In 2005, Marti Buckley (39 years old) landed in Pamplona for an Erasmus program. She came from Alabama (USA) and knew nothing about the city, its culture, and much less about its gastronomy. There she tried her first pintxo, and it left her speechless. That skewer sparked her interest in local cuisine, an interest that later turned into a passion when she visited San Sebastián for a weekend. It was then that she fell in love with the city, its culture, and culinary tradition. "I went to Calle Fermín Calbetón, where there are many bars, and I don't remember which one, but I do remember what I ate: a ball of ground meat with bechamel covered in tempura. I found it fascinating." This is how this chef, journalist, and writer, fluent in Spanish, now turned into an expert in Basque cuisine with a couple of published (and awarded) books both abroad and in Spain on this fascinating world, narrates it.
After her time in Pamplona, Marti returned to her country to finish her studies, but with a clear idea that her place and life were in the Gipuzkoan city. "I was obsessed with coming back." She finally did in 2010, and what was initially meant to be a one-year stay turned into 15. Now settled in Donosti, she worked remotely in marketing and writing articles for renowned American publications (she still does), also teaching English and even working as a pastry chef at the famous bakery The Loaf.
Gradually, she immersed herself in the local gastronomy scene. She read all the books on Basque and Spanish cuisine, traveled around the area to discover new places, soaked up the culture, and began to investigate the stories behind each recipe. "I am constantly amazed by the dedication of the hospitality industry here, where many spend hours and hours in a bar not just for money but because it's part of their culture, their tradition, it's a heritage they have to protect and defend, and this is not always the case where I come from," the American explains.
In 2021, she published the book Basque Country, the Spanish version of Basque Country, her personal tribute to the culture and gastronomy of the Basque Country, which she had released in the USA in 2018 and was awarded the IACP Best Cookbook International (one of the most prestigious awards in the United States). Here, it was recognized as the Best Publication of the Year by the Royal Basque Academy of Gastronomy.
One hundred bars and over 200 pintxos
Three months ago, she released Everything about pintxos(Plantea Gastro), the translation of The Book of Pintxos (2024), a manual covering everything you need to know about these iconic bites. With a foreword by Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, whom she often meets for poteo in the old part of San Sebastián, the very didactic book teaches from the origins of skewers, their evolution, and differences with tapas to how to eat them like a true Basque and how to prepare the most legendary ones.
The publication includes 70 of the best pintxos recipes, both traditional and innovative, many of them written for the first time. "It's much more than just a collection of recipes. I tell the stories behind them, the characters...".
To complete the book, she spent almost four years visiting over a hundred bars in Bilbao, Vitoria, and San Sebastián, trying each bite and interviewing their creators. She encountered a list of 200, from which she finally selected the most famous ones. Among them are legendary traditional pintxos like champis del Tamboril (San Sebastián), gildas from Vallés (San Sebastián), triángulo del Eme (Bilbao), leek and ham salad from La Cepa (San Sebastián), battered hake from Bar Monterrey (Bilbao), and more modern ones, including txalupa del Bergara (San Sebastián), crispy apple with duck from Irrintzi (Bilbao), Idiazabal cheese soup with mushrooms from Gure Toki (Bilbao), or foie gras nougat from Bar Perretxico (Vitoria).
"There are no more than two recipes from a single place, and there are a couple that are so typical that they are not linked to a specific bar, like the one with quince, cheese, and walnut, which can be found in many places." According to Marti, all the featured recipes are easy to replicate. "The most challenging ones, those with very modern cooking techniques, were eventually removed. When I first released the book abroad, I took great care to explain each step clearly in the recipe."
Once she learned the recipes, she replicated them one by one at home. "Some were hesitant to share them with me at first, but thanks to my first book, I had contacts that helped me, although several bars told me their recipes were secret."
Is everything already invented in the world of pintxos, or does imagination have no limits? For the expert, this bite experienced a significant evolution in the 2000s. "I read in a book that every 20 years, the pintxo takes a turn and undergoes a change, so I am still waiting, as the last one was over 20 years ago," Marti concludes.