San Sebastián, the capital of panchineta, says a lot about the invented cheesecake trend.

The traditional pastry shop Casa Otaegui will soon be 140 years old. It is one of the traditional places in San Sebastián where you must stop if you visit the capital of Gipuzkoa and try the cake that Emiliana Malcorra invented here as a result of the shortage of ingredients caused by the Civil War: the panchineta. In fact, the panchineta is the most beloved cake by the people of San Sebastián and has been reproduced by all the great Basque chefs, from Juan Mari Arzak to Pedro Subijana, including Karlos Arguiñano. The fact is that despite the fact that this cake made of puff pastry, almonds, and custard is the emblem of the city, all the tourists—in San Sebastián they are crowded—arrive in the city with the fixed idea of tasting what they believe to be the most traditional: the La Viña cheesecake.

In fact, at Casa Otaegui, which also has lighting, tea cakes, puff pastry and apple pie and other wonders, have been forced to have slices of cheesecake much to their chagrin. Although here, of course, what should be bought is the belly. ARA visits the bakery and we are served by Maria Otaegui (third generation) and Iñaki Otaegui (fourth). They claim that cheesecake is not representative of the city. And how has it become a global phenomenon to the point that there are places in the world called San Sebastián cake? The reason is none other than an article published in The New York TimesThis article turned an anecdote into a trend.

San Sebastian society is a little fed up and has conspired to try to reverse this trend. One of their weapons is the cake that truly represents them. The Barriguita has a recipe that hasn't changed over the years. María Otaegui says that there's a secret to both the puff pastry and the custard. And the curious thing is that, just as in pastry making there have been recipes that have been simplified and the amount of sugar has been reduced, in the case of the Panchineta, it hasn't been necessary. The recipe is the same because it's not excessively sweet.

The family has the registered trademark, although it doesn't have the muscle to pursue all the plagiarisms, of which there are many. They are proud to see how haute cuisine reproduces their cake, but not so proud to see low-cost versions that have practically no almonds. The dried fruit is supplied by the Garrigós family from Alicante, and is Marcona almond. It can be found in the three bakeries they have in San Sebastián and in some restaurants where they serve it. The whole cake (for about ten people) costs thirty-eight euros, but you can also buy a slice. The first shop was opened by Raimundo Malcorra and Josefa Martina Otaegui in 1886, and they later moved it a little further, to 15 Calle Narrika. We can visit it in the historic center of the city, where its succulent and beautiful window display attracts the attention of all visitors. Inside, there are very large scales in case you want to weigh yourself. It's clear that a relative bought it and then didn't have the heart to bring it upstairs.

The Casa Otaegui bakery is traditional and "timeless," as Iñaki Otaegui describes it. It was born out of the city's monarchical past. The royal families and their entourage spent their summers here. In fact, they were official suppliers, and Queen Maria Cristina loved their almond cake. It was with the outbreak of World War I that many of the people traveling with the royal procession were stranded in the city. Tailors, hairdressers, cooks... Emiliana Malcorra took advantage of the situation and hired three of the chefs, as they were masters of French pastry. That was the trend at the time. And, quite accurately, it's what they continue to make every day in the bakery.