Euskal Kazeta - Basque News

Top Four Things to Do at the Bakersfield Basque Festival

Nancy Zubiri — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:57:58 +0000

See our Calendar of Events for information about the latest Kern County Basque festival.

Basque Country pilotaris put on a show for the crowd.

Basques and non-Basques alike enjoy this fun festival at the Kern County Basque Club in Bakersfield. There’s plenty to do during this Basque weekend.

1. Eat a barbecue lamb lunch (Sunday, noon): The line may be long, and you may have to come to the Kern County Basque Club early to stake out a picnic table under the trees, but the meat is worth it. The barbecue starts early, creating an inticing smell during the morning mass. In addition to the juicy lamb steaks, the meal also comes with salad, fresh French bread, beans and a glass of red wine. They serve about 1,500 people every year.

2. Watch some handball by professional handball players from the Basque Country (Saturday and Sunday, 5 p.m.): In the past few years, the Kern County Basque Club has taken pride in bringing pro and amateur players from the Basque Country, to help promote this cultural sport.

Benji Arduain, owner of Benji\’s Restaurant

3. Dinner and drinks at Benji’s Basque Restaurant (Saturday evening): Everyone has their favorite Basque restaurant in Bakersfield, but Benji’s is at the top of the list on Saturday night. The bar fills up with out-of-towners. Often the restaurant owners invite whatever Basque band’s in town for the festivities to liven up the scene in the bar. Luhartz from Iparralde was the featured band the past two years. Benji’s, 4001 Rosedale Hwy.

4. Breakfast at Wool Growers Restaurant (Monday morning): This traditional family-style restaurant specializes in feeding large groups delicious food quickly and in quantity. Families use the occasion for reunions. Everybody sits next to each other at long tables, while passing along dishes of sausage, bacon, blood sausage, fried eggs, home fries with peppers, fresh bread, wine, orange juice and coffee. The band usually shows up in the early afternoon for some dancing. Wool Growers, 620 E. 19th St.

Other popular events at the festival:

Traditional Basque folk dancing by Bakersfield many young dancers: Sunday 2:30 p.m.

Watching Bakersfield youngsters carry on the dances of their ancestors is a treat.

Lively public dance: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Club’s annual mus tournament: all day Saturday, starting at 8 a.m.

Kern County Basque Club
2301 Union Ave., near Planz Road
Bakersfield

Originally published May 26, 2012

Basque Picon Punch Could be State Drink of Nevada

Nancy Zubiri — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:59:32 +0000

Picon Punch is a Basque favorite. Photo: TV Foodies

Picon Punch, a quintessential Basque concoction, has been a perennial favorite at Basque festivals and restaurants for generations. Now, the tasty but potent cocktail could have even wider appeal if a Nevada assemblyman has his way.

Picon Punch is being proposed as the state drink in Nevada by Assemblyman William Horne.

The Las Vegas-area lawmaker says he is spearheading the effort because of the Basques’ longtime history in Nevada, where Basque men came to claim their stake in the American West by herding sheep.

“There was a request for a need to have a state drink,” he said in a story in the Las Vegas Sun. “What better than the Picon Punch? Me growing up here, it’s the only drink that I know of that has a Nevada tie. The Basque culture, particularly in Northern Nevada, I thought it was appropriate that that be our state drink.”

The proposal is being added to a bill on state parks and is being considered during the current legislative session, which ends in a few weeks.

Picon Punch is the drink that is most closely associated with Basques in the United States. It’s a concoction that includes grenadine, club soda, a bit of brandy, and Amer Picon, a bittersweet aperitif made in France with herbs and a peel of orange. For a good mixture, see the recipe at the website for the North American Basque Organizations, which represents Basque clubs in the United States and Canada.

The drink is featured at such restaurants as Louis’ Basque Corner in Reno and the Star Hotel in Elko. The drink’s origins are not entirely clear, but the cocktail appears to have first been mixed by Basque immigrants who came to West, the vast majority of whom roamed the Great Basin with their flocks of sheep. Picon Punch is the subject of a lengthly 2009 feature article in The Atlantic, which uses the cocktail as a narrative thread to look at the history of Basques in the West.

Nevada’s Basque restaurants are among the most popular ethnic restaurants in the state. For detailed information on Basque restaurants in Nevada and elsewhere, see Euskal Kazeta’s restaurant page.

U.S. Basque Festivals 2013: Interactive Map

rjl — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:15:11 +0000

View 2013 Basque Summer Festivals in the U.S. in a larger map

The onset of spring and summer means the arrival of Basque festival season in communities across the United States.

From Rhode Island to California, Basques will showcase their unique culture and their pride in being both Basque and American. The festivals are also an opportunity for non-Basques to enjoy colorful dances and great food and mingle with people who have managed to maintain traditions that date back centuries to the villages and cities of the Basque Country in France and Spain.

Young dancers at Basque festival in Bakersfield. Credit: Euskal Kazeta

Some of the festivals, such as the National Basque Festival in Elko, Nev., are huge extravaganzas and typically draw large crowds. Others, such as the mountainside picnic sponsored by California Basques in Ventura County, are small affairs. But each one is guaranteed to feature a fun time for all who attend.

The map above is your one-stop interactive guide to Basque festivals across the U.S. Simply click on the icon, and find out about the details for each festival.

Theft of Basque Sheepherder Plaques Helps Prompt New Bill

rjl — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:43:18 +0000

The high-profile theft of bronze plaques from the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder in 2011 has helped prompt a new bill by Nevada lawmakers that would stiffen penalties for stealing scrap metal.

The sheepherder monument. Photo: Euskal Kazeta

The theft of the five plaques, which took place in early January 2011, shocked members of the Basque community.

The plaques were engraved with the names of hundreds of sheepherders and were anchored next to the towering statue called “Bakardade,” or Solitude, which is the centerpiece of the monument erected in 1989 on a scrubby hill outside of Reno.

The crime underscored what has become a growing problem across Nevada, where thieves have stolen tens of thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal, according to officials.

“These problems are an indication of our times,” Reno Asst. City Manager Cadence Matijevich told the Reno-Gazette Journal. “People are desperate and looking for materials they can turn and sell for a quick profit.”

Typically, scrap metal thieves face misdemeanor prosecution in Nevada if the stolen material is valued at less than $650. If the value is more than $650 but under $3,500, the crime can be charged as a felony that would be punishable by up to five years in state prison.

The bill under consideration by the Nevada Assembly would require those found guilty to serve 100 hours of community service for a first offense, 200 hours for a second offense, and 300 hours for third and subsequent violations.

In the case of the Sheepherder Monument, police said they suspected that the thieves removed the bronze tablets with a pry bar and sold them to recyclers. No arrests were made.

The new plaques are anchored more solidly and are made of steel, which is less valuable to potential thieves, according to officials involved in the effort.

Hundreds of names that are engraved on the new plaques were gathered by University of Nevada Reno Professor Carmelo Urza, author of “Solitude,” a book about the monument that contains the names. The original list of names was generated from the many individual donors who gave money for the monument and wanted their fathers and grandfathers who had been sheepherders to be remembered.

Wall at the Basque Sheepherder Monument after plaques were stolen in 2001. Photo: Andy Mink/Washoe County Regional Parks

The cost of replacing the plaques was covered by the insurance carrier for the Washoe County Regional Parks system, which oversees San Rafael Park where the monument is located.

The 22-foot statue that overlooks the monument was created by acclaimed Basque artist Nestor Basterretxea. The abstract work of art features a shepherd carrying a lamb over his shoulders under a full moon.

The monument was built to represent not only the sheepherder but his descendants in the American West and Basques everywhere.

In August 2009, as the monument neared its 20th anniversary, Euskal Kazeta reported that vandals had scarred the statue with graffiti and that interactive signs designed to guide visitors through the site had been marred by vandals or weather. The report noted that the monument’s isolated location made it a relatively easy target for crime and vandalism.

The new plaques with herders’ names are made from steel. Photo: Jillian Stenzel

Gateau Basque recipes

Nancy Zubiri — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:33:49 +0000

Gateau Basque

Gateau basque with cherry filling

Gateau Basque is the French word for Basque cake. This is the classic Basque dessert. It has a crunchy tart-like exterior and a soft filling. Two completely different kinds of filling are traditionally used. More commonly, it is made with an almond-flavored cream filling, but it can also be made with black cherry jam, specifically the jam from the town of Itxassou, France.

The internet is full of gateau Basque recipes. I am including those that had some appearance of turning out well. The author of one recipe was so disappointed in how her recipe turned out that she discouraged any reader from making it. Hilarious! Another recipe I discarded was Pastry Studio’s. There, the author attributed the dessert to the Basque region of “Spain,” but then refers to its origin in the “Cambo province of Labourd” (which is in France.)

The cake is so special that it actually has a museum dedicated to it — Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan made a special trip to the Gateau Basque Museum in Sare, France. In a delightful blog, she notes that her visit was totally worth the eight hours it took her and her husband to get there.

With Cream Filling

Australian and British sites use metric measurements. To convert them, here is a simplified conversion chart.

National Public Radio
Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan said she ate gateau Basque morning, noon and night when she was in the Basque Country. This recipe includes an NPR radio report on the cake.

Cooking.com
This recipe claims to be an adaptation from Basque chef Gerald Hirigoyen’s cookbook, “The Basque Kitchen.”

David’s Table
David uses Zen Can Cook’s recipe, giving tips from his personal experience trying the recipe. He talks about the importance of using cold butter in the recipe.

Alive and Cooking
From an Australian cooking show. The filling is made with pastry cream, lemon zest, sour cream and rum. It doesn’t create a very traditional gateau.

French Food Freaks
This British website uses the metric system.
Food and Wine
This recipe includes a filling of pastry cream and cherries, which is my least favorite version. Either stick to the pastry cream, or the black cherry filling. Don't try to mix them.

Making gateau Basque with a cherry filling

With Cherry Filling

Amni Eats
Amni Voorhes developed her gateau basque recipe after spending time with her in-laws in Getari, France. She blogs about her experience and how she prefers the cherry filling version-- like me.

Communal Table
Ame, the author of this essay on the dessert provides an interesting description of how she became enamored of Gateau Basque even before she tasted it -- through Mark Kurlansky's "Basque History of the World." Then she went to a local cherry orchard to pick fresh cherries for the recipes.

Joe's Pastry
Joe provides photos for every step of the way.

Zen Can Cook
Zen (real name Stephane) is French, and attended cooking school in the Basque Country before he began cooking all over the world. See the link above for metric measurement conversions.

Gateau Basque Museum
The Gateau Basque Museum has their own recipe, which is in French and uses metric measurements. I thought I should include it here, to have an "official" recipe.

Chef Gerald Hirigoyen Featured in Volkswagen Ad

Nancy Zubiri — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:35:54 +0000

Chef Gerald Hirigoyen, owner of two restaurants in San Francisco, Bocadillos and Piperade, was featured in an online-only car commercial by Volkswagen in 2012.

His cooking and his family are highlighted in this fun video. Until the end, you really can’t even tell it’s a commercial for a car.

See the San Francisco Chronicle article on the commercial.

Other articles on Gerald Hirigoyen
Piperade celebrates 10 years
Chef Gerald Hirigoyen among authors at Basque Cultural Day

Kern County Basque Book Gets Great Review

rjl — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:06:04 +0000

The strong work ethic that has been a hallmark of Basque immigrants is recognized in a glowing review about the book “The Basques of Kern County” that was recently published in Bakersfield Californian.

The book, written by Steve Bass and George Ansolabehere, chronicles the history of the Basque community in Kern County, which is one of the largest Basque populations in the United States.

“The Basque culture is so tightly interwoven into the fabric of Kern County’s story that it’s nearly inconceivable to think there was a time when these hardy immigrants from the Pyrenees Mountains felt like outsiders here,” the report by the Californian says.

Indeed, the Basque community has become an integral part of Kern County and its largest city, Bakersfield, which boasts several well-known Basque restaurants and an active Basque club that hosts one of the largest Basque festivals in the West.

RELATED EUSKAL KAZETA REPORTS

Memories of Handball at the Noriega Hotel
Fast-Paced Pelota Action at the Bakersfield Fronton
Top Four Things to Do at the Kern County Basque Festival

The book by Bass and Ansolabehere is filled with rich details and interesting stories about the history of longtime local families such as the Errecas, the Bidarts, the Maiteas, the Ansolabeheres and the Otharts.

“We uncovered a lot of things that were very interesting,” Bass told Euskal Kazeta in a recent interview about the book.

For Bass, the perfect writing partner was Ansolabehere, a retired civil engineer who hails from one of Kern County’s largest Basque families and is among the most knowledgable people about the history of Basques in the region.

Online Exhibit of the Basque Culture

Nancy Zubiri — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:23:54 +0000

Basque dancing, bertsolaris and Basque art and theater are all subjects of videos presented in an online presentation by the website Euskal Munduak (Basque World).

The website’s exhibit, Batekmila Basque Worlds, is a contemporary and multilingual view of the world of the Basques.

The online exhibit includes photos, music, videos, recordings of normal everyday sounds, to showcase the Basque culture. it is presented in five languages: Euskera, French, Spanish, English and Catalan. Some of the videos are translated into the different languages.

It also includes videos that profile some personalities like the “iron poet,” sculptor Eduardo Chillida and bertsolari Jon Maia.

Delfina Krakau of Boise, Idaho is interviewed in English about her Basque-American background, and Professor Lisa Corcostegui of Reno, Nevada speaks in Euskera about her Basqueness in the section on The Basque Archipelago.

The video on bridges in the Basque Country “Zubi, in the section “From one bridge to another,” is fascinating. Retired professor Emilia Doyaga of New York is interviewed here. The only negative aspect of the exhibit is that you can’t easily click from one photo to another.

Basque Worlds Exhibit

Mondragon Cooperative helps Basque economy survive recession

Nancy Zubiri — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 18:20:21 +0000

By Mitchell Handler

Entrance to one sector of the Mondragon Cooperative.
Photo by Mattin Larrea Albisu

The Basque Country may be suffering from a milder recession than the rest of Spain, due in part to what is believed to be the world’s largest worker cooperative, reports the BBC.
 
The cooperative, Mondragon, is headquartered in the Basque town of Arrasate and works as a collective of about 250 companies and organizations. Compared to Spain’s 25 percent unemployment rate in Aug. 2012, the unemployment rate in the Basque Country is a significantly lower 15 percent. The rate drops further in Mondragon’s home province of Guipuzcoa.
 
Mondragon Assembly, one of the companies in the collective, saw sales of its machines used for constructing industrial components fall during the recession in 2008 and 2009 and was forced to then lay off several workers. However, the cooperative was able to place the laid-off workers into jobs at other companies within cooperative.   Improvements in fortunes allowed the company to return the workers to their old jobs in 2010 and it is looking to bring in more employees.
 
“Today we fortunately have work for everybody,” said Inaki Legarda, the Mondragon Assembly’s commercial director, according to the BBC. “We are actually recruiting people from other companies within the group because they are now having tougher times than us.”

Fagor Arrasate, the cooperative’s original manufacturer.
Photo by Mattin Larrea Albisu

Some workers within the cooperative are shareholders in the company they work for. Most of the 600 employees at Fagor Arrasate, which builds house-sized machines that manufacture car parts, are “members” of the company who are able to vote on major decisions that affect the business.

  “If many people are thinking about a problem, then the solution is better,” said Anoitz, an engineer at Fagor Arrasate according to the BBC.   It is the region’s “deep culture of egalitarianism” that economist Manuel Escudero argues makes the cooperative model hard to export and replicate in other parts of the world.

According to Oskar Goitia, head of a conglomerate of auto-related firms, for the business model to work, everyone must agree. Consensus on plans is harder to obtain, but eventually, “everyone pushes in the same direction,” reports the BBC

Video report on how the cooperative has helped the Basque region weather the crisis.
 
More information:
The Guardian: Mondragon shows there’s an alternative to capitalism.

The Mondragon Experience

Video documentary of Mondragon Cooperative Part One

Video documentary of Mondragon Cooperative Part Two