Bizkaia and its sweeter side
Bilbao Bizkaia is known worldwide for its rich gastronomy, and no wonder. In addition to the famed pintxos and traditional dishes, there is also a wide variety of delicious and unique sweets and desserts.
From traditional Carolina pastries to butter rolls, Bollos de Mantequilla or friedcake, rosquillas, Bilbao Bizkaia's confectionery has the essentials to satisfy all tastes.
This article is about the origin, tradition and characteristics of some of the most popular confectionery.
Enter a world full of flavours.
The Bollo de Mantequilla, or the butter roll, a Bilbao classic
The Bollo de Mantequilla is a mythical pastry from Bilbao that has conquered the palates of locals and visitors for decades and is part of the city's gastronomic identity. It is a soft and fluffy bun, made with simple ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs and, of course, butter.
It can be found in different pastry shops and bakeries throughout the city, and every Bilbao man and woman has their favourite place to enjoy this pastry.
Pastel Vasco, the Basque cake, a dessert with a long tradition
The Pastel Vasco originated in the Basque-French region of Lapurdi, and over the years, it has evolved and become one of the most representative desserts of Basque cuisine. It is on the menu in practically every bakery and restaurant all over Bizkaia.
STypically flat and round-shaped, with a soft, crisp texture that varies in shades from light brown to golden. The top of the cake usually has a characteristic shine and can be decorated with different designs, the most common being the traditional Basque cross known as "Lauburu".
La Carolina, the most successful dessert
La Carolina is an emblematic dessert of Bilbao, present in all the city's pastry shops. This delicacy consists of a puff pastry base filled with pastry cream, covered with Italian meringue and decorated with egg yolk cream and chocolate.
The story goes that this cake was created by a Bilbao baker to surprise his daughter on her birthday: meringue, the girl's favourite sweet, mounted on a puff pastry base filled with pastry cream and coated with egg and chocolate.
Try the most typical confectionery on special dates:
- Tortas and rosquillas de San Blas, San Blas pastry and friedcake
Typically, on the feast day of San Blas, celebrated on 3 February in Bizkaia, people eat Tortas and Rosquillas de San Blas. The pastry and friedcake are made from flour, sugar, eggs and butter, with a touch of aniseed.
In Bizkaia, San Blas is also synonymous with two major celebrations: the fair held in Abadiño, with various agricultural and livestock events, and the popular pilgrimage held in Bilbao.
- Txirlora pastry of San José on Father's Day
Txirloras de San José are one of the most emblematic pastries of Bizkaia. This delicious dessert is mainly enjoyed on Father's Day, the feast of St. Joseph, and is a tribute to the patron saint of carpenters. Txirlora is the Basque word for wood shaving, and the pastry has this characteristic curled shape; it has a crunchy texture, and is coated in chocolate.
It is made with the following ingredients: butter, icing sugar, sifted flour, egg whites, vanilla essence, chocolate and raw almond granules.
Clearly, Bilbao Bizkaia is a land rich in history and culinary traditions, and these typical pastries are the epitome of that. Making them is an art that has been passed down from generation to generation and is an integral part of the culture and identity of Bizkaia.
Have a taste and savour the history and essence of this land full of tradition and flavour.
-
BIME Bizkaia International Music Experience
- 25 october · 28 october
- Barakaldo / Bilbao
-
The Tour de France arrives in Bilbao Bizkaia
- 7 august
- Bizkaia
-
Bilbao Night Marathon 2023
- 21 october · 21 october
- Bizkaia
-
Autumn plans
- 23 september · 21 december
- Bizkaia
Cookies policy
We use proprietary and third-party cookies for analytical and customisation purposes, such as choosing the language in which to display the website. For more information, please consult our COOKIES POLICY. You can accept all cookies by clicking “Accept” or configure/reject the use of cookies CONFIGURE.
Cookies policy
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a file that is downloaded to your device when accessing certain websites. Among other features, cookies allow a website to store and recover information about the browser habits of a user or of its equipment and, depending on the information contained and the way in which you use your equipment, they can be used to recognise the user.
When browsing visitbiscay.eus, you will be consenting to the use of the cookies as per the terms contained herein.
Types of cookies
- Technical cookies: These cookies allow the user to browse a website, platform or application and use the different web options and services, such as controlling traffic and data communication, identifying the sessions, accessing parts with restricted access, recalling aspects of an order, performing the process to purchase an order, processing the application to register or take part in an event, using security features while browsing, storing content for the purpose of broadcasting videos or sound, or sharing content via social networks.
- Analysis cookies: these cookies allow the number of users to be quantified and are used to measure and analyse the browsing in order to improve the services made available. They can be own or third-party cookies.
- Customisation cookies: these cookies allow the user to access the service with some general predefined characteristics according to a series of criteria in the device of the user, such as the language, type of browser used to access the service, the regional configuration from where the service is accessed, etc.
- Advertising and marketing cookies: store information on user conduct obtained through continuous observation of their browser habits, which allows Facebook/Twitter (or wherever we us this) to create a specific profile when making adverts according to said profile.
Duration of the cookies
Session cookies: They collect and store data while the user accesses a website. They are usually used to store information that only needs to be kept to provide the service requested on a single occasion (for example: list of products in a shopping trolley).
Persistent cookies: The data continues to be stored in the device and can be accessed and processed during a period defined by the cookie manager. That period can range from a few minutes to several years.
Types of cookies according to the manager
Depending on who manages the equipment or domain from where the cookies are sent and who processes the data obtained, cookies can be divided into:
- Own cookies: they are managed by the Provincial Council of Biscay
- Third-party cookies: these are managed by another entity, which processes the data obtained through cookies. Google Analytics cookies are used on this web page – a web analytics service developed by Google, which allows web page browsing to be measured and analysed and Facebook cookies to store information to measure and optimise advertising campaigns. You will be able to see cookies from both services on your web browser.
How can I disable or delete the cookies?
You can allow, block or delete the cookies installed on your equipment by configuring the browser options installed on your device. You should check the configuration options of your web browser for further information.
- Deactivate Cookies in Chrome
- Deactivate Cookies in Explorer
- Deactivate Cookies in Firefox
- Deactivate Cookies in Safari
- Deactivate Cookies in Edge
If you disable or delete the cookies, some features of visitbiscay.eus may not operate correctly.
Cookies on visitbiscay.eus
The type of cookies used on visitbiscay.eus is set out below, according to their purpose:
Name | Type | Purpose | Length | Manager |
---|---|---|---|---|
JSESSIONID | Technical | Session identifier | Session | Provincial Council of Biscay |
LFR_SESSION_STATE | Technical | Session identifier | Session | Provincial Council of Biscay |
COOKIE_SUPPORT | Technical | Indicate whether the user has the cookie support activated | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_tecnicas_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance of the block of technical cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_analitica_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of analytical cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_preferencias_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of preferential cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
pc_publicidad_visitbiscay | Technical | Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of advertising and marketing cookies | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
Idioma | Customisation | Select the language preferred by the user | 1 year | Provincial Council of Biscay |
_fbp | Advertising and marketing | Store and track visits to web sites | 1 year | |
personalization_id | Advertising and marketing | Personalise your Twitter experience | 1 year |
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Session identifier
- Length
- Session
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Session identifier
- Length
- Session
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Indicate whether the user has the cookie support activated
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance of the block of technical cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of analytical cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of preferential cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Technical
- Purpose
- Choose your preferences for acceptance/rejection of the block of advertising and marketing cookies
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To distinguish users
- Length
- 2 years
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To limit the percentage of requests
- Length
- 1 minute
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Analysis
- Purpose
- To distinguish users
- Length
- 1 day
- Manager
- Google Analytics
- Type
- Customisation
- Purpose
- Select the language preferred by the user
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Provincial Council of Biscay
- Type
- Advertising and marketing
- Purpose
- Store and track visits to web sites
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
- Type
- Advertising and marketing
- Purpose
- Personalise your Twitter experience
- Length
- 1 year
- Manager
Configure cookies
We show you hereinbelow the different categories of cookies that our web page uses. You can personalise your choice by accepting or rejecting these categories through the buttons enabled to that end. For more information, consult our COOKIES POLICY.
-
These are needed to allow browsing on our website and for basic tasks related to correct website operation.