Pintxos vs Tapas. What’s the difference, really?

“So… are tapas and pintxos the same?”

I hear this on nearly every tour I give. And it’s a fair question.

But depending on who you ask (and where), the answer might spark a friendly debate… or a bar fight.

If San Sebastián is one stop in your Spanish trip, you will notice that here, opposite to the rest of Spain, the word “Tapas” is nowhere to be found.

Yes, sometimes they are used interchangeably by bars and that leads some people to believe pintxos is just the basque word for tapas, but trust me: it isn’t.

Now, my answer has evolved over time as I get asked that same question over and over again. You see, there’s no official distinction between the two. So, today, I’m sharing my take on the difference between these two social lubricants.

At first you might think it’s just a local thing, like you can only eat pintxos in the Basque Country and tapas in the rest of Spain. Not quite.

Tapas are much older than pintxos. some theories suggest it might have an origin in a way to cover (tapar in Spanish) your drink. Meaning, you could use a slice of jamón ibérico as a way to cover and protect your drink.

Pintxos, on the other hand, begin in 1942 the the queen of pintxos: The Gilda in Casa Vallés. The theory behind it is that by using a toothpick, you are piercing (pinchando in Spanish) the ingredients hence pincho. However, since there’s no “C” in the basque alphabet, pincho turns into pintxo — Same pronunciation, different spelling.

“But then, what do you call all the other items on the bar? Are those pintxos or tapas?”

Those are also, generally, pintxos. I guess there’s a limited set of combinations of ingredients that can be pierced. So it might have evolved to the next best thing: bread.

You won’t find this in any textbook, but for me: pintxos on a skewer? That’s pintxo 1.0.

Pintxos on bread? That’s version 2.0.

By then, I felt relieved. I though i had accounted for everything, and we could move along.

She listened. Her face wasn’t fully convinced. Then asks back:

“So… what about those pintxos without a skewer or bread? What are those?”

Back to the drawing board.

Well, those are also pintxos. Modern pintxos, but pintxos nonetheless. Think of them as pintxos 3.0.

“Hmmm”

Still not convinced.

“Ok, but then, what’s a tapa?”

Well, tapas and pintxos can take many forms. And both have evolved over time. Let’s do some more historic context.

Originally, tapas were free with a drink. And pintxos have always been paid for

“But then, yesterday (a Thursday) there was this thing in Gros (a neighborhood San Sebastián) called pintxopote. And there pintxos were free!

Also, in Madrid we had tapas for 8 euros!!”

Yes. And yes. Both have evolved and it might not be as clear cut as I though.

Since the non-written rules have so many exceptions, let me go back to my origins: I’m a cook. Let me break it down from a cooks perspective.

The way I see it, a tapa is more easily defined as part of a larger elaboration. Where a pintxo is a separate elaboration of it’s own. Let me explain:

If you take for example a paella tapa, as a cook, you’d typically cook a whole paella, then serve small portions, maybe half portions as a paella tapa.

However, if you think of a bonito-mayo (tuna salad) pintxo, you have the bread as your base, the tuna salad as a main, and the pickled peppers as a garnish. These are all 3 elements and the pintxo is confetionated individually.

A simpler way to put it; a tapa is a serving out of something bigger that may or may not be free with your drink, where as a pintxo is a miniature cuisine prepared individually and is typically more complex than tapas (but not necessarily).

I seemed to have convinced her.

Moved on with my tour.

Two blocks later:

“Then, what about the tortilla de patatas?”

You know how you shouldn’t speak about politics and religion in most environments?

Add that question to your list!

Yes, the tortilla here is often (if not always) served as a pintxo. Even though it’s part of a larger elaboration.

Honestly, to me, it’s a tapa. Not a pintxo. But I, the Venezuelan guy, am not going to be the one to bring that up to a public debate in the middle of service.

What do you think — pintxo or tapa?

Just maybe don’t bring it up while someone’s slicing a txuleta.