Why the hour before lunch is the best time to be in Spain

There’s something better than lunch in Spain, and that is a high compliment, because there are few things on this entire planet better than having lunch in Spain.

But no, it’s the anticipation of lunch that’s the thing. It’s the preparation of the stomach and the soul for about three or four hours of dining, drinking and conversation. It is, in two words, vermouth hour.

That’s what the time is right now as I stand in the sun on a terrace in Tolosa, a ruby-bright drink in my hand, a small snack of anchovies on bread enjoying its last few moments of existence at the table nearby.

Tolosa is humming with life on this warm Saturday afternoon, with marching bands roving the narrow old-town streets, football fans making their way around in the local kit, shoppers picking up last-minute lunch supplies from the markets, kids screaming in the playgrounds.

This is a small settlement really, only 20,000 or so people who live nestled in the emerald hills of the Basque Country in Spain’s far north, about half an hour from the foodie hub of San Sebastian. Tolosa slips under the radar compared to that tourist-heavy behemoth, a pleasant place but lacking the Michelin-starred gravitas of its coastal neighbour.

But they do a few things here very well. The first of those is steak. If Tolosa is known for anything among food-obsessed wanderers it’s the twin steak restaurants that stare moodily across the Oria river at each other, as they have done for more than half a century.

On the eastern bank there’s Casa Julian, in business since the 1950s, a current favourite of social-media-savvy tourists. On the western bank there’s Asador Nicolas, more modern though less trendy, which has been in its current location since 1960. Both restaurants do incredibly good “txuletas”, or Basque-style steaks, cooked over coals and served very rare.

The second thing Tolosa does well: pintxos. This is, after all, a proudly Basque town, so the local version of tapas is of course a specialty, and on a Saturday lunchtime the bars of Tolosa are always packed as locals take a few snacks before heading off to a restaurant for lunch or home for a family meal.

And herein lies the beauty of a day in Spain. This hour before lunch, this golden time of anticipation, has come to be known around the country as “la hora del vermut”, or vermouth hour.

Vermouth, the herb-infused, mildly fortified wine, is popular throughout Spain, and it works perfectly as an aperitif, something to pair with a salty, briny snack to prepare diners for the coming onslaught of lunch. What’s even more popular, however, is the social occasion that has come to surround the drinking of vermouth, the hour before your mealtime commitments that can be spent with friends and occasional acquaintances.

There are so many of these gastronomic traditions in Spain, such a rich mix of celebrations set around daily rituals.

You know about tapas of course, the custom of taking small plates of food and then roaming the streets looking for the next dish. You may have heard of “sobremesa”, the act of lounging at the dining table for hours after a meal and talking to family and friends. You know paella, the rice dish but also the ritual, the family gathering, the day-long celebration.

And now you understand la hora del vermut. This hour begins at about midday, and then because this is Spain and time can be elastic, it goes on until 2pm or further.

Right now, I’m at Fronton Tolosa, a bar and restaurant with a terrace outside on the street, shaded by plane trees but in the heart of the town’s Saturday afternoon bustle. I have a booking at Asador Nicolas at 2pm; there’s safety in that knowledge, certainty that a space is being held for my future enjoyment.

So I can just relax here in the dappled sunlight and sip red vermouth, served in a large glass with plenty of ice, a single olive on a toothpick bobbing on the surface. Other people chat while grouped around high tables. Kids ride scooters and kick footballs nearby. The anticipation is as delicious as any snack.

THE DETAILS

Getting there
Tolosa is in northern Spain, a 30-minute train ride from San Sebastian. See renfe.com

Eat
Fronton Tolosa is open daily, while Asador Nicolas is open Wednesday to Sunday. See frontontolosa.com/es; asadornicolas.com

Stay
Hotel Bide Bide Tolosa has rooms from $237 a night. See turismoa.tolosa.eus

The writer funded his own travel.

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