Best Cider Houses arround San Sebastian

If you are a foodie heading to San Sebastian, there’s one tradition you need to know about: the Basque Cider House. Called sagardotegi in Basque, these temples to great food and drink are open from late January to the beginning of May. Visiting the cider houses in San Sebastian is one of the best ways to witness Basque food and culture first hand. What is a Basque Cider House? A traditional Basque cider house is not to be confused with a restaurant, according to most cider house owners. Think of it more as a workshop– a brewery of sorts, where the year’s cider is just about finished fermenting. In order to have people taste their cider (which should be sold quickly, as cider is meant to be consumed within a year of bottling), cider house owners began inviting people to come taste the year’s results alongside some delicious home cooked food. At the Basque cider house, there is no menu– you usually pay per person and then the food starts coming! The typical order of events is as follows: •Tortilla de bacalao (salt cod omelet) •Bacalao con pimientos (cod with roasted red peppers) •Txuleta (Aged local beef, served rare) •Queso idiazabal con membrillo (Idiazabal cheese and quince jam) •Some places add even more dishes, but these four courses are the standard. And throughout the meal (which in the traditional places is still eaten on foot, at long shared wooden tables), you can visit the cider barrels as many times as you want, and drink to your heart’s content! At only about 6% alcohol, you can think of cider as a very weak wine, or a rather strong beer– as you prefer!