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04 Apr 2017

Basque Country Food. Where is it from ? pt. 2

By basque

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Food…thats it!

Where does our amazing produce come from and how do we use this great resource. Part 2 of our quick look at Basque Country food, produce and gastronomy with the chef José Pizarro, owner of 4 restaurants in London.

Alava, Inland Basque Country

Sometimes overlooked by visitors keen to see Bilbao and San Sebastian, Alava is the 3rd province of Euskadi, Basque Country and is completely landlocked. This is wine country, and many visitors come to learn and sample our famous Rioja Alavesa wine However, it holds many surprises as Jose found out!

Salt Cheese and Txakoli

Hidden in the green valleys lies a geological gem, millions of years old but very relevant today. The Salt Pans of Añana are marvellous. A fountain (or 3) of saline liquid, used over millenia to cure, store and flavour the Basque peoples food. Today we can visit and learn about this amazing place but also taste it in our own Denominacion de Origen Idiazabal Cheese. We visited our good friend Leire who is the only producer of this most Basque of Basque cheeses who uses this salt in the production of her award winning cheeses. The surprise here though is its not only Idiazabal that one tries… 🙂

Close by and another good friend sees us visit BarraskiBide, a farm producing organic snails, a popular dish all over Spain and especially those who are fond of Biscayan Sauce…. Nestled under the Sierra Salvada mountain range, the snails are well guarded so they don’t escape….

And what would one choose to wash these delicious products down with? Well our own Txakoli Arabako. The third region with the D.O. to produce Txakoli wine in the Basque Country. Our friends at Astobiza and Beldui are perfect hosts and enable Jose to learn taste and discuss the amazing advances this wine has experienced since it became regulated in the 1980’s.

Sleeping it off….

After all these foodie gastronomic exertions, sometimes there is nothing better than a siesta… However, when staying with us here at Basque Experiences we have our own favourite places, and top of the list in Bilbao is the great Hotel Miro. Opposite the iconic Guggenheim Bilbao, the service is what you would expect from a small privately -run hotel. It never fails!!

Just a short blog extolling some of our food highlights here in the Basque Country with Basque Experiences. But keep your eyes open for a foodie surprise in the coming weeks…..

 

    13 Mar 2017

    Basque Country Food. Where is it from? pt. 1

    By basque

    Basque Country Food…

    Food… Hopefully you will have heard about some of the great dishes we prepare here in the Basque Country (there are a few pointers on this blog…) But have you ever wondered where the produce comes from? Accompanied by our friend Jose Pizarro, a restaurant owner from Caceres in Spain, but who lives and owns 3 restaurants in London, we set out over 2 days to discover some hidden gems…

    Food research

    Spring is in the the air and everything is coming back to life… In the green hills of Gipuzkoa, magic is at work. Txakoli vines are beginning to sprout and the anchovies are arriving in our waters, but some plants are already flowering and bearing fruit and in some cases vegetables.

    The tear-shaped pea is an unknown quantity pretty much everywhere. However here, and in the best restaurants in Spain, it commands a seat at the head table. On a sunny day like today, seeing them on the vines and growing in their tiny pods, well, its a luxury!

    Its not only the green things either, Further up in the hills is  a little family-run farm that breeds Euskal Txarri, a rare- breed of Basque Pig. Here the father and daughter team produce award winning sausages, hams, black puddings and bacon. A visit to them is an insight into this tasty world!

    Basque Culinary Center

    The Basque Culinary  Center was  next on our list as THE place to see when talking about food research here, indeed anywhere in the world. The BCC is a unique faculty and part of the University of the Basque Country, the only such faculty in the world. Dedicated to research and development for all things Culinary….

    Dining

    No visit to the Basque Country is complete without dining in a Txoko or Sociedad Gastronomika. A private dining club if you like where only members are allowed to cook….  Tales of the dinners and diners are legendary here in the Basque Country. So visiting one on Saturday afternoon was the perfect finale to a bust day discovering and learning about our produce.

    Have a look at our fotos and a short video

    Basque Experiences. Private Basque Country Tours

     

    Sociedad Gastronomika 

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      Basque Peas

      The tear-shaped peas of Getaria
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      Best office in the world?
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    22 Dec 2016

    Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country

    By basque

    Hills of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country

    Hidden away up the the green and verdant hills in the Basque Province of Gipuzkoa, one finds a thriving and rich society, a world away from the city of San Sebastián only a short drive away…

    Goierri

    The hinterland of Gipuzkoa is hilly, there are a few mountains but generally its a green land, full of valleys separated by peaks. This area is called Goierri, and it has an ancient history. Basque culture is stronger here than anywhere else one could say. The locals all speak Basque, all the time, the traditions and the history are omnipresent. The charming small villages dotted around the land are only outnumbered by the baserris or large old stone and timber farmhouses perched higher up on these green and lush hillsides. Hidden away it feels like time has stood still here until you scratch the surface!

    Local Produce

    Our Basque Culture is true to its roots. Tradition, family, respect and language are all fundamental. However, throughout history, we Basques have adapted and embraced change, and in some cases influenced it!

    A Basque Country Tour would be incomplete without a visit to this rich area. Take a six-day hike along the ‘Ruta de Queso’ visiting tiny villages, running streams, mountains, cheese-makers and cider producers. A great way to learn about the region from the locals and their customs. A shorter Basque Tour could involve a visit to an Idiazabal cheese-maker in the village of Segura. The Ondarre farmhouse has been making this cheese from raw ‘Latxa’ sheep milk for 7 generations, and their house is over 500 years old! Not only can you milk the sheep and learn the process, you can stay there too as they have 6 rooms and 2, 4-bed apartments!

    Cider

    Cider makers abound in this area and a day’s visit would be incomplete without learning (and tasting of course) the regions favourite tipple . From here lunch in a Sagardotegi or Cider House is obligatory!!!

    For those more interested in a slightly more refined dining experience a visit to one of the areas superb local-produce markets would be indispensible! Wednesdays in Ordizia ia a market where locals have been bringing their produce, all seasonal of course as that’s how we have always done it here, in fact every Wednesday since the 16th century to be exact…. Saturday sees Tolosa show its wares in a two amazing markets in what was the former capital of Gipuzkoa. Even better, make your Basque Country Tour more complete by visiting the market with a local chef. With them, see how they select the best and then accompany them to cook it yourselves!! Not only learning to cook like a Basque, but eating like one too!! We can’t wait to take you around!!!!

    • Tolosa Market Gipuzkoa
    • Ondarre lambs Gipuzkoa
    • cider museum gipuzkoa
    • Cooking in Ordizia Gipuzkoa
    • Segura Gipuzkoa
    • ondarre gipuzkoa
    06 Dec 2016

    Bilbao. River, Industry and Regeneration

    By basque

    Bilbao and the river…

    Bilbao is a city that needs it’s river. Without this small river flowing through the green valley, the city we know would not be what it is today

    It all started in 1300 when Bilbao was given ‘town’ status by the Lord of Bizkaia, Don Diego Lopez de Haro. He needed a port to export castilian merino wool to northern Europe and ever since the history of Bilbao and the river has been entwined.

    Together they have seen war, trade, shipbuilding, mining, industrialisation, wealth, immigration, decline, and eventually regeneration. An awful lot for what is a pretty nondescript small river that flows for some 50km into the Bay of Biscay.

    Walk to Bilbao

    All this history can be seen, felt, smelled and absorbed by walking along the riverbank. An open, living book passing mediaeval ruins, steel works, furnaces, working suburbs, shipyards, abandoned lots, bridges and redeveloped barrios.

    Starting at the UNESCO listed Bridge of Bizkaia, the only Industrial monument on its list in Spain,  we stroll along the riverbank suburbs that form the city. Through Portugalete and into Sestao, a tough town where there is still much deprivation. Onto Barakaldo, a big town in itself  with functioning shipyards, abandoned warehouses and huge cranes. Past Lutxana and Burtzeña both almost forgotten about barrios. Past Zorroza and along the bank past Olabeaga before you reach what was the port  in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now you stand at the heart of the urban regeneration so successfully undertaken and where the Guggenheim and the Euskalduna Palace stand.

    Pintxos and Basque Food

    This is a great walk, which with stops for drinks and snacks could take from between 2 -4 hours. On surfaced roads and paths, all you need is your camera and an idea of where to go! Its another of the walks and hikes we at Basque Experiences love. Different, off the beaten track, and a chance to see and learn about the Basque Country on foot. Get your timing right and we will be on time for a few of those famous pintxos!! So get in touch with us regarding your Tour of the Basque Country and combine it with some trips with us to discover our famous Basque Cuisine and Basque Food…..

    On a sunny day the pics are great!!

     

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