pintxo here in Euskadi is unlike anything you will find in any other part of Spain, and attention to taste buds is a forte among the Basque.

·         Tapa – (Tah-pah): the more commonly known Spanish cuisine dish, not to be mistaken for pintxo. More typical in Southern Spain, usually bigger than the pintxo, also more commonly eaten with knife and fork, while the pintxo is stuck with a stick and the explosion of flavor would be too much to handle if made any bigger.  

·         Tapenade – (French pronunciation: [tapənad]) is a dish typical of south France consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. It is sometimes eaten as a spread on bread.

·         Wine: Quicky Guide to red Spanish wines:

• Crianza – (Kree-ann-thah)(Kree-ann-sah): (depending on its DO specifications) Is the term for wines aged for 2 years, at least 6 months of which is spent in a cask/barrel usually made from French or American oak.  These wine are usually darker hues of deep red or purple and have a fruity taste with just hints of the oak.
• Reserva  – (depending on its DO specifications) is the term  for wines that have been aged 3 years with at least  1 year in an oak cask. As the wines ages the deep hues begin to lighten and one can see an orangey tint to them when held at an angle in the light. They have a notable woody taste which most winos will call body, hence reservas are said to have a more ‘full-body’ taste than the younger crianzas. They are also usually higher priced than the crianzas.
• Gran Reserva – (depending on its DO specifications) are very elaborated wines typically selected from above average vintages and require at least 5 years of ageing, 18 months of which in oak and another minimum of 36 months in the bottle. *Not your usual everyday ‘picoteo’ wine.
• Whites and Rosés:
• Crianza whites and rosés must be aged for at least 1 year with at least 6 months in the barrel oak.
• Reserva whites and rosés must be aged for at least 2 years with at least 6 months in barrels.
• Gran Reserva whites and rosés must be aged for at least 4 years with at least 6 months in barrels

Zurito – (thoo-ree-toe)(soo-ree-toe): Might be the mightiest way to look like a Spaniard while renouncing your man/womanhood. That’s right, I don’t even know the purpose it serves, but if you want a sip of ‘cerveza’ these 4oz of pale ale just might give you that… or an open palmed slap in the face by any non-Spaniard. It’s not that we’re insensitive to culture, it’s that you’re drinking a 4oz beer and we are too dumb (or bright) to see the point; might as well ask for an O’Doul’s, at least you can pretend to be a real man/woman drinking it. Get my drift?


not a zurito

Locations: