To talk of Native American cookery is to talk of the oldest foods and the oldest cooking methods in North America.

The smell of chorizo and roasting peppers. The sound of pil-pil sauce bubbling. The sight of pintxos lined up waiting to be eaten.

Pintxos are small snacks made of high-quality food mixed in creative ways. In Basque bars, you can pick out a few pintxos that catch your eye and a drink for a few euros.

Txuleta (T-bone steak) with red pepper represents a long Basque culinary tradition of using the products and animals found in their local landscape to make hearty dishes.

Picon Punch is an iconic drink to Basque American cuisine, a niche regional specialty in the western United States.

Talo is a flatbread traditionally made from varieties of stone-milled corn found only in Basque country. It commonly accompanies sarteneko, a traditional Basque skillet dish of farm products such as chorizo, bacon, and eggs.

Bakailaoa pil-pilean is perhaps the Basque country’s best known dish. The recipe itself is simple, but the dish is not easy to make.

In 2014, the family sold 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of their Basque Idiazabal cheese for €13,050, or approximately $14,000.

Traditional food tells a sensory history of Basque country that is unique and integral to the culture. Family recipes are persevered and passed down through the generations.

As a master chef and lover of Basque cuisine, José Andrés shares some of his favorite picks from the Folklife Festival Marketplace.