In a few hours, the chupinazo will once again mark the outbreak of one of the best-known festivals and one that attracts the most visitors: San Fermín. During the following days, the bulls will take over the streets of Pamplona and thousands of people coming from all over the world will fill the city with noise and dye the city red and white. But with the Sanfermines, the local gastronomy is also transformed and the traditional elaborations are in charge of maintaining the energy of the crews during all the days.
When the clock strikes 12:00 o'clock, this Thursday, the rocket that indicates the official start of the festivities, known as 'chupinazo', will be launched from the balcony of the Town Hall, causing the crowd gathered in the square to explode with joy. The meeting will mark the beginning of nine days of fun, running of the bulls, food, drink, fireworks, concerts and the enthusiasm of Pamplonicans and foreigners from all over the world. The chupinazo represents the starting signal for the Sanfermines, but the party will have started much earlier.
As tradition marks, on July 6, around nine in the morning, the crews get together to have lunch and gather energy to start the festivities with a bang. Custom dictates that a good Pamplona should have some “eggs with” for lunch, that is, fried eggs with ham, chistorra, bacon, lean meats with tomato or whatever else. And when it comes time to get together, the local people usually have their trusted restaurant or bar that they go to year after year without fail to celebrate the start of the revelry.
In addition to eggs, other traditional preparations that feature in the 'lunch' are bull stew, piquillo peppers or pochas. Churros also feel great at any time. They could not miss the croquettes or tripe and, to accompany all that morning feast, soda or calimocho are the most popular options, although there are establishments that serve a spicy and more powerful version of Bloody Mary.
It is not a typical breakfast, but a lunch based on fried eggs, chistorra, tortillas or sausages. Light food has no place here. In addition, the lunch is usually done in private homes, bars and restaurants, gastronomic societies, clubs or even on the street itself.
On the morning of July 6, many restaurants in the city, which on any given day at that time would be closed, open their doors to welcome crews, friends and family. Food becomes a reason to celebrate, to meet and meet again and enjoy the San Fermín fair. However, during the nine days that it lasts, finding a table in local bars and restaurants can be an impossible mission.
In fact, there are many establishments that do not open to the general public and save all the space for the usual customers. Many reservations are made from year to year and in February or March it is almost impossible to find a space. For this reason, added to the large influx of visitors, for those who have not booked in advance, it can be difficult to enjoy a good San Fermín lunch.
Once lunch has been served, the crews go to the Plaza Consistorial, where a crowd of people gathers to witness the famous chupinazo. And then… food takes center stage again. It is vermouth time and the bars display bars full of snacks accompanied by good Navarrese wine or cider. The crowded square and the adjacent streets become the place where diners eat standing up, against the bar or sitting in the street, and celebrate the start of the festivities.
During the rest of the days, from the 7th to the 14th of July, the San Fermin lunch is also a tradition and it is the moment in which everyone gathers once the running of the bulls has been celebrated. Let's eat and... Don't let the party stop!
