Basque cuisine refers to the cuisine of theBasque Country and includes meats and fish grilled over hot coals,marmitako andlamb stews,cod,Tolosa bean dishes,paprikas fromLekeitio,pintxos (Basquetapas),Idiazabal sheep's cheese,txakoli (sparklingwhite wine), andBasque cider.
Abasquaise is a type of dish prepared in the style of Basque cuisine that often includestomatoes and sweet or hot redpeppers.
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 andPortugal created a chocolate and confectionery industry inBayonne still well-known today, and part of a wider confectionery and pastry tradition across the Basque Country. Basques embraced thepotato and thecapsicum, used in hams, sausages and recipes, with pepper festivals around the area, notablyEzpeleta andPuente la Reina.
Olive oil is more commonly used thanother vegetable oils in Basque cooking.[1]
One of the staple cookbooks for traditional Basque dishes was initially published in 1933. "La cocina de Nicolasa" (the Kitchen of Nicolasa) byNicolasa Pradera has gone into 20 editions.[2]
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 (sagardotegiak) are a feature of the hills aroundDonostia, especially nearAstigarraga. 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 codomelette, grilledT-bone steak and ewes' milk cheese withwalnuts andquince paste. The cider houses are only open for a few months of the year.
Thetxikiteo is the tapas crawl from bar to bar seen across Spain, but it reaches its pinnacle inDonostia, with hundreds of people on the streets of the old town wandering from bar to bar, each known for its specialty, whether it becroquettes,tortilla, toast, or seafood. The txikiteo is also popular in cities such asPamplona andBilbao.
Many bars will offer a combination of pre-made pintxos (such as gildas) that are typically cold as well as hot specialities that are made to order. Typically pintxos cost between one and three euros each.[3][4]
Gerezi beltza arno gorriakin[5] is a cherry soup served warm or cold. The cherries arepoached inwine, often with enoughsugar added to make a lightsyrup. A cherry without pits is preferred for this dish. To release their flavor, the cherries are carefullypitted 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 ofsour cream,crème fraîche, orice cream.
Gastronomic societies, ortxoko in Basque, are communal organisations, almost always composed of all men who cook and eat together.
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In the 1970s and 1980s Basque chefs were influenced by thenouvelle cuisine of France and created thenouvelle cuisine basque, radically original in its form but solidly Basque in substance, with lighter and less rustic versions of traditional dishes and flavours. The first Spanish restaurant to be awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Guide was, in fact,Zalacaín, a Basque restaurant, although located in Madrid.Juan Mari Arzak in Donostia became the most famous exponent and one of the first three-starMichelin Guide restaurants in Spain.In a few years the movement swept across Spain, becoming the state's defaulthaute cuisine. Many tapas bars, especially in San Sebastián, serve modern-stylepintxos employing novel techniques and ingredients. In more recent years, young chefs, such asMartin Berasategui, have given new impetus to Basque cuisine.
Basque cuisine has continued to have an influence on international cuisine, particularly in Spain and France where it is highly regarded.Catalan chefFerran 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. Basque cuisine has been enjoyed for decades in Kern County, CA and the area around Elko, NV where a large population of Basque settled. Teresa Barrenechea was among the first people to bring traditional Basque cuisine outside these area's with her first restaurant Marichu in Bronxville in 1991, where she hired Chef Joseba Encabo to set up, develop the menus and run the restaurant till soon later he was offered a position as faculty at theCulinary Institute of America inHyde 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 was close to the United Nations Headquarters. Teresa Barrenechea has written two books,The Basque Table (Harvard Common Press, Boston 1998) andThe Cuisines of Spain (Ten Speed, Berkley 2005). Teresa Barrenechea is the holder of two awards: Premio Nacional de Gastronomía[6] (National Prize of Gastronomy, the highest culinary award given by the Spanish Administration) and Best Regional Cuisine Book at the 5th World Cookbook Fair,[7]Périgueux (France). At the other end of the scale, Basque-stylepintxos bars are common inBarcelona andMadrid. In cities where large numbers of Basque people emigrated, such asBuenos Aires,Argentina;São Paulo,Brazil,Boise,Idaho;Fresno,California, andBakersfield,California, there are several Basque restaurants and a noted Basque influence on the local cuisine.[8]
Originating from the La Viña pintxo bar is the now-internationally renownedBasque cheesecake.
Media related toCuisine of the Basque Country at Wikimedia Commons
