AP Television Bilbao, August 20th 2009 1. Wide pan Bilbao, River Nervion 2. Wide cooking competition area 3. Mid contestants in cooking competition 4. Close up sauce being prepared 5. Wide contestants in cooking competition 6. Close up cod being placed into hot oil 7. Mid shot pieces of cod being laid out 8. Close up sauce being sieved 9. Set up shot Javier Fernandez 10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Javier Fernandez, Amateur chef: "I think that when we are eating everyone is happy. You get together with friends, it is perhaps a way to keep a friendship, because whenever you meet up it is to have a meal. And cooking is part of our tradition." 11. Wide street full of bars and restaurants 12. Mid shot people drinking in street 13. Mid shot woman holding glass 14. Pan Iruna bar restaurant 15. Mid shot interior Iruna bar 16. Pan bar with pintxos (tapas) on counter 17. Close up tapas 18. SOUNDBITE (French) no name given, Voxpop: "I think that Basque cuisine uses products of excellent quality. Everything you eat is really, really good. The drinks as well, and the sea food, we are very close to the sea, so the sea food is excellent quality. Also the cured meats, pork, ham, sausages, all the specialities that come from the mountains. You get products from the mountains and products from the sea." 19. Wide shot customers helping themselves to tapas 20. Close up tapas 21. Pan kitchen 22. Close up cook checking sauce 23. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Marino Montero, Iruna restaurant: "The difference is that in some places you need a good recommendation, because in one place you can eat great in another the food is terrible. Here, (Basque country) there are some fantastic places but the average quality is very good, you are never concerned about getting it wrong. Wherever you may go, be it a small taverna or wherever, you are never going to be disappointed. You are almost always going to come out happy." 24. Wide cooking course for children 25. Mid children preparing tuna dish 26. Mid children cutting potatoes 27. Wide Chef Aitor Elizegi guides children 28. Close children cleaning peppers 29. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Aitor Elizegi, Head Chef: "I always say it, the good thing about the Basque country is that, of course there is a great level of chefs who are in the top, the press are telling us daily about them. But watch out, some of the best cooking in the world is done by non-professionals from this country, this is true." 30. Wide dishes waiting for testing by chefs 31. Close up people helping themselves to food 32. Tilt up tasting of dishes 33. Wide chefs tasting dishes LEAD IN Spain's Basque country has long been on the culinary map of excellence. But it's not only professional chefs that mark the gastronomic landscape of the region. At Bilbao's 'Big Week' fiesta, passionate amateur chefs compete to be the best at whipping up traditional dishes. STORYLINE The gastronomy of the Basque country has long been held in high esteem by cooks and chefs from across Spain and beyond. That's because in the Basque country food is more than just fuel - it's a true passion. Here is Bilbao, daily cooking competitions are being held by amateur cooks from the region as part of the city's annual 'Big Week' fiesta. The dish for today's competition is one of Basque cuisine's classics: 'Bacalao a la Vizcaina' - that's salted cod in a traditional, spicy sauce made from peppers, tomatoes and onions. The method calls for a steady hand and plenty of patience to get the best out the delicate, desalted cod as it is briskly deep fried. Although the objective is to make the best dish possible, amateur cook Javier Fernandez says Basque people are always happy when they are eating. The bar restaurant Iruna is one of Bilbao's most famous. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/96171a6ea5c1b4140aeb8629095b023c Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 23 Jul 2015
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