Basque cuisine, the cuisine of the Basque people, includes meats and fish
grilled over hot coals, marmitako and lamb stews, cod, Tolosa bean dishes,
paprikas from Lekeitio, pintxos, Idiazabal sheep's cheese, txakoli
sparkling wine, and Basque cider. A basquaise is a type of dish prepared
in the style of Basque cuisine that often includes tomatoes and sweet or hot
red peppers. Overview
Basque cuisine is influenced by the abundance of produce from the sea on one
side and the fertile Ebro valley on the other. The great 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 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 created a chocolate and confectionery industry in Bayonne
still well-known today, and part of a wider confectionery and pastry tradition
across the Basque Country. Basques embraced the potato and the capsicum,
used in hams, sausages and recipes, with pepper festivals around the area,
notably Ezpeleta and Puente la Reina. Olive oil is more commonly used than
butter in Basque cooking. Cuisine and the kitchen are at the heart
of Basque culture, and there is a Museum of Gastronomy in Llodio.
One of the staple cookbooks for traditional Basque dishes was initially
published in 1933. "La cocina de Nicolasa" by Nicolasa Pradera has gone
into 20 editions. = 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 are a feature of the hills around Donostia, especially near
Astigarraga. 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, grilled T-bone
steak and ewes' milk cheese with walnuts and quince 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 croquettes, tortilla, toast, or seafood.
The txikiteo is also popular in cities such as Pamplona and Bilbao.
Gerezi beltza arno gorriakin is a cherry soup served warm or cold. The cherries
are poached in wine, often with enough sugar added to make a light syrup. A
cherry without pits is preferred for this dish. To release their flavor, the
cherries are carefully pitted 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 served with a dollop of
sour cream, crème fraîche, or ice cream. Gastronomic societies are organisations,
almost always of men, who cook and eat together in a communal txoko. 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 enables men
to participate in the cooking process and spend time together away from the
traditionally formidable matriarchs. 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 cuisine 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 in Donostia became the most
famous exponent and one of first three-star Michelin Guide restaurants in
Spain. In a few years the movement swept across Spain, becoming the state's
default haute cuisine. 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, 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. Catalan chef
Ferran Adrià has taken the techniques pioneered by Arzak and other Basque
chefs to new heights. Karlos Arguiñano has popularised Basque cuisine in Spain
through TV and books. Teresa Barrenechea was among the first people to bring
traditional Basque cuisine to America with her first restaurant Marichu in
Bronxville in 1991, where she hired Chef Joseba Encabo to set up and the develop
the menus and run the restaurant till soon later was offered to share his
knowledge becoming faculty at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde
Park, New York. Teresa Barrenechea and husband Raynold von Samson continued to
promote Basque cuisine in America by opening their second Marichu restaurant
in Manhattan in 1994, which, due to its proximity to the United Nations
Headquarters. Teresa Barrenechea has written two books, The Basque Table and
The Cuisines of Spain. Teresa Barrenechea is the holder of two awards:
Premio Nacional de Gastronomía and Best Regional Cuisine Book at the 5th World
Cookbook Fair, Périgueux. At the other end of the scale, Basque-style pintxos
bars are common in Barcelona and Madrid. In cities where large numbers of Basque
people emigrated, such as Buenos Aires, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil, Boise,
Idaho; and Bakersfield, California, there are several Basque restaurants and
a noted Basque influence on the local cuisine.
Typical dishes Bacalao al Pil-Pil or a la Vizcaína
Cuajada Elvers
Gâteau Basque Kokotxas
Marmitako Grilled and roast meats
Percebes Pintxos
Piperade Pisto
Porrusalda Talos
Ttoro Txangurro
Txipirones in their ink Wood pigeon
Products = Cheeses =
Roncal, Ossau-Iraty and Idiazabal cheeses
= Fruits and vegetables = Artichokes from Tudela
Asparagus from Mendavia Beans from Tolosa
Peppers from Ezpeleta, Gernika and Lodosa
Cherries from Itxassou = Meats =
Chistorra and Chorizo de Pamplona Jambon de Bayonne
Sausages from Viana Tripotx
Beverages Basque cider served in Basque cider
houses Irouléguy AOC wine
Izarra liqueur Patxaran liqueur
Pili Txakoli wine
References Further reading
Barrenechea, Teresa, The Basque Table, The Harvard Common Press ISBN
1-55832-140-3 Maznik, Yasna, The Basque Country,
Hachette ISBN 1-84202-159-1