Basque gastronomy is a unique blend of flavours between land and sea that delights the taste buds. It enables different flavours to unite in a marriage of suitable ingredients. This cuisine is also recognized for its different cooking methods that leaves plenty of room for imagination. Find out everything you need to know about Basque cuisine to enjoy unique culinary sensations.
A mix of flavours
Basque recipes are a mix of traditional and modern cuisine. This cuisine spread over a part of France and has been able to mix subtly the personalities of these two culinary genres. It has combined the recipes of products from the Béarnaise and Gascon cuisine and has borrowed products from Spain that bring colour to the dish such as pepper, tomato and olive oil .
Appetizers such as garlic peppers, piquillos and tortillas combine all these different trends. The typical dishes of the Spanish Basque Country such as Ttoro, a cooking stock integrating hake, langoustines, mussels, and garnish with garlic croutons are perfect to discover this gastronomy which stays close to the land and the sea. There are various Basque dishes depending on where you taste it. Feel free to discover each of them with these various cooking methods.
Unique cooking methods
The cooking methods of the Basque gastronomy are varied. The Spanish Basque Country gastronomy integrates the use of plancha as it enables a uniform and refined cooking. It is also perfect to cook meats, fish and vegetables that are part of the Basque preparations. This method of cooking is ideal for vegetarians as well as people wishing to eat balanced meals.
In the past, some Spanish Basque specialty used to be cooked directly on the boat, using waste fish caught. Nowadays cooking methods have modernized but remains respectful of the ingredients. Ancestral recipes such as “marmitako” which includes tuna are now being prepared in closed cooking pots where the fish takes the time to simmer. Other cooking methods are also used as maturing. The Bayonne ham, which is a must in French gastronomy, pays homage to this slow cooking.
Tasty accompaniments
If you are looking for ideas for a Basque menu, know that Basque pastry specialties are excellent. Feel free to taste the traditional “Basque cake” with almonds. The latter can be stuffed with different elements such as the cream which lift the taste of almonds. If you want to stay in the current culinary trend, the macaron remains an excellent choice. It enables you to integrate this Basque specialty to your menu without difficulty.
Savour it with a Basque cider, also called sagarno. If its dry and bitter taste does not delight you, varieties of Basque wine produced in France will please you. They are softer and will bring freshness to all your meal.