Here the kitchen has a special shine.

La Arboleda, rich bean stew brimming with chorizo, pork belly and black pudding in the mining village.

La Arboleda, a small town located in the Karrantza valley in Bizkaia, is known for its delicious gastronomic speciality: bean stew. This traditional recipe has been handed down from generation to generation and is a very popular dish in the area.

The beans are slowly cooked in a clay pot together with chorizo, black pudding and bacon. They are served with so-called "sacramentos", which include pieces of pork, ribs and ears.

Green peppers from Gernika, unique in the whole world

Gernika green peppers are a highly prized gastronomic product in Basque cuisine. They are grown in the Gernika-Lumo area, where the mild and humid climate produce a variety of pepper with a mild flavour and tender texture.

It is a typical dish of Basque gastronomy, served fried and sautéed in many bars and restaurants in the area. They are also a highly valued product elsewhere and are exported to other parts of the world.

The Bilbao butter roll, the perfect sweet

The butter roll is a traditional and very popular dessert in Bilbao. It is a sweet dough made with flour, eggs, sugar and butter, which is baked and covered with a layer of icing sugar.

The origin of the butter roll, or the bollo de mantequilla, dates back to the 19th century, when the bakeries of Bilbao began to make this sweet bread for the city's bourgeoisie. Over time, its popularity spread among all social classes and became a typical and emblematic dessert in Bilbao.

Santurtzi sardines, a tradition with a long history

Sardines are a deep-rooted gastronomic speciality in the town of Santurtzi. Every year, at the beginning of August, the festivity of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of sailors, is celebrated, and one of the most outstanding traditions is the tasting of grilled sardines in the streets of the town.

The origin of this tradition dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the fishermen of Santurtzi began to offer grilled sardines to those attending the procession of the Virgen del Carmen. Over time, this custom became more and more popular and turned into an authentic gastronomic festival that attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The mussel festival in Ziérbena

The town of Ziérbena is home to one of the most outstanding gastronomic specialities of the area: mussels. Every year the mussel festival is held, an event where you can taste different dishes made with mussels and learn more about the culture and history of the town.

Among the most popular recipes are mussels in green sauce, steamed and accompanied by a sauce made with parsley, garlic and olive oil.

In short, Bilbao Bizkaia has a wide variety of gastronomic specialities with a great deal of tradition and history thanks to the local produce. In addition, this cuisine is part of a culture and knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation in the kitchens of the baserris, the farmhouses, which makes it special and unique.

You can also visit the local markets to see the fresh produce from the garden and the sea, and try it here or take it back home with you.