Worth noting

In addition to San Sebastián’s three universities - UPV, Universidad del País Vasco, Navarra Private University, and Universidad de Deusto – there is also a culinary faculty. Juan Arzak was one of the founders of the Basque Culinary Centre (BCC), which was opened in September 2011. The school calls itself Europe’s first Gastronomic University and offers a diploma in Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. The BCC is financially supported by a number of corporations and is located at Mondragón Private University.

Incidentally, cooking in the Basque region is a man’s job. The Sociedades de Gastronomicas are private cooking clubs for men. There are about 200 of them in San Sebastián, 60 of them in the old town alone. The men get together, bring their ingredients, cook together, and feast – all without women, and without tourists.