Life and Food in the Basque Country

Here is what the publisher tells us about this book:

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. 

KAL Staff Note: 

While there are recipes in this book--written beautifully as prose rather than bulleted instruction--the main draw would be to read about this region, people and culinary traditions. Originally published in 1989, this book is a delightful artifact of its time and place, describing foodways and practices which have grown increasingly rare in the 21st century. 

Paperback.