Stoke Newington is fast developing a Spanish community, many of whom
are from the Basque country. Ruth Arendse considers a Basque Christmas.
The Basque people have always been enamoured with tradition. For the Basques, Christmas is
a time to bring the family together and reflect on the history of the country and its
traditions. The Christmas tree is part of the occasion, as is the mythical character
Olentzero, a figure of a coalman or shepherd who, since pre-Christian Europe, has been the
bearer of good news.
The Basques have traditionally looked to the sea for their livelihood. Winter is a time
for Sea Bream when the cold waters keep its flesh firm. It is a traditional Christmas Eve
dish baked over a bed of potatoes. There are hundreds of recipes for dried and salt cod,
and the reputation of restaurants is made or broken on their ability to prepare this
quintessential fish in Basque cuisine. Spiny Lobster, Mackerel, Hake, Spider Crab also
flourish in local waters.
Clams with cardoons are prepared on Christmas Day. Cardoons are similar to artichokes, and
are boiled and served with a light béchamel sauce. Fish courses are usually washed down
with a glass of Txakoli (Chacoli) a white wine produced on small coastal vineyards using a
grape variety unknown outside of the Basque country.
The temperate ocean climate and the salty air contribute to the microclimates that provide
an excellent environment for the tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and chillies brought from the
Americas by the Basques who sailed with the Conquistadors. Gernika peppers are a
traditional year-round starter. These are mild, medium- sized chillies, lightly fried in
olive oil, drained, then pressed with a lid and salted just before eating. Tolosa beans
are famous for their fine buttery texture and dark colour. These are harvested in the
autumn and cooked on a wood fired iron stove along with the products of the annual pig
slaughter.
The pig has always been the most highly prized animal in the Basque kitchen. In the
valleys of Ayala a number of customs connected with the slaughter of the pigs take place,
the end product being the chorizo (spicy pork sausage) and the black pudding (morcilla).
Livestock in the Basque country has always had to search hard for pasture. This has
produced leaner, tastier meats, especially Pyrenean beef, that are more ample in quality
than quantity.
Capon is bred in the Durangvesada and the Arrata valleys to provide a favourite Christmas
dish. It is served roasted in the oven and stuffed with apples or dried fruit and
sprinkled with sherry or brandy.
Mushrooms or ‘perretxikos’ thrive in the region and have long been the staple
diet of the indigenous people. Thousands of enthusiasts head out each weekend in search of
the types of edible ‘bolus’ ‘gibelurdinak’ (milk-cap),
‘zizak’ (tricholone), ‘karraspina’ (man on horseback), and
‘urrezzia’ (chanterelle), all of which, fresh or dried, are available at
Christmas time.
At one time, the Basques centred their fruit cultivation on the apple. Before wine became
part of the landscape, primitive settlers were very familiar with a beverage made from
fermented apples. Apple trees were exported to other cider drinking parts of Europe.
Today people come from miles around to cider houses to share in the cider tasting ritual.
Rioja Alavesa is one of the three denominacion de origen of the renowned wines of La
Rioja. La Guardia, a walled hilltop town of striking beauty, is at the centre of this
region of glorious bodegas in picturesque villages surrounded by terraced vineyards. In
the southern Basque province of Alava. Bodegas Palacio, founded in 1894 in La
Guardia, produces wines of excellent quality. Two of its labels, Palacio y Hermanos, and
Glorioso are available in Oddbins in Stoke Newington Church Street.
Christmas Eve Fruit Stew
(serves 4)
50g (2oz) dried figs
100g (4oz) sugar
100g (4oz) prunes
150ml (1/4 pt ) water
100g (4oz) dried apricots
grated rind of orange
50g (2oz) stoned dates
cinnamon stick
50g (2oz) currants
1 pear peeled, cored and sliced
100g (40z) peeled chestnuts
1 vanilla pod
A few aniseeds
1 red-skinned apple peeled
cored and sliced
Soak all dried fruits in water for 12 hrs., then drain and rinse. Place chestnuts in
saucepan with the aniseeds and vanilla pod. Cover with water and bring to the boil.
Cover the pan then simmer for 20 minutes until the chestnuts are tender. Drain and remove
the vanilla pod.
Dissolve the sugar in the water with the orange rind, cinnamon and vanilla pod. Simmer for
5mins. to make the syrup. Add the soaked fruit to the syrup in the order listed in the
ingredients, adding the chestnuts after the dates, then the pears and apple. Stir well and
cook for a further 5 minutes. Leave to cool before serving.
Zorionak Eta Urte Berri Om (a Happy Christmas and a Good New Year)
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