Whet Your Appetite: Spain’s Basque Country

Coastal villages, tamarind trees, sparkling white wine called Txakoli. Spanning the border between Spain and France, Basque Country is a gorgeous region filled with acres of vineyards, views of the Bay of Biscay, and a fascinating history of the indigenous Basques whose language and culture are seen everywhere.

We piqued your interest in Spain with Whet Your Appetite: Spain and went in-depth when highlighting our Top 5 Tastes: Spain. Now we’re spotlighting Spain’s Basque Country, a gastronomic landmark and food capital. Complete with quaint yet fruitful fishing villages, an entirely unique language, and one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-rated restaurants, it’ll have you salivating and buying a one-way ticket.

Unusual Language

Basque is the oldest language in Europe still in use. An isolate language, Basque has no recognizable relationship with other languages. It’s a true standalone. Distinct with its K’s and Tx’s, you’ll find it everywhere in the Basque Country, mixed in with Spanish. The Basque language was disapproved of during Restorationist and Francoist Spain, but since the 1960s, this language has thrived and was standardized into a version called Euskara Batua.

Try some of these common Basque phrases:

Kaixo — Hello
On egin — Bon appetit
Ondo ibili — Bon voyage

Photo: Jonny Hunter, distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Cider Houses (Sagardotegi)

Cider houses in Spain’s Basque Country are energetic social experiences. These cavernous, wood-beamed spaces are lined with gigantic oak or chestnut barrels that can fit up to 1000 liters each. The typical Basque cider is still, not sparkling, and is served directly from the horizontal barrels. Historically, cider was the main alcohol consumed by the Basques, far exceeding wine. While this has changed because of the growing popularity of Basque wines, cider is still widely and regularly celebrated.

There’s a longstanding tradition of meeting with friends and family at the sagardotegi, with the cider pouring practice and a three-course meal being definite staples of the experience. During a typical night at a cider house, guests will indulge in a cod omelette for an appetizer, tuck into a juicy steak for the main course, and finish with a dessert of cheese with quince jelly (quince being a tart fruit that tastes like a cross between an apple and pear.)

When it comes to the cider, the pouring method is distinct and a lot of fun. Each barrel has a tap at head-level for easy access and are opened by the cider house owner or the first guest of the night. Once uncapped, the cider flows from the barrel in an arc that guests try to catch with their glasses low to the ground. Not everyone can catch the cider neatly and the longer the night goes on, the messier the sagardotegi tends to get.

Pinxtos

Similar to tapas, pinxtos are pre-dinner small plates eaten in Northern Spain, especially in Basque Country. They’re different from tapas in that they usually include regional ingredients on slices of bread and are always served on a skewer or toothpick. In fact, their name comes from the Spanish word for spike (pincho).

We’d recommend trying pinxtos in San Sebastian, the culinary capital of Spain and found in the Basque Country. Some popular pinxtos ingredients are stuffed peppers and seafood, like anchovies and cod.

Photo: José Antonio Gil Martínez, distributed under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Fishing Villages

Basques eat a lot of seafood. It’s an important part of their cuisine and it’s obvious where this influence originated — all the fishing villages dotting the coast! Geteria, Pasaia, and Hondarribia are our top picks for Basque seaside villages in Spain. We know they’re the best spots to taste the freshest sardines and marmitako, or fish stew.

In our trip to Spain’s Basque Country, we stop at all of these picturesque villages for a chance to tour generations-owned wineries, make authentic Cantabrian anchovies in oil during a cooking workshop, and tour the little port town where Lafayette set sail for America.

A photo by Stefan Johnson.

Txakoli Wine

Pronounced cha-co-li, txakoli wine is a dry white wine from Basque and is slightly sparkling. Txakoli (also txakolin and txakolina) is highly acidic and often tinged green, though there also rosé varieties. It’s often paired with pinxtos as an aperitif. Similar to the pouring method for Basque cider, txakoli wine is also poured from a great height into anticipating glasses, a real show for anyone being served.

While txakoli is commercially produced now throughout the Basque Country, this is a recent development. Historically, txakoli was a homemade wine, and it wasn’t until the 1980s when it achieved its Denominación de Origen certification that it became so widely produced. Now it’s beloved throughout Basque, and it’s a definite must-try.