Basque cheesecake originated in which Spanish region?

Basque cheesecake originated in the Basque Country of Spain.

The modern style is associated especially with La Viña, a pintxo bar in San Sebastián, where chef Santiago Rivera created it in 1988. It is a crustless cheesecake baked at a high temperature, producing a deeply browned or caramelized surface while leaving the center creamy and custard-like.

In Spain, it is often called tarta de queso de La Viña or San Sebastián-style cheesecake. The international label “burnt Basque cheesecake” emphasizes its dark top, but local versions do not always have the same degree of browning. The dessert spread widely through food media and social platforms during the 2010s and became a major restaurant and home-baking trend.

The name can cause confusion because Basque cheesecake is linked to a region rather than to all of Spain’s cheesecake traditions. It is also distinct from earlier Basque-area cheesecakes, some of which used crusts or blue cheese. Galicia, Andalusia, and Catalonia are Spanish regions, but none is the canonical origin of this style.