Tuna pot, marmitako in
Basque Country and marmita, marmite or sorropotún in
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
is a
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
stew that was eaten on
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
fishing boats in the
Cantabrian Sea
The Cantabrian Sea; french: Mer Cantabrique, gl, Mar Cantábrico, ast, Mar Cantábricu, eu, Kantauri. is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwe ...
.
Today it is a simple dish with tuna,
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
s,
peppers
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
, and
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es.
The original
French word ''marmite'' is a metal pot with lid. This French word ''marmite'' or the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
equivalent ''marmita'' gives name to the dish in the East and Central Coast of Cantabria while the
Cantabrian word ''sorropotún'' is used in the West Coast. ''Marmitako'' in
Basque language means 'from the pot'.
History
Tuna pot was eaten by Basque fishermen during fishing season. As they stayed a long time at sea, the food used to go bad, so they ate the
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
they fished with cooked potatoes and
choricero peppers that kept well.
See also
*
List of tuna dishes
This is a list of notable tuna dishes, consisting of foods and dishes prepared using tuna as a primary ingredient. Tuna is a versatile ingredient that is used in a variety of dishes, including entrees, sandwiches, sushi, salads, appetizers, soups ...
References
Spanish soups and stews
Tuna dishes
Basque cuisine
Cantabrian cuisine
National dishes
Potato dishes
Fish stews
{{Spain-cuisine-stub