Celebrating San Pedro in Burgos, De Tapas por Burgos

After a flight delay and luggage that did not arrive when we did, our vacaciones started off a bit rocky. Now that we’ve recovered from jet lag and our luggage found us, things have improved considerably!

We are writing this post from Burgos, Spain where the city is in the midst of a 10-day celebration of the Fiestas de San Pedro, the annual festival of Saint Peter, the city’s patron saint. The usual festivities include afternoon bull fights, daily parades, dances, concerts, theater, street performances and midnight fireworks. About four years ago, the city government and the regional association of hotels and restaurants joined together to add a new component to the celebration, called De Tapas por Burgos, where wooden casetas or “little houses“ were set up in plazas around the city. Restaurants and taverns in Burgos use them to serve beer and wine, as well as tapas, giving residents places to meet and eat around the city, not just downtown. It relieves congestion and gets people moving around the city to enjoy different entertainment venues. These casetas turned out to be so popular that each year more are added. The prices for tapas are set at 1.50 euros, and 2.20 euros for a tapa and a glass of beer or wine.

Each caseta sells one hot and one cold tapa that are entered into a competition. The public then votes for their favorites. In addition to giving party-goers more options for meeting around the city, it has also given them reasonably-priced snacks and a chance to try creative dishes from restaurants outside their neighborhood.

This year a tapa that’s very popular called the San Pedro, which is a small slice of pork loin, a piece of pancetta or bacon and a mushroom on a skewer. It is grilled on the barbecue, then served on a slice of baguette. Prepare yours at home - It's quick and easy!

• The San Pedro Tapa - Grilled Pork Loin, Pancetta and Mushroom

Our favorite tapa from Burgos in 2007:

• Cod with Caramelized Leek and Orange Recipe-Bacalao con Pueros Caramelizados

_{Photo © Lisa Sierra, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

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