Errotabarri Mill, 17th century Basque engineering in full operation.

Discover one of the best preserved active mills in Bizkaia, Errotabarri.

In the region of Uribe, in the municipality of Gamiz-Fika, we find Errotabarri, a 17th century mill that grinds roasted corn with the effectiveness of 4 centuries ago. This cultural jewel of the Basque people owes its good appearance and operation to Luis Acillona, his family and past generations, people with great roots to their land and culture who dedicate their free time to maintain this historical structure of our land.

Errotabarri, the name says it all. Those of you who know our language, Basque, the name perfectly defines what we find in this Basque hamlet. Errota-barri, errota barria. For those of you who don’t know it, errota means mill while barri means new, new mill.

Arriving at our destination we find a baserri (Basque farmhouse) completely renovated, a farmhouse crossed by a canal from the river Butroi, a very neat place where nothing seems to be put at random, a perfect place to learn about the way of life in a Basque farmhouse.

Visit: Thanks to Luis Azillona and the rural development association of the region of Uribe (Jata-Ondo), it is possible to take a guided tour in Errotabarri, and Luis opens his house on Saturdays to anyone who wants to know this little treasure of the region of Uribe. We started the visit knowing how the mill works and we finished with a short walk around the surroundings of the family farmhouse: the river, the mill, the vegetable garden, the greenhouse, the canal…

From the outside, before entering the mill, the noise alerted us of its operation. Upon entering, we found a perfectly maintained room, renovated, without great fanfare but with the operation of a Swiss clock, 4 wooden hoppers, an old weight and 4 other flour mills on the surface, below us, a complex mechanism crossed the house from side to side, next to the canal. The smell of flour that permeates the room gives a special touch to the place. The action begins, Luis deposits a sack of 40 kilos of corn txakinarto in the second drawer, deposit that corresponds to the only one of the stones that was in movement at that moment, little by little, without hurry but without pause, the miller pulverizes each one of the grains of corn making that the obtained flour falls by its own inertia to the box destined to this end.

The grain has become flour, but there is still work to be done, there are still skins to be removed. Luis has created an ingenious, original and very practical machinery from which hangs a mesh in which the flour to be filtered is deposited. By means of the force of a motor, as if it were a small earthquake, the mesh begins to vibrate making the skins stay in the upper part, a good invention, the giant motorized strainer of Errotabarri. After a slow process, we finally have our flour, soft and fine, it looks great!

Luis tells us that sometimes, on special occasions, he usually prepares the plate that he has in his kitchen to prepare a classy talos, authentic talos de baserri. Do you know the talos? For those of you who do not know them, they are the typical corn cakes of the Basque Country that are usually presented with a chorizo in the middle as if it were a sandwich, a real luxury nowadays.

We went out to the garden and started the tour around the mill. We go down some stairs and we are at the height of the canal, what a spectacle, the force of the water of the canal easily moves the mechanisms of the mill. We continue our route over a bridge taken from a medieval tale, no railings, no asphalt, just the stone bridge. After passing the bridge we verify that the water used to move the mill continues its course through the Butroi river, not a single drop is wasted.

Finally we visited the vegetable garden, the greenhouse and the canal, 3 elements that perfectly complement our visit to the mill. The vegetable garden is ready for sowing, soon each “txorko” (hole to sow) will receive between 3 and 5 grains of corn from which after some time will come out the plants that will give us the ears of txakinarto corn. Next to the vegetable garden, we find the greenhouse, it is May and the tomatoes are already in bloom, a good invention to obtain an early harvest, a harvest for our own consumption.

Maintenance: The Errotabarri mill, like many other structures, needs continuous maintenance, cleaning of the channel, cleaning of the wheels or impellers, replacement of deteriorated parts and a long etcetera that Luis carries out against all odds.

Operation of the mill: Although the operation is not exactly the same as that of ErrotaBerri, we leave you a video so that you can get an idea of the mechanism of the windmills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxxu_RXamA4

Michelin Stars: The flour obtained in Errotabarri is unique, select. The variety of corn “Txakinarto” and the process that is carried out until it is obtained prove it. A fact that does not go unnoticed by the great cooks of our land. Currently, Errotabarri flour is part of the menu that Eneko Atxa, one of the young promises of our cuisine, serves in Azurmendi, his restaurant in Bizkaia.

Attention: The attention with which Luis attended us is difficult to express in words, a person who at first glance inspires honesty, closeness and kindness, qualities that are not easy to find nowadays. His love for the history of the structure where he was born, the Errotabarri mill, makes him tell us passionately about the history and operation of the mill we are talking about, a fact that makes the visit to this “old” Basque mill even better.

History: Luis, now retired, has been taking care of the Errotabarri mill since he was a child. He still remembers how he combined his work as an expert with the care of the mill, a work experience that has been very useful when it comes to fixing any element of this giant. Four generations have been doing the same work, but the best is yet to come, his children have inherited the same passion for the mill, Errotaberri has a good plan for the future.

The cows, the vegetable garden and the mill was once a way of life, today, it is a whim, impossible to make a living from it.

Trade: The miller’s trade is not going through its best moments, and this trade, once common in our geography, has been replaced by industrial machinery.

Price of Errotabarri’s flour: The artisan elaboration process, the type of corn and the methods used, make Errotabarri’s flour have a price according to its quality. A price that exceeds the market price of the “industrial” flour that we can find in any supermarket but that deserves to be paid.

TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation: Our exclusive “TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation was left in Luis’ hands, an accreditation that is too small for such a monument of our culture.

Location: Located in the town of Gamiz-Fika, in the region of Uribe, province of Bizkaia, we find the Errotabarri farmhouse. A perfect location if we want to continue knowing Bizkaia. We recommend visiting Urdaibai, with special emphasis on the towns of Bermeo, Mundaka and Gernika next to the Urdaibai Bird Center museum.

Txakinarto: This variety of corn is not easily found, in fact, it is only found in the Txorierri valley and around Gamiz-Fika. Luis not only sows this variety, he also gives this corn as a gift so that anyone who wants to collaborate in keeping alive this variety that more than 300 years ago traveled from America to the Basque Country to make a place for itself in our orchards. Medium sized, rounded and very hard, Luis invites us to compare it with others of its kind.

Elaboration: In order to elaborate the famous corn flour of Errotabarri we must carry out a selective and careful process with the corn that we are going to introduce to grind. Luis makes special emphasis in this section, it is not worth any corn, “the flour is not of the same quality, to do anything better not to do”. The txakinarto corn is harvested without drying and it is toasted in a firewood oven during 48 hours approximately, everything depends on the oven and the type of firewood that we use. Once we have the roasted txakinarto corn, it is time to test the forcefulness of the stones of the mill, the water makes its way through the channel that crosses the mill making the wheels roll, the stones begin to move. The noise of the mechanism attests to its strength, pulverizes the corn grains without contemplation, without haste but without pause. The process ends with the obtaining of a smooth and fine flour, suitable to make the best of the talos.

R&D&I: Luis applies this formula to the day-to-day maintenance of his mill. Parts that are impossible to acquire, virgin materials that are rare in the market or parts that do not last long force him to do so. Research, development and innovation or how to take a 17th century mill forward with passion and a lot of effort.

Environment: A bridge taken from a medieval movie, large green fields and the river Butroi make the environment of Errotabarri help us to disconnect from the daily hustle and bustle of big cities. An ideal place to understand life in the Basque farmhouse while enjoying a unique structure.

Price of the visit: The price of the visit to Errotabarri is 1€, a symbolic price, a price well below the quality of the visit that could be multiplied by 10 adjusting to market prices.

This mill reminded us of the El Pobal ironworks, another place where the force of water moves the mechanisms that in the past were indispensable for our daily life. Would you like to make a double visit? El Pobal Ironworks and Errotabarri, 2 greats of Bizkaia.