Local products
With a traditional agriculture, made of small farms, a climate with oceanic influences and a privileged geography, the range of products is wide and for all tastes.
Seafoodproducts, from local fishing with the ports of Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz are on every good table! Red tuna, cod, hake, squid, sea bream, anchovies, crabs are cooked in many different ways, in sauce, grilled, a la plancha... Ideally enjoyed in the evening with the sunset in the background! Romanticism included.
The land provides meats, beef, pork, lamb and poultry, exceptional hams and cured meats, vegetables and fruits from a sustainable production, remarkable AOC and AOP cheeses, recognized among the best in the world. Not to mention the hillside vineyards which are becoming more mature every year. The Basque cuisine lives by the rhythm of the seasons, here, no strawberries in winter, no ceps in spring.
The unavoidable typical dishes and products
Pintxos or tapas with Iberian influences. Real dishes in miniature that can be found in profusion in the bars of San Sebastian and more and more on the French side in bodegas, inns and other typical restaurants. People compete in ingenuity to create pintxos, there is even a world championship! Won in 2020 by a restaurant... from Bayonne. The red tuna which is fried and generally served with a piperade (compote of tomatoes, peppers and peppers) which also accompanies the famous Basque chicken, cod à la Biscayenne, hake koskera, sea bream from Oiartzun, ttoro (fish soup, a specialty of Saint-Jean-de-Luz).. Not forgetting the chipirons in ink or simply a la plancha, a cooking utensil that can be found everywhere, even in private homes, the txangurro, or stuffed crab, and the trout of Banka, raised in the famous and magnificent Aldudes Valley, among other examples of seafood products cooked according to traditional Basque recipes. There are also many meat and poultry specialties, with pork and lamb being the most popular. The unavoidable Axoa which is a veal stew, the beef rib generally of triple XL size that we find mainly in the bodegas with its fries cooked in duck fat (diet abstain)... the Tripotx, mutton sausage and its piperade. The Basque charcuterie is a real institution with many specialties that you can perfectly keep and take in your luggage. Sausage, dry sausage, black pudding, Basque pâté, ventrèche... often spicy!
Ham, king of Bayonne!
Every year, it brings together the best producers of salted meat in the region. The pig feeds on chestnuts, acorns and, to preserve a balanced diet, a supplement of non-GMO cereals. Produced and prepared in the South-West, salted with salt from Salies-de-Béarn and then dried for 7 to 12 months, it now has its own appellations (AOP, IGP, AOC) and is developing internationally with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Canada and the United States. There is no shortage of producers with workshops that can be visited in the region.
Espelette pepper
"Red gold" in the Basque Country, arrived from Mexico in the 16th century, first used in medicine and then very quickly used as a substitute for black pepper, it is now an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) and AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée). It is cultivated around Ustaritz and Espelette with nearly 200 producers. It is available in all forms: jam, powder, jelly, braids and strings, mustard, oils and vinegars... sweet or strong, it transcends a fish, a meat, an omelette, cured meats and even chocolate. An essential condiment in the Basque Country, it is found on all the tables of restaurants, starred or not, and is revered during the Chilli Festival in Espelette the last weekend of October.
The table of the Basque Country
It's appetizer, main course, dessert, without forgetting the drinks. Vegetables, fruits, spices and condiments are part of the bouquet garni. Organic vegetables for the most part with "locavore" producers, fruits with the multitude of orchards, suppliers of cider and jam makers, they are present on the many markets and in all shops, small and large. "From producer to consumer" is not a slogan here, but a reality. The famous cherry of Itxassou, which makes the happiness of the pastry cooks and which is celebrated in great pomp every June, owes its rehabilitation to the producers. Chestnuts and hazelnuts are also getting back their colors thanks to the initiative of some passionate people. One would forget the essential if one did not evoke the cheese, the Basque cake, the chocolate, the cider, the wine of Irouléguy, among others.
Basque cheese
It is also part of the culinary pack! Made from whole sheep's milk, raw or pasteurized, it bears the Ossau-Iraty appellation, protected in 1996. Flagship of the Basque Country and Béarn, it was elected best raw milk cheese in the world in 2011... and in 2018 at the international "World Contest". A cheese that can be found on markets, creameries, directly from local producers. It goes well with cherry jam from Itxassou.
The Basque cake
It is a bit like the Breton far of the Basque Country! A pastry from Labourd and part of Basse-Navarre, it appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Traditionally filled with black cherry jam or almond custard with rum and vanilla, it is also available in chocolate or apricot versions. Every year, it has its festival in Cambo-les-Bains, where professionals and amateurs compete for the prize of the best Basque cake of the year.
Sweet treats
We find some, like the macaroon unique to the region, which owes its creation to the pastry chef Mr. Adam who offered it to Louis XIV during his marriage with the infanta of Spain in 1660. The tradition is still perpetuated today by the Maison Adam in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the stronghold, with the same recipe composed of almonds and a crunchy shell. Stop also in one of the numerous cookie factories which will accompany aperitifs and snacks. With lemon, hazelnut, salted, sweet and even with pepper!
In the glass
The Basque Country has an interesting variety of drinks. Between ciders, local beers, cooked wines, Irouléguy wines, spirits and even Basque cola, it is the sap of the Basque Country that can be appreciated in moderation. With a host of artisan brewers in the Basque Country, each with their own method, the ciders and beers, amber, white, blonde, spring and Christmas enjoy a fine reputation. Wines of all colors: AOC Irouléguy was already a beverage consumed by the monks of Roncesvalles in the 13th century. This vineyard, which is one of the smallest in France and Europe, extends from the French Basque Country to the Spanish Basque Country. It is imperative to visit the Irouléguy cellar, temple of whites, rosés and reds, which is a grouping of local wine growers where the full-bodied wines, rich in aroma, elegant in blending, combine perfectly with fish, red meats, cheeses or just at room temperature for the aperitif. The label "Vignobles et découvertes" was awarded in 2020 to the Basque wines of Irouléguy. A real success for the whole sector and the actors present on this vineyard. For several years, the winery has put in place various tools to welcome its visitors and share their passion for its wines and natural heritage. Moreover, during your walks in the vineyard, discover the orientation tables installed in the most beautiful points of view.
Discover also wines that come out of the ocean with Egiategia, or underwater vinification. At a depth of 15 meters, a part of the vintages is vinified. This method is unique in the world! It reveals aromas that cannot be developed elsewhere. Liquors and spirits also have their signatures! Patxaran for example, which is a liqueur made from the maceration of wild sloes, the andrines (or aran in Basque), in aniseed-flavored alcohol. Sangria, of Spanish origin, is made from fresh fruit and wine, but also Port, Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Cognac. The Izarra, "the star" in Basque, born from the genius of the botanist Joseph Grattau, can be enjoyed dry or on ice, green (peppermint) or yellow (acacia honey and bitter almond). Basque whiskies and gins are made by top of the range distilleries in the region and are recognized by the best wine merchants.
His Majesty the Chocolate
Chocolate is everywhere in the Basque Country. 1,000 years before Christ, the precious cocoa beans were used as currency for barter in Central America. For its pure and divine values, the drink from the cocoa bean was used for therapeutic or religious purposes. It was during great ceremonies that cocoa had the role of purifying and blessing the participants. Appearing as early as 1670, it is at the end of the 18th century that it marks the beginning of its notoriety in Paris and in the European capitals. Bayonne asserts itself as the city of chocolate both by its quality and by the number of chocolate makers with the first chocolate factory in France. It was a luxury product at that time, because to afford 1 kilo of chocolate, a worker had to provide 4 days of salary! Its manufacture spread very quickly throughout the Basque territory. Historic houses perpetuate this tradition. Cazenave, Daranatz, Pariès, Adam, Henriet, Antton, Puyodebat... and so many other craftsmen still glorify this sweetness of the princes!
Other sweet nuggets
The Basque turrón was created by the Daranatz brothers at the end of the 19th century and the secret recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. Without revealing the secret of its manufacture, it would hold its originality of the absence of cooking of almonds which thus exude all their perfume and require a constant freshness.
The Mouchou, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, is an exceptional specialty that is also part of the Basque culinary heritage. It is the famous family of the Pariès house who created by mistake this sweetness composed of two round parts nicely joined together, with a soft heart and rich in sweet almonds. The "Muxu" which means "kiss" in Basque comes in five flavors. Another specialty of the house, the oldest, the Kanouga which is a delicious soft and melting caramel declined in six flavors.
On egin! (Bon appétit in Basque), and don't forget to fill your basket before leaving... to better come back.
The starred tables of the Basque Country
In 2024, there will be 11 Michelin-starred restaurants in the Basque Country, making it one of France's top culinary destinations.
Andrée and Stéphane Rosier : in Biarritz with Les Rosiers
Guillaume Roger: in Ciboure with Ekaitza
Xavier Isabal: in Ainhoa with Ithurria
Fabrice Idiart: in Arcangues with Moulin d'Alotz
Fabien Feldmann: in Biarritz with l'Impertinent
Xabi and Patrice Ibarboure: in Bidart with Table des Frères Ibarboure
David and Martin Ibarboure: in Guéthary with Le Briketenia
Flora Le Pape and Clément Guillemot: in Espelette with Choko Ona
Nicolas Borombo: Saint-Jean-de-Luz with Le Kaïku
Cédric Béchade : in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle with Auberge Basque
Nicolas Montceau and Julien Bonnal : in Hasparren with La Maison de Pierre (Hôtel Berria)
