Pintxos Please

Do yourself a favor and get some of these delicious works of art the next time you are in Barcelona!   What are Pintxos, you ask? Pintxos, pronounced "peen-chos," (can also be spelled Pinchos) are skewered food, typically with toothpicks, served all over Spain, but originated in Northern Spain.  They can be meat, fish, vegetables, cheese and are often a combination of two or more.
When at a bar that serves pintxos, order a beer, grab the pintxos that you want and pay according to the number and type of toothpicks on your plate.  Enjoy them with friends and if you're lucky enough to stop at Blai 9 while in Barcelona, marvel at each miniature food art before delighting your tastebuds!

We had the pleasure of visiting Blai 9 while on a Food and Wine Tour by Culinary Paths. It was just one of the fabulous local places that our guide, Javier took us to while on this tour.  We tasted three pintxos out of the plethora of delicious options.

I had the three you see here.  A quesadilla type pastry, spicy cheese, mozzarella, tomato and olive on the first one.  In the middle you see a spinach filled pastry, brie, jam and crispy pita.  The last one meat filled pastry, cheese, jam and fried cheese crisp. All three were delicious and honestly, I could have just stayed here.

My husband was more adventurous and tried the pinxtos pictured above. It's a mini pancake, deep fried fried egg, aioli, tomato and olive. It's an unusual combination but he said it was delicious and his favorite. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices.
I think what I like so much about this idea is that you aren't married to a big plate of food that you may or may not enjoy. You get to taste what you want, eat as many or as little as you want, and go back for the ones you like best. It's a winning combination!
So, if you find yourself in the Poble Sec section of Barcelona, stop into any pintxos bar, order your favorite Cava and grab several of these delicacies.  You won't regret it!

​Andiamo!