The thing about traveling is that even if you’re crazy about a place, you’re traveling – sooner or later you have to move on. So alas, it’s our last day in St. Jean de Luz. I’m feeling the need to go back to Place Louise XIV and have a nice lunch, Basque-style.
We’re not just leaving St. Jean de Luz. We’re leaving Basque Country. Before this trip, the Basques were something of a mystery to me. They still are, but I did learn a few things along the way.
Basque genes are different than those of any other race. No one knows how or why. The Basque language is unlike any other. Linguists have no clue as to how or why. Mysterious indeed.
The Independent Basques
Basques are a proud, independent people who place great value on their traditions. Twelve hundred years ago they had their own king and country. More powerful neighbors swallowed it up, but the idea of independence didn’t die out.
An independent Basque region became reality once again near the end of the Spanish civil war, only to be dissolved when Franco came to power. Franco wanted to wipe the Basques off the face of the earth. When he couldn’t do that, he set out to destroy Basqueness – their Basque identity.
Franco outlawed Basque traditions, burned books, and banned Euskara, the Basque language. Penalties for getting caught speaking Euskara were severe.
The post-Franco government wasn’t much better. Some Basques turned to violence. A radical Basque group called the ETA created havoc, assassinated government officials, and set off car bombs.
Spain is a nation comprised of diverse, independence-minded groups. To pull the country together, a new government created autonomous regions. The Basque Autonomous Region is an example. The ETA has formally laid down arms, and the system seems to be working.
Basques at Sea
Hundreds of years ago, Basques were the world’s master shipbuilders and seamen. They were the first people brave enough, or perhaps crazy enough to hunt whales. Basque fishermen and traders camped on the shores of North America way before Columbus sailed to the West Indies.
Basques were the first to circumnavigate the globe. What? Ferdinand Magellan was Basque? Nope. Magellan started the great voyage, but a Basque seaman named Juan Sebastián de Elcano finished it. (Magellan met his fate in the Spice Islands).
Basques are Big-Time Foodies
Basques invented tapas. But you won’t find any tapas bars in Basqueland. You’ll find pintxos bars instead. “Tapa” is the Spanish word for pintxo. To a Basque, pintxos are more than something to eat. They’re a way of life.
But Basque cuisine isn’t just about pintxos. The Basque city of San Sebastián has has more Michelin chefs per capita than any other city except for Kyoto, Japan.
Consider my lunch today. I ordered Cochon Ospital grillé & gambas, served with polenta gorri pays, sucrine & jus tranche.
We’ve seen gambas before in these posts. To us they’re gigantic shrimp. But to europeans, they’re just shrimp. They still look gigantic to me, though.
Polenta gorri is made from a unique strain of Basque corn that’s been grown the same way for hundreds of years. Sucrine is a type of lettuce grown in the South of France. Jus tranche – pan juice – is sauce made from pork drippings.
The star of the show is cochon Ospital. A cochon is a pig. Cochon Ospital is pork from special pigs raised in a special way by Eric Ospital. Eric Ospital, a Basque, is to pig farmers as Enzo Ferrari is to automobile makers. The French press has celled his animals the Rolls Royce of pigs. High praise. And from the French, no less.
OK. So how was it? I’m sorry. Can’t talk about it. Too many emotions. It’s beyond my expressive abilities to adequately convey. But if I ever find myself languishing on Death Row, I know what I want for my last meal.
To be continued…
