Paper short abstract:

Taking Donostia as an ethnographic case, this paper addresses the impact of tourism on urban food habits in the last decade. It also questions the processes of patrimonialization led both by local entrepreneurs and institutions, pointing out the sensorial experience in shared food consumption.

Paper long abstract:

Since the 19th century, the Basque Country has attracted both for French and Spanish elites. Today, culinary tourism has become one of the main strongholds of this attraction, targeting people from all parts of the world. In the present post conflict context, Basque food culture has trespassed frontiers and Basque cuisine has become a major commodity both for identity purposes and tourism development. The city of Donostia proudly boasts to hold the highest rate of Michelin star per km2 in the world. The tourist affluence has introduced significant changes in the way food is consumed, sold and experienced. The 'pintxo' culture -small one-bite delicacies traditionally consumed in bars in bar-hoping routes- is a good example of deep transformations of the urban scene. The recent introduction of 'pintxopote' has radically transformed local habits, definitely taking food consumption to the street and introducing new forms of sociability, Taking Donostia as an ethnographic case, this paper addresses the impact of tourism on urban food habits in the last decade. It also questions the processes of patrimonialization led both by local entrepreneurs and institutions, pointing out the sensorial experience in shared food consumption.