San Fermín’s Food and Wine Festival

The festival of San Fermín, or los sanfermines, is a week-long celebration in July, in the hilly Basque Country town of Pamplona. Rooted in history, it is most notable for the Running of the Bulls, a lively tradition where locals and participants run through the streets at their peril! The modern San Fermín means a lot of street parties, drinking red wine and Kalimotxo (the Basque version of a Cuba Libre - known as a pobre libre because it’s red wine mixed with cola!). With all these festivities, party-goers need to stay nourished, so here are the top dishes in town:

Bacalao al ajoarriero - This mildly spiced cod stew, incorporating bell peppers, onion and garlic, is the defining dish of the festivities, served with crunchy bread.

Huevos fritos con chistorra - A quick pick-me-up during San Fermín, fried eggs with spicy chistorra sausage is consumed in the early hours or as a late breakfast, with fries and bread.

Magras con tomate - Although originating in Aragón, this heavy pork-based dish has become one of the popular lunch options for groups at San Fermín. The magras are thick strips of jamón ibérico that are fried with onion, tomato and garlic, with a runny egg on top.

Pochas a la navarra - Known as pochas in Navarra, white fava beans are prepared here with the local recipe - a simple sauce with tomato, bell pepper and garlic, adding cod or chistorra.

These tasty dishes are normally accompanied with red or clarete wine from the nearby DOC Rioja region or the local DO Navarra. During San Fermín, the wine is as substantial and full bodied as the food - so you’ll have plenty of energy for all that bull running…