Suddenly I feel very hungry.....
Posted on 03/10/2022 3:10:05 PM PST by Rummyfan
Basque hotels are where the locals eat, and in the rural west the locals prefer meat, potatoes, beans and dozen old-fashioned, garlicky side dishes, not tapas. This is why the Basque places seem locked in the past, because the people who eat at them are conservative in every sense of the word, ranchers, farmers, miners and the people who make their living servicing those industries. The Basque sheepherders, despite the barrier of language and religion, fit right in to the culture of the West. After 1876, the Basque most likely to come to America were the losers of the Carlist Wars, the most traditional and conservative elements of Basque society, those who believed in the Church and Basque nationalism, which is why those two institutions flourish in strange, Mormon-sotted places like Idaho.
Basque sheepherders continued to arrive in America right up until the 1960s, when Spain finally emerged from the economic funk brought on by the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s tepid support of the Axis during World War II. At that point, trailing sheep no longer seemed a good option, and the work was given over to newer immigrants from Peru and Boliva. By then, most of the Basquos, second and third generation, had moved up the immigrant ladder, and the Basque hotels closed their upstairs rooms. But downstairs, the dining rooms continued to serve their abundant meals, luxurious with meat and garlic, accompanied by bottomless tureens of soup and more beans then they could imagine in one meal back home.
(Excerpt) Read more at eccentricculinary.substack.com ...
Suddenly I feel very hungry.....
Maybe 30 years ago I had dinner at a Basque restaurant outside of Reno..someplace. Long tables and everyone sat together. Great food.
Pining for one of their steak sandwiches right now...
Every time I go to Bakersfield I eat Basque food, it’s amazing
Bakersfield, Calif. if famous for its Basque restaurants.
Got to have the pickled tongue!
Great article, sending it to a Basque friend.
I enjoyed reading this. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting. I just ate dinner and now I am hungry all over again.
Paella every Friday at noon at the Basque Market in Boise. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, usually before 1:00!
Bkmk Basque
Great place! What a treasure!
Basque influence in Southeastern Montana cuisine is saltine crackers and orange slices served as appetizers at the Jersey Lilly Saloon. I never understood why that weird combination persisted.
There was a small basque place right on 395 in Walker, CA that my dad I and always stopped at when we were in town. No idea if it’s still there.
The Star remains good but has become somewhat yuppified sense the gold mines north of Elko opened up.
I’m a 3rd generation Basque and live in the heart of Basco country in Western Nevada. My favorite Basque Restaurant is the JT Bar in Gardnerville. Excellent.
“There was a small basque place right on 395 in Walker, CA that my dad I and always stopped at when we were in town. No idea if it’s still there.”
It is now a BBQ place I believe.
When we were traveling back & forth between OR & SD. we stopped several times at The Brass Rail, in Alturas, CA; and The Old Basque Inn, in Jordan Valley, OR.
Impossible to have a bad meal in a Basque family style restaurant.
Wool growers. If you look online some of the recipes are there. I make the basque soup and beans at home for my bunco group occasionally.
I once ate lunch at the Wool Growers. Even though it’s way off the main drag in an industrial area and this was a weekday, the place was packed, and I had to sit at the bar. But it was worth it.
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