Basque cuisine
Encyclopedia
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
, includes meats and fish grilled over hot coals, marmitako
Marmitako
Tuna pot, marmitako in Basque Country and marmita, marmite or sorropotún in Cantabria is a fish stew that was eaten on tuna fishing boats in the Cantabrian Sea. Today it is a beautiful and simple dish with potatoes, onions, pimientos, and tomatoes.The original French word marmite is a metal pot...
and lamb stews, cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, Tolosa
Tolosa, Spain
Tolosa is a town and municipality to the south of Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is located in a valley of the river Oria and overlooked by Uzturre, a white cross-topped mountain.-Famous people from Tolosa:...
bean dishes, paprika
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
s from Lekeitio
Lekeitio
Lekeitio is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Basque Country, 53 km northeast from Bilbao. The municipality has 7,293 inhabitants and is one of the most important fishing ports of the Basque coast...
, pintxos (Basque tapas
Tapas
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
), Idiazabal sheep's cheese
Idiazabal cheese
Idiazabal is a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk, usually from Latxa and Carranzana sheep in the Basque Country and Navarre, Spain. It has a somewhat smokey flavor, but is usually un-smoked....
, txakoli
Txakoli
Txakoli is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Spanish provinces of the Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos. Further afield, Chile is also a producer of chacolí....
sparkling wine, and Basque cider
Sagardotegi
A sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country. Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house....
.
A basquaise is a type of dish prepared in the style of Basque cuisine that often includes tomatoes and sweet or hot red pepper
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
s.
Description
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
valley on the other. The mountainous nature of the Basque Country has led to a difference between coastal cuisine dominated by fish and seafood, and inland cuisine with fresh and cured meats, many vegetables and legumes, and freshwater fish and salt cod. The French and Spanish influence is strong also, with a noted difference between the cuisine of either side of the modern border; even iconic Basque dishes and products, such as txakoli from the South, or Gâteau Basque
Gâteau Basque
Gâteau Basque is a traditional dessert from the Basque region of France. Typically Gâteau Basque is constructed from layers of an almond flour based cake with a filling of either pastry cream or preserved cherries....
(Biskotx) and Jambon de Bayonne from the North, are rarely seen on the other side.
Basques have also been quick to absorb new ingredients and techniques from new settlers and from their own trade and exploration links. Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
created a chocolate and confectionery industry in Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
still well-known today, and part of a wider confectionery and pastry tradition across the Basque Country. Basques embraced the potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
and the capsicum
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
, used in hams, sausages and recipes, with pepper festivals around the area, notably Ezpeleta and Puente la Reina
Puente La Reina
Puente La Reina is a town and municipality located in the autonomous community of Navarra, in northern Spain....
.
Cuisine and the kitchen are at the heart of Basque culture, and there is a Museum of Gastronomy in Llodio
Llodio
Laudio/Llodio is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Laudio is the name in Basque language and Llodio in Spanish; both are used indistinctly.-Geography and Demography:...
.
Ways of eating
In addition to the dishes and products of the Basque Country, there are features of the way of preparing and sharing food unique to the area.Cider houses (sagardotegi
Sagardotegi
A sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country. Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house....
ak) are a feature of the hills around Donostia, especially near Astigarraga
Astigarraga
Astigarraga is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, in northern Spain. It's famous for its hard cider and the cider houses-External links:* Information available in Spanish and Basque....
. These are usually large country restaurants with enormous barrels of cider. Cider is poured from a height straight into the glass for visitors, with a rustic menu invariably of salt cod omelette
Omelette
In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat , or some combination of the above...
, grilled T-bone steak
T-bone steak
The T-bone and Porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin and including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side: the larger is a strip steak and the smaller a tenderloin steak...
and ewes' milk cheese with walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
s and quince
Quince
The quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region...
paste. The cider houses are only open for a few months of the year.
The txikiteo is the tapas crawl from bar to bar seen across Spain, but it reaches its pinnacle in Donostia, with hundreds of people on the streets of the old town wandering from bar to bar, each known for its speciality, whether it be croquette
Croquette
A croquette is a small fried food roll containing, usually as main ingredients, mashed potatoes, and/or ground meat , shellfish, fish, vegetables, and soaked white bread, egg, onion, spices and herbs, wine, milk, beer or any of the combination thereof, sometimes with a filling, often encased in...
s, tortilla
Tortilla de patatas
The Spanish omelette or Spanish tortilla, also called simply tortilla in English when there is no confusion with the Mexican maize tortilla, is a typically Spanish dish consisting of a thick egg omelette made with potatoes and fried in olive oil....
, toasts or seafood. The txikiteo is also popular in cities such as Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
and Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
.
Gerezi beltza arno gorriakin is a cherry soup served warm or cold. The cherries are poached
Poaching (cooking)
Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally milk, stock or wine.-Utilization:Poaching is particularly suitable for delicate food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out...
in wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, often with enough sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
added to make a light syrup
Syrup
In cooking, a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals...
. A cherry without pits is preferred for this dish. To release their flavor, the cherries are carefully pitted
Cherry pitter
A cherry pitter is a device for removing the pit from a cherry, leaving the cherry relatively intact. Many styles of cherry pitter exist, including small tools held in the hand, domestic crank-operated machines with a hopper, and industrial machines....
or cut in half. Usually the soup is prepared on the day it will be served, because 24 hours is enough time for the cherries to blanch noticeably in the liquid. The soup is often is served with a dollop of sour cream
Sour cream
Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name stems from the production of lactic acid by bacterial...
, crème fraîche
Crème fraîche
Crème fraîche is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. It is soured with bacterial culture, but is less sour than sour cream. It has a comparatively high viscosity and a higher fat content....
, or icecream.
Gastronomic societies are organisations, almost always of men, who cook and eat together in a communal txoko
Txoko
A Txoko is a typically Basque type of closed gastronomical society. Traditionally they are only open to male members who come together to cook, experiment with new ways of cooking, eat and socialise...
. In large cities, the society's premises can be large and formally organised, but the txoko is frequently a small space owned by a group of friends in smaller towns and suburbs, where food and costs are shared. The first txoko was noted in Donostia in 1870. This unique feature of the Spanish Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
enables men to participate in the cooking process and spend time together away from the traditionally formidable matriarchs (etxekoandreak). In recent years, women have been allowed into some clubs.
New Basque Cuisine
In the 1970s and 1980s Basque chefs were influenced by the nouvelle cuisineNouvelle Cuisine
Nouvelle cuisine is an approach to cooking and food presentation used in French cuisine. By contrast with cuisine classique, an older form of French haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation.-History:The term...
of France and created the nouvelle cuisine basque, radically original in its form but solidly Basque in substance, with lighter and less rustic versions of traditional dishes and flavours. Juan Mari Arzak
Juan Mari Arzak
Juan Mari Arzak is the owner and chef for Arzak restaurant. He is considered to be one of the great masters of New Basque cuisine...
in Donostia became the most famous exponent and one of first three-star Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
restaurants in Spain.
In a few years the movement swept across Spain, becoming the state's default haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
. Many tapas bars, especially in San Sebastián, serve modern-style pintxos employing novel techniques and ingredients. In more recent years, young chefs such as Martin Berasategui
Martin Berasategui
Martín Berasategui is a Basque chef and owner of an eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria , Spain. The restaurant has 3 Michelin stars, and was voted 29th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant in 2008....
, have given new impetus to Basque cuisine.
International Basque cuisine
Basque cuisine has continued to have an influence on international cuisine, particularly in Spain and France where it is highly regarded. CatalanCatalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
chef Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
has taken the techniques pioneered by Arzak and other Basque chefs to new heights. Karlos Arguiñano
Karlos Arguiñano
Karlos Arguiñano Urkiola is a chef, popular TV presenter and producer.His devotion to cuisine started when he was a child and helped at home because he was the eldest of four brothers and had a disabled mother.Before beginning his training in the field of cooking, he worked for CAF, a rail car...
has popularised Basque cuisine in Spain through TV and books. In America, Basque chef Teresa Barrenechea owned and ran a Basque restaurant named Marichu and was among the first to bring traditional Basque cuisine to America. Apart from owning this restaurant, Teresa Barrenechea has written two books, The Basque Table and The Cuisines of Spain. At the other end of the scale, Basque-style tapas bars are common in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. In cities where large numbers of Basque people emigrated, such as Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
; São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Boise, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
; and Bakersfield, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, there are several Basque restaurants and a noted Basque influence on the local cuisine.
Typical dishes
- MarmitakoMarmitakoTuna pot, marmitako in Basque Country and marmita, marmite or sorropotún in Cantabria is a fish stew that was eaten on tuna fishing boats in the Cantabrian Sea. Today it is a beautiful and simple dish with potatoes, onions, pimientos, and tomatoes.The original French word marmite is a metal pot...
- PintxosPinchoA pincho or pintxo is the name of certain snacks typically eaten in bars, traditional in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque country. They are usually eaten in bars or taverns as a small snack while hanging out with friends or relatives; thus, they have a strong socializing...
(Basque tapasTapasTapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
) - Bacalao (salt cod) al Pil-Pil or a la Vizcaína
- Elvers
- TaloTalo (gastronomy)Talo is a typical food of the Basque Country, similar to the traditional Tortilla of Mesoamerica, made of corn flour and water. It is round and is cooked in a warm metal plank.-History:...
s - Gâteau BasqueGâteau BasqueGâteau Basque is a traditional dessert from the Basque region of France. Typically Gâteau Basque is constructed from layers of an almond flour based cake with a filling of either pastry cream or preserved cherries....
- Porrusalda
- CuajadaCuajadaCuajada is a compact, almost cheese-like product , like curd "grains" condensed tightly to make a cheese of some sort, made traditionally from ewe's milk, but industrially and more often today from cow's milk...
(Mamia) - PiperadePipéradePiperade or Piperrada , from piper is a typical Basque dish prepared with onion, green peppers, and tomatoes sautéd and flavoured with red Espelette pepper. The colours coincidentally reflect the colours of the Basque flag . It may be served as a main or a side dish...
(or 'Piperrada') - Kokotxas (cheeks of hakeHakeThe term hake refers to fish in either of:* family Phycidae of the northern oceans* family Merlucciidae of the southern oceans-Hake fish:...
) - Wood pigeon
- Ttoro
- TxangurroMaja squinadoMaja squinado is a species of migratory crab found in the north-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.-Diet:M...
(spider crab) - PercebesPollicipes pollicipesPollicipes pollicipes, known as the goose neck barnacle, goose barnacle or leaf barnacle is a species of goose barnacle, also well known under the taxonomic synonym Pollicipes cornucopia...
(Gooseneck barnacles) - PistoPistoPisto is the name of a Spanish dish typical from the Region of Murcia. It is made of tomatoes, onions, eggplant or courgettes, green and red peppers and olive oil. It is similar to ratatouille and is usually served warm to accompany a dish or with a fried egg and bread...
- Grilled and roast meats
- TxipironesSquidSquid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
(baby squid) in their ink
Products
- Roncal, Ossau-IratyOssau-Iraty-Origin:Ossau-Iraty is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Béarn and the Iraty Valley in the Northern Basque Country.-AOC status:...
and Idiazabal cheeseIdiazabal cheeseIdiazabal is a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk, usually from Latxa and Carranzana sheep in the Basque Country and Navarre, Spain. It has a somewhat smokey flavor, but is usually un-smoked....
s - Jambon de Bayonne (cured ham)
- ChistorraChistorraChistorra is a type of fast-cure sausage from the Basque country and Navarre, Spain. It is made of minced pork, or a mixture of minced pork and beef, is encased in either lamb tripe or plastic, and has a fat content that varies between 70 and 80%. The sausage is flavored with garlic, salt, and...
and Chorizo de Pamplona (spicy sausage) - SausageSausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s from VianaVianaViana is the name of some places:*Viana do Bolo, Galicia, Spain*Viana do Castelo, Portugal*Viana, Navarre, Spain*Viana, Maranhão, Brazil*Viana, Espírito Santo, Brazil*Viana, Angolaorganization... - PepperCapsicumCapsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
s from Ezpeleta, Gernika and LodosaLodosaLodosa is a small town of around 5,000 people located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Located along the river Ebro, in a largely agricultural area, the town of Lodosa is famous for its peppers, el pimiento del Piquillo, and its natural beauty. The largest nearby... - Tripotx (lamb blood sausageBlood sausageBlack pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe...
from BiriatouBiriatouBiriatou is a small village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France....
) - BeanBeanBean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s from TolosaTolosa, SpainTolosa is a town and municipality to the south of Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is located in a valley of the river Oria and overlooked by Uzturre, a white cross-topped mountain.-Famous people from Tolosa:... - AsparagusAsparagusAsparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
from MendaviaMendaviaMendavia is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. The Postal code is 31587.Mendavia is an agricultural town. It produces high-quality asparagus, peaches and a certain variety of large red pepper.Roque Romero Sainz , active promoter of... - ArtichokeArtichoke-Plants:* Globe artichoke, a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean* Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower with an edible tuber...
s from TudelaTudela, NavarreTudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it... - Cherries from ItxassouItxassouItxassou is a village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-External links:...
Drinks
- TxakoliTxakoliTxakoli is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Spanish provinces of the Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos. Further afield, Chile is also a producer of chacolí....
wine - Irouléguy AOCIrouléguy AOCIrouléguy AOC wines come from Lower Navarre in the Northern Basque Country, France and are usually considered as part of the wine region of South West France . They are named after the village of Irouléguy and are the only wines with AOC certification in the Northern Basque Country...
wine - Basque ciderSagardotegiA sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country. Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house....
- PatxaranPatxaranPatxaran is a sloe-flavoured liqueur commonly drunk in Navarre, the Pyrenees and elsewhere in Spain. It is usually served as a digestif either chilled or on ice.- Process :...
liqueur - Izarra liqueur
- Pili (mandrakeMandrake (plant)Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family...
-root liqueur)