Life and Food in the Basque Country

by Maria Sevilla

Ask any Spaniard where you will find the best food in the country and the answer is invariably the Basque provinces. In this beautifully written book, Marìa José Sevilla describes the region through the eyes of men and women whose lives embrace every aspect of its cooking and culinary traditions, and records the recipes she has learned from them. The author takes us from market to caserìo , or farmstead, and shows how the strength of Basque cuisine comes from the quality and range of local produce: superb fish from the Cantabrian coast, cheeses and wild mushrooms from the mountains, and vegetables and fruit―including apples for cider-making―from the caserìos of the valleys. Through her portraits of a fisherman, a craftsman of wooden cheese-making utensils, a wine producer, and a young city housewife, the author shows the historical influences and fierce regional pride behind this distinctive culinary repertoire. Finally, three professional chefs take us into their kitchens, and show us how their superb cooking is based on rich popular traditions. More than eighty authentic recipes punctuate evocative descriptions of cultural and culinary traditions, making this an ideal book for the inquisitive traveler who enjoys good food.

Genres: Food, Food Writing, History, Travel, Nonfiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 1998

Reviews

[Rachel Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm traveling to the Basque Country in a few months and wanted to understand more about Basque culture, particularly related to food. This book was a perfect fit. It focuses on various tradesmen and women such as fishermen, shepherds etc and describes their ways of living, how they grew up and how times are changing. There is a heavy focus on what and how they eat and many traditional basque recipes are included. A very pleasant read, which made me very hungry and very excited about my holiday.

[Maria]

Learning about the lives of fishermen, shepherds and other country people, plus getting to know some Basque words and recipes. More details later...