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They say that there are as many Sanfermines as there are people who visit Pamplona during these eight magical days, and when you land in the city dressed in white and with the ‘pañuelico’ of the Saint around your neck, you realize that this statement could not be more true.
Needless to say that our Sanfermines are gastronomic, that is what we owe ourselves to and that is what we enjoy these days, because Pamplona, from the chupinazo, is transformed and new gastronomic clues appear that are hidden during the rest of the year. Take paper and pen and write down, because this list goes far beyond the Sanferminero clichés.
What are those special places to eat and drink during the Sanfermines?
Let’s start with a classic, the churrería de la Mañueta. This place of pilgrimage is open a handful of days a year, including the Sanfermines, from July 7 to 14. During the two Saturdays prior to the festivities, the Elizalde-Fernández family prepares for their big week: they leave their usual jobs in different geographical locations to gather in Pamplona during these days and rekindle the flames of family memories.
What makes these churros special is that they have been made following the same procedure for more than 150 years. To heat the oil cauldrons, beech wood from Irati and Aralar is used, some 6,000 kilos are used during the Sanferminera week. The rest of the ingredients of the churros are also local: salt from the Salinas de Oro and flour from the Bárdenas Reales. Then, a lot of strength to press the mold against the chest and to draw with tact the famous donuts on the sparkling oil. They are open from 6 to 11 in the morning and queues are common, especially just after the running of the bulls.
Near the Mañueta is the Santo Domingo Market. We do not mention it to you to go there to eat, but to load your suitcase with the best of the season of Navarre and local products. There you will be able to buy the winning txistorras of the Contest of the best Txistorra of Navarre, which is already in its 16th edition. In addition, there are two fruits of the land that are essential in Sanfermines and that we recommend you to buy there to cook them at home and prepare a nostalgic Sanfermines agape: the pochas and the piparras.
Margari is the queen of Plaza del Castillo. She has been cooking for more than 50 years at the Baviera, one of the least crowded and best places to eat in the area. In addition, the Baviera has different highlights throughout the day. Just after the running of the bulls, the most famous runners gather there to comment on the sensations of their races surrounded by their families with the first ‘pelotazo’ of the day. A few hours later, you can have the famous Sanfermines lunch (or ‘almuercico’, as some call it) on the terrace and, finally, one of our favorite dishes during Sanfermines: chicken stewed with rice, which resuscitates any body on the verge of ruin that has just seen the light of day at lunchtime. Margari still reigns supreme although, due to her age, she can be less and less at the stove, but during the Sanfermines she cannot help but lend a hand to her sons Santos and Patxi. The latter also helps out in the family business only during this week.
Speaking of lunch… what do you eat and when is it?
We can say that the “almuercico” lasts all morning, from the end of the running of the bulls until lunchtime, and it is enjoyed at tables that the most traditional bars and the “peñas” take out into the streets. It is a great plan to enjoy the atmosphere of camaraderie and hospitality that is experienced in the streets. The people of Pamplona are enormously hospitable and you will feel welcome from the very first moment. With them you will share the typical lunch dishes, such as lean meat with tomato, eggs with anything, bull stew, or a fantastic and comforting plate of pochas… Yes, all this around 10 a.m. Which lunch dishes do we recommend? La Mandarra de la Ramos, El Redín or Bar Danubio.
Between lunch and lunch, there is something to drink… something very typical of San Fermin hangovers: the Bloody Mary at the Maisonnave. There is no middle ground: it either resuscitates you or gives you the laceration. It is a clear indicator of your sanferminero health. If you survive its spiciness and potency, nothing will stop you on that day of celebration.
If your thing is table and tablecloth and you like the gastro vibe, write this down: Sunday night dinner at the Hotel Europa. This year marks the 30th anniversary of its brilliant Michelin Star and it is that Sunday night when more stars of the national gastronomic universe gather there… but this time without cooking, just to enjoy the enormous hospitality of the Idoate family. Joan Roca, Ferran Adrià, the Sandoval brothers or Arzak have all been to these mythical Sunday dinners (what else could it be, so that cooks from all over Spain can go). Immerse yourself in the Europa and you will end the night surrounded by stars and, of course, mariachis. Because every night of these Sanfermines, the mariachis ‘Imperial de Jalisco’ are the guests. Of course, don’t doubt that you will also end up listening to some ‘jotica’ at the top of your lungs late at night.
Waiter, two “champús”!
If you want to lighten up everything you have eaten at this time of the day, you can join the great sorbet duel that takes place in Pamplona exclusively during the Sanfermines. The most famous is that of the Gazteluleku Gastronomic Society, which prepares some 15,000 liters of its famous sorbet during San Fermin. And the gastro tapa is prepared in the bar of the Hotel Yoldi and goes by the name of ‘shampoo’. Don’t be embarrassed to approach the bar and ask the waiter for two “champús”, even if you don’t see that name anywhere in the bar, because a tray will appear with a couple of dozen sherbets on which the locals will pounce.
Also on the backbone of the Sanfermines, Estafeta Street, is Chez Belagua. What could this place have to attract one of the most famous and beloved groups in Pamplona these days, the shepherds of the running of the bulls, who with their traditional green polo shirts, are idols in Pamplona on these dates. They are acclaimed when they walk the route of the running of the bulls in the opposite direction half an hour before it starts, they are amulets to whom the runners must salute to activate the protection of the ‘capotico de San Fermín’ before the running of the bulls begins, and they finish their day with the ‘encierrillo’, which is an almost clandestine running of the bulls without runners that takes place every night to take the bulls from the Corrales del Gas to the Corrales de Santo Domingo, from where they start the running of the bulls every morning. Well, these Sanfermineros pop idols dine after each running of the bulls at this steakhouse. It is another of our most secret recommendations to experience the real Sanferminero atmosphere and, to top it all off, they eat spectacular meat at moderate prices. Ask for Juan Carlos or Andrea and you will feel at home.
That is what makes you fall in love with these festivities, “which are, in the whole world, festivities without equal”: the hospitality of the people who make you feel at home and repeat every year. That is the reason why we wanted to give you the names of the people and families that keep the gastronomic tradition of Sanferminera alive. Because, beyond the clichés of “guiris” and drunkenness that have been exported, the Sanfermines are a family celebration, intimate, hospitable and close. And with these tips we assure you that you will leave a little piece of your heart tied to the grille of the church of the Saint on July 15th after you have sadly intornar the ‘Pobre de mí’ (Poor me).
*Paco Cruz, also known as The FoodManager (@the_foodmanager), is a restaurant ‘monetizer’ and an unconditional lover of gastronomy.