Pintxo (pincho or pinchu) is a snack served in bars throughout northern Spain and especially popular in Cantabria, Asturias, the Basque country, and Navarra. The pintxo tradition is an inherently social one. Friends gather in a bar to have a bite and a zurito, a small portion of beer, cider or wine. It may be a single stop before dinner or the beginning of a multi-stop pintxo crawl.

Unlike the free snacks known as tapas that are served with a drink in much of Spain, pintxos are affordable but not free. In fact, in the hands of the great Basque culinary masters like Chef Xabier Gutierrez of Arzak, a pintxo can be elevated well into the realm of high cuisine.

Memelas, or memelitas, is a regional term in Oaxaca for antojitos of fried or toasted corn cakes, like sopes or huaraches. They are made of masa and topped with fresh ingredients such as black beans, shredded cabbage, mole negro, guacamole, cheese, salsa and seasonal treats like squash blossoms. However, in Honduras and Guatemala, a memela is entirely different. The toasted masa cake is made with cinnamon and cooked in banana leaves. It doesn’t really seem like you could go wrong.

Hamachi is the Japanese name for Pacific Yellowtail. These beauties can be caught off the Pacific Coast from Hawaii all the way down and into the Sea of Cortez, although most Hamachi is farm-raised in Japan and exported across the globe.

Keeping the various types of fish from this family straight can be a challenge. Steal a memory trick from your college entrance exams: Hamachi is to Yellowtail as Kanpachi is to Amberjack – closely related cousins with bi-lingual monikers.

Cabrales is an artisanal blue cheese made with traditional methods in rural Asturias, Spain from pure, unpasteurized cow’s milk or a blended of goat and/or sheep milk, which produces an even stronger, spicier flavor. All of the milk used in the production of Cabrales comes exclusively from animals raised in the mountains of the Picos de Europa. Delicious in any form, I most often crave a thick, pungent Cabrales sauce served over a grilled loin of beef or pork.

Criollo is a term that originally referred to Latin American people who were of full or near full Spanish descent, distinguishing them from the mestizo hodge-podge of the post-colonial populations of the Americas.

However, over time, the word has taken on additional meanings, such as “local” or “home-grown”, as in the case of “comida criolla” to mean “local cuisine” or “aguacate criollo” for the thin-skinned native avocados of Mexico. It is in this vein that Salsa Criolla is used to describe a South American condiment composed of sliced onions seasoned with ingredients such as cilantro, boiled or pickled beets, boiled potatoes, avocado, chili peppers and tomatoes.

As a rule of thumb, I encourage you to embrace anything edible that includes the word Criollo. Please report back if you find that recommendation to be ill advised.