[Sca-cooks] Basque Food

[Daniel Phelps]

Was written:
>
> Be interesting, to see the recipe in translation- perhaps to discover if
> this is an actual Basque recipe, or if it's a recipe perceived as being
> cooked the way the Basque folks cook things, as we have seen in other
> recipes. Personally, all things considered, I'd expect Basque recipes to
be
> heavily reliant on lamb or mutton, perhaps goat, since sheep and goats
would
> tend to be a more appropriate foodstuff for their lifestyles, than
chickens
> would.
>
Hmmm... while they are now associated with sheepherding it is my
understanding that the Basques in period were also intrepid fishermen and
whalers.  I seem to recall reading in national Geographic about a
per-Columbus(?) Basque whaling station being discovered on the Canadian
coast.  That and that they fished the Grand Banks for cod first before being
chased off by other people with navies.

Perhaps some information regards food can be gleaned from a study of Henry
of Navarre who was the last king of that "basque" kingdom.  He united it
with France or even his grandmother Margarette and her Heptameron as there
might be pertinent asides in it as well.  I have read that modern Spanish
has a substantial number of 'basque" borrow words perhaps there are some
basques cooking roots that can be explored?

Daniel