On the tables of 16th-century Castile and the Basque Country, and even more so in religious houses, meals revolve around a single pot (the *olla*) and a soup (*potaje*), always accompanied by bread — often crumbled or soaked in it. The measured, frugal portion served to each person is called the *pitanca* (hence our "pittance"). Sweets, inherited from the Andalusian know-how of convents (almonds, honey, sugar), appear on feast days. Preserved fish and light broths complete this system where nothing is wasted and austerity is a virtue.

The foundational gesture of this poor cuisine: a little garlic browned in olive oil, hard bread revived in hot liquid. Enough to feed a man — or a community — with almost nothing. It suited Ignatius perfectly, a soldier turned pilgrim, who mistrusted excess and nursed his fragile stomach.