Table of Contents
Traditional drinks from the Basque Country, take note.
The Basque Country is well known all over the world for its gastronomic quality, a quality that we owe to a great extent to the traditional beverages of the Basque Country. Some of these drinks are very famous like the wine of the Rioja Alavesa and others less known like the Txakoli. In this article we are going to summarize the typical drinks of the Basque Country, can you guess which ones we are talking about?
4 traditional drinks from the Basque Country.
Cider from the Basque Country (sagardoa)
We have written many articles about this traditional drink from the Basque Country. The main product of this drink is the apple, since it is produced from the fermented juice of this fruit.
Nomenclature: The term sagardo comes from the words sagarra and ardoa, apple and wine respectively in Basque, sagarra + ardoa = Sagarren ardoa, apple wine.
History: In the past, in the Basque Country few could taste wine because the land and climate of the Basque Country were not ideal for it, so the wine they drank was apple wine, the Basque wine. The consumption of this traditional drink took place in the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, extending to the north of Navarre, in the French Basque Country and at sea. At sea? Yes, at sea, Basque fishermen used to carry large kupelas (barrels) filled with this drink in order to make their journey to the northern countries to fish for whales more pleasant.
Curiosities: The cider of the Basque Country, the sagardo, has affected in every way the way of being of the Basque people, a clear example of this are:
Did you know that ….. The txalaparta, a typical instrument of the Basque Country, comes from the apple industry? After finishing the harvesting and elaboration of the sagardo, they took the boards and cylindrical sticks used to press the apples and used it as a means of communication to let the neighbors of the area know that the sagardo was ready to be tasted.
Did you know that …. Many of the Basque surnames come from the word apple? A clear example of this is the surname of the Basque politician Iñaki Anasagasti.
Nowadays: Nowadays in the sagardotegi season (January-April) it is a tradition to go with the kuadrilla to taste the typical sagardotegi menu and of course the sagardo of that new year. The sagardotegi menu leaves no one indifferent, for just over 30 € we can eat to say enough. A rich cod omelette, cod accompanied by some good peppers and of course the txuleta. For dessert we have local products such as Idiazabal cheese, quince jelly and nuts. So, do not hesitate and stop by a sagardotegi from January to April and when you hear the typical ¡¡txotx!!! go quickly to the kupela (barrel) that have just opened.
Where to try it: The town of Astigarraga is the perfect place to try a good sagar, in this town of Gipuzkoa you will find the highest concentration per square meter of cider houses in the whole Basque Country. Astigarraga is simply the temple of the apple, a town of pilgrimage for all Basque lovers of sagardo.
Buy Basque cider: One of our best cider makers, Zapiain, has made its best wines available to us through the Amazon sales channel, easy, fast and safe. We encourage you to buy it through this channel and enjoy one of the best drinks of Euskadi.
Patxaran
Patxaran is perhaps one of the oldest drinks in the Basque Country. It is known that the great kings of Navarre used to drink this beverage both at royal weddings and in everyday life. Patxaran is produced from sloes harvested all over the Basque Country, but especially in Navarre. It is in Navarre where patxaran is produced the most, and it is the regulatory council of Patxaran Navarro that sets the characteristics that this traditional drink of our people must have. The origin of the term “Patxaran” is not clear but it seems to come from two Basque words: “paitar”, liquor in Basque and “aran”, sloe in Basque.
Elaboration: Making homemade patxaran is quite simple, but making good homemade patxaran is not so simple. Many farmhouses in Navarra have their own recipe that they keep as if it were gold. We recommend you to read the article we dedicated to the recipe of our own homemade Patxaran.
Patxaran elaboration components
Txakoli
Txakoli is a drink that is rising from the ashes. In recent years, many Basques have been drinking this drink regularly in the bars of their towns and/or cities. The best known denomination of origin is Getariako txakolina (Gipuzkoa) but other denominations of origin such as Bizkaia and Alava, Bizkaiko txakolina and Arabako txakolina respectively, also have a great quality. If you are curious about this traditional drink of the Basque Country, we recommend you to visit some of the txakoli wineries spread all over the Basque Country.
Glass at Bodega Berroja
Rioja Alavesa wine
We have left for the end, the best known traditional drink of the Basque Country, the wine of the Rioja Alavesa. There is little we can say about the wine from Rioja Alavesa that you do not already know. Just remind you of the article we wrote about the tasting of this wine produced in the Basque Country and remind you that you should visit some of the wineries of the Rioja Alavesa.
Detail of rioja alavesa wine
Out of this list, but of obligatory mention, is the Kalimotxo, a popular drink very demanded among the youth of the Basque Country.
Kalimotxo
The kalimotxo, is a drink of Basque origin that consists of mixing red wine and cola. This drink is widely consumed among the youth of the Basque Country, although it is increasingly common to see older people with a glass of kalimotxo in their hands.
The kalimotxo is usually made with low quality wine, the reason for this is none other than economic, young people can not afford to buy a good wine to make this “Basque cocktail”. If you want to try kalimotxo and you are going to prepare it yourself do not hesitate, buy a “decent” wine, the myth that kalimotxo should only be made with bad wine is just that, a myth. The mixture is simple, half wine and half cola (the most used is the coca cola brand) but as for tastes there are colors, for tastes there are mixtures, so if you do not like the taste of wine and you want to camouflage it with a little more coca cola …. go ahead!
Kalimotxo
As you can see we have a great variety of drinks in the Basque Country, come and enjoy them!
0 Comments