If Part 1 was about who the Basque people are, Part 2 is about how they celebrate. Edgar Carranza is back to walk us through the food and drink culture that comes alive at Basque festivals — including kalimotxo, a drink with an origin story that genuinely made me lose it, and the bocata tradition that feeds the cuadrillas who show up every year for their town festivities.

We also get into the great Basque cheesecake conversation — where it comes from, why Bilbao has feelings about San Sebastián getting all the credit, and what makes that burnt, creamy, slightly chaotic cake so different from anything else.

From there, Edgar explains txoko gastronomic societies: private spaces where Basques have been gathering to cook, eat, and preserve their culinary traditions for generations — and why they might be part of the reason the Basque Country has more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else in the world.

This one ends with big feelings about food, home, and what it means to eat somewhere that is truly yours. Find Edgar on Instagram at @edgarkarranza.

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