The joy of the unexpected Tigre awaits the culinary pilgrim around every corner in Burgos, so it would seem. While not all bars offer the delicacy, and even those that do, don’t necessarily every day or at all hours, every so often one opens the door to a friendly looking café in search of a hot drink and realises that there is so much more on offer.

A stolen 30-minute break led the Burgalesa and me to Mundo Mayan, hoping for a decent hot chocolate, based on the name. At the counter, the small pyramid of Tigres led us to change our plans.

Several minutes later, freshly fried, the Tigres were handed over the counter to us for inspection. As you may be able to see from the photo accompanying this post, the colour was unusual, as if it had had a run in with some turmeric or curry powder on the way to the fryer. Dousing our snacks liberally with the strong sherry on offer, we dug in.

Breaking through the not-very-crispy exterior, the filling seemed hand-chopped, with relatively large pieces of mussel, but no discernible peppers. There did seem to be some sort of grain mixed in, which we guessed might be oats. In spite of the colour, the was no spice to the Tigre, but a strong flavour hinting at the use of canned mussels.

Calle San Juan de Ortega, Burgos

€1.50