We have arrived in Basque Country. That lovely place in the north of Spain bordering the Sea of Biscay; full of rolling hills, forest, sea and an ancient rich culture. The Basque people have inhabited this area for a very long time. They are a people who have endured time and persecution and they are a people who love food– good food and it is an integral part of who they are as a culture.
I sit here; computer in front of me, notebooks full of experiences, piles of books littered with bright sticky notes bending out of the pages – facts, stories, recipes, and exploration on this place and I find myself stuck. I want to convey all that I discovered, and I keep being drawn back to a feeling, it is one that I did not read about, nor did I expect; the experience of being home.
I should explain and so I will begin at the beginning.
We spent the day crossing into Spain. I was so very excited, all my studying and research and expectation bubbling over in me. Rolling hills, glimpses of the sea, forest and red tile roofed towns settled in valleys, we were in Basque Country. The plan was to stop at a market and grab provisions on our way to our Airbnb, about 20 km outside of Bilbao up a winding road through small towns, rolling hills and wild forest land. We were unaware that day was a Spanish holiday and therefore everything was closed, including any store selling or serving food. Not wanting to get stuck on steep, narrow hill roads in the dark we carried on, we had bread and peanut butter and would make do for the evening. Our directions landed us at a horticultural educational center, not expecting this we were a bit confused. A wonderful woman walked up the road and with a bit of stumbling through my freshman Spanish, her freshman English mixed in with her Euskera, the Basque language – she directed us to the correct house next door, we had arrived. Oh, did we arrive, the gate opened to an amazing home sitting above an unforgettable landscape with a phenomenal view of rolling mountains for miles and a property filled with fruit and nut trees, las huertas (vegetable gardens), sheep and chickens! I could barely contain my excitement. We were at Artessoro Basseria, a sustainably built and run home, educational center and lovingly tended land by Roberto and Laura. I could go on for 20 pages about what they have created here, and I will sprinkle some through while I talk about food over the next few days – you can follow the link to their site and I encourage you to do so and discover all they offer! https://artesoroa.com/
Laura and Roberto took us on a tour of the house, accommodations and the land. The house was built over the past 25 years by Roberto using sustainable and ecologically friendly materials and methods and is run off the land. It is beautiful; large eves overhang porches and decks cooling you while you enjoy the landscape, the perfect place to enjoy all this area has to offer. Laura made us a delicious chocolate and orange cake and left us a bottle of red wine. After the long drive and with no fresh groceries, I was ready for cake and wine for dinner. Then we toured the property, and I knew we were somewhere special. At first glance it looks like a stunning place to stroll and look at the views and as we toured, I realized this was so much more. Everywhere you turn is something edible; big bright green leaved fig trees, white spring blossoms of the apple trees, rows of grape vines, no till gardens full of green and red lettuce, asparagus poking out of the ground like little green aliens, onions with their bright white spring bulbs starting to plump out of the ground. Herbs and flowers dotted color and bright scents throughout the gardens. A teaching garden, outdoor bread oven and cider press. Chickens of all sorts; some were fat hens doing their pecking and scratching, red waddles and combs flopping as they work – some so tiny with big poofs on their heads and feet strutting their barnyard with authority, sheep and fluffy lambs, a pig named Scout – even a peacock. I could stroll and wander here endlessly, and I was transported back to being a kid on a farm and joy struck me deep.
We weren’t having peanut butter sandwiches for dinner; I knew exactly what to do here! I grabbed my tote and headed out on a gathering mission. Lettuce, onions, herbs, oranges, eggs. I set the table and we feasted on fresh salad with orange herb dressing, 6-minute eggs and homemade croutons (find the recipe here). The red wine was dry and refreshing and the orange cake was light, airy and not too sweet. (Find cake recipe here) I was in love with this place already.
The next day we headed into Bilbao, one of the larger cities in the Basque region to visit the Guggenheim Museum and dig into some Pinxtos, small bites of delicious food enjoyed with a cider, beer or glass of wine. Tapas are the well-known cousins to these Basque morsels. We went to the old part of town to Plaza Nueva which is lined with bars parading case after case of Pinxtos. Each bar showing off their creations; little sandwiches called bocadillos, small toasts topped with all sorts of goodies – anchovies, tomato sauce, tuna – the options are endless with bocadillos. There were Spanish omelets called tortilla de España, olives, sardines, croquets fried with bacalao (salt cod) and ham – I could have sat and ate for hours! We ordered some bocadillos with Iberico ham and tuna, they are very popular here and are little sandwiches with either tomato puree or mayonnaise, topped with different meats and cheeses. I chose Iberico ham, (famous in Spain which I will tell you all about when I visit the south) and Tuna. We devoured the croquettes, small fried balls of cheese and ham – cheese, ham, fried – need I say more? We paired them with a few zurritos and txikitos, small glasses of beer and wine and sat out in the courtyard watching people. This first taste of Pinxtos did not disappoint. After a long day of roaming through Bilbao, we stopped for some gelato, finally made it to the grocery store and headed home. We were so full of Pinxtos we headed to the garden and ate salad, and chocolate orange cake for dinner and were perfectly satiated.
That evening, sitting outside on the deck with a glass of wine, watching the bats dart to and fro like cute little bug killers, the cacophony of bird song was stunning. Owls and hawks’ screeches setting off the baby cry of the peacocks as the day birdsong changed over to night birdsong. A cow in the distance trekking from one pasture to the next, cowbell clanking. I was thinking about the plans for the next day. I packed our itinerary with gastronomy museums, wine and cheese tasting and of course more Pinxtos. I was going to try caracoles and salt cod the quintessential Basque food I could not leave without trying. Basque country has its own local wines and cheeses and salt cod or Bacalao, is a way of life here and I was looking forward to trying them all – well not the salt cod or caracoles (land snails that are a Spring obsession throughout Spain) but as they say; when in Spain! Basque country is one of the major food regions in Spain. It has a large amount of Michelin starred restaurants and is credited for leading the new era of returning to local, regional foods and celebrating them. The Basque people have been stewarding this land for generations dating back to Neolithic times. They have fought for and maintained their culture of food through Roman rule, Spanish rule, kingdoms come and gone and the Spanish civil war. During the war Franco forbade their language and took their rights away and the Basque people celebrated their traditions, language and food underground keeping it alive. The Basque region is currently an autonomous region and though not completely separate from Spain they do have laws and some self-governance, used mostly to preserve their long standing traditions and language. They have been here for so long their language, Euskera is unlike any other language on Earth. It predates the earliest known European settlers and is the only surviving pre-indo European language in Europe – which means it is ancient! It goes without saying Basque people have a very rich and old culture surrounding food and land and they honor that history through food still today. It is the perfect place to visit museums and cultural centers where you can explore the wealth of history and knowledge of the food of Basque Country as well as Spain and I have been planning these activities for months. Then I remembered a quote from The Basque Book:
“If you know how to pick out good raw ingredients, you can cook Basque Food. . . If you have a bottle of olive oil, a head of garlic, and a tin of tuna, you can make Basque food. Like a family, it is a cuisine that is much greater than the sum of its parts. And like a family it is basic, instinctive, and comforting. Give it your time and care and it will give you a home.” P8 The Basque Book
This quote brought me back to the feeling I was having about this land and the connection I was making to it; my instinct was begging me to explore this place and what better way to celebrate Basque culture than walk the land I am on and use the food that is available right here? I had a bottle of very good olive oil, loads of garlic, some delicious Iberico ham cutlets and acres of possibility. I wanted to stay. So, I scrapped my plans of museums and tastings and stayed home for the day.
It was glorious! I went and said hello to the chickens in the morning, my cup of coffee (pretty much drinking chocolate at this point) in hand, dew hovering, the sun bright, warm rays and I walked the land. I wandered through the gardens, took note of the herbs, visited the animals, fed the lambs. I stumbled into Sonja, the woman who helped us find our way when we first arrived. She toured the learning garden with me and taught me about the farming practices they have here. (see photo gallery for more information).
I headed to the garden for lunch; sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil, 6-minute eggs with paprika, more salad – I can’t get enough – and a glass of local Txacoli (cha-co-lee) white wine, dry and effervescent. It was light and decadent (find recipe here). Two things fill my head as I write; one, I don’t feel like I have enough space on this post to describe what fresh asparagus, picked minutes before you eat it, tastes like – the sweet tenderness is unbelievable, and two, I don’t have enough space on this post to tell the story of how this brings me back to the dreamy parts of me as a child and morning dew and chickens and sunlight through apple blossom trees and eating garden vegetables evoking overwhelming joy, those are stories for another outlet. Just know that I felt I was home.
Back to the garden for dinner. Baby artichokes or alcochoas, grilled with garlic and orange, Iberico ham cutlets with a honey paprika marinade, salad and potatoes or patatas. (find recipe here) a bottle of Rioja – and of course more orange chocolate cake. We sat outside on the back porch and enjoyed the delicious meal, each other and the evening twilight and I felt we were exactly as we should be in Basque Country.
Alas the day came to bid a bittersweet goodbye to this place, I walked the property warm coffee in hand, taking in every final moment. I savored each bite of the last slice of cake, still moist and perfect, with a poached egg for breakfast and took my bags to the car. Roberto and Laura came to see us off and I got to spend some time chatting with them, they are lovely and graciously answered the myriad of questions I had.
Anytime I travel I know the reality is that I will not return to a place, it is a part of traveling. There are places I wish I could revisit but I know there is more of the world I want to experience. This is one of those rare places I will make a point to return.
