Pinchitos (Pinxitos!) – Tiny open-face sarnies
Catalan has proved to be somewhat of a nuisance for me with its funny ‘X’s and French/Portuguese/Italian nuances… my Spanish is not yet so good that it can nonchalantly handle the challenges of these new inflexions and rather mysteriously spelled words. The one thing I have grasped in Catalañ, though, is that ‘x’ sounds like a Spanish ‘ch’. Pinchitos, are, well, little things you erm, pinch? Lovely little open-face sandwiches, in fact, skewered through with a toothpick. In restaurants serving these it is awfully easy to entirely fill yourself up, I have discovered, by noshing many of these before your main course. They tend to cost €1, which is not bad considering the generous toppings. Pictured are bombas (fried potato dumplings with a meaty filling), punchy chistorra sausage, black caviar paste with anchovies, and a nice cheesy pizza thingy with a perky jalpeño on top.
