In the Basque town of Hondarribia, two artists, Idoia Seijo and Jonan Basterretxea, continue a traditional and unique art of making marionettes. They have made dolls for many local people and businesses over the years, but they also cater to a popular tourism business that regularly visits this city’s historic Alde Zaharra (Old Town).

Everything is done by hand and you can frequently see the couple at work in their studio, Menina. They construct the heads and bodies of their dolls with a special paper that is made by very few producers today. Basterretxea will make accessories by hand, while Seijo paints the dolls and makes the costumes by hand. They spend quite a few hours on each puppet.

In an interview with Euskal Kazeta in their studio, Seijo pointed out that their puppets are actual marionettes that can walk and dance and sit. “You may not be interested in having them do that,” she noted about operating the puppets via a controller with strings. “But I want you to know that you bought a marionette.”

Seijo noted that she and her husband like to travel and whenever they go to different places in the world, they always look for other marionette-makers. “But we never find any,” she told Euskal Kazeta in Spanish.

The two started their artistic lives in 1983. Basterretxea is the nephew of well-known Basque sculptor Nestor Basterretxea. Nestor Basterretxea is the author of the Basque Sheepherder sculpture in Reno, Nevada. Their first project was to help his uncle complete some controversial murals for the Basilica of Arantzazu. They started working in Irun, but eventually acquired a studio in nearby Hondarribia, where they began focusing on the marionettes. Since that time, the married couple has been the focus of many articles and videos and they have participated in museum exhibits.

The artists are very traditional, preferring to do their sales in person at their shop or by phone. Most requests are made to order. Their old-school ways mean they don’t spend much time promoting themselves via social media or a website. (You can see some of the dolls on their Instagram account.) But if you find yourself in Hondarribia, be sure to stop by their shop.

Located in the historic old town of Hondarribia (Fuenterrabia) in Euskadi, Spain, their store-workshop Menina is located at Calle Mayor, 30. They can be reached by email tallermenina@yahoo.es  or phone in Spain (34) 605 77 34 87.

See MORE STORIES about TRAVEL in the Basque Country

Basque soccer players are famous for their tough skills, high energy, and team play. Many play for the Basque region’s top local pro team, Athletic Club Bilbao. Several players mentioned below were part of the Spanish team when they won the EUFA Euro 2024 Championship.

Here’s a breakdown on Basques in the World Cup:

FRANCE
French Coach Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps represents only the third coach ever to have won a World Cup as a player and as a coach. He led France to the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 World Cup final, and the team is again a favorite in this year’s tournament.

Deschamps is from the city of Baiona in the French Basque Country. After a short stint in rugby, with Biarritz Olympique, he showed his soccer skills and was quickly recruited into the soccer world in 1983.

He was captain of the French national team when France won its first World Cup in 1998. Deschamps took over as coach of the national team in 2012. In 2018, France won the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League while also reaching the 2016 European Championship, 2022 World Cup final, and the 2024 European Championship semifinals.

Deschamps has announced he will retire after this World Cup.

GHANA
Iñaki Williams
Iñaki Williams, 32, was born in the Basque Country to parents from Ghana who made the grueling crossing of the Sahara Desert on foot. He was born in Bilbao, but grew up in Iruñea-Pamplona.

He has played for Athletic Bilbao his entire career. Williams originally played for the Spanish national team in a friendly match in 2016. However, in 2022, he made the official switch to represent the Ghana national football team. He made his debut for the “Black Stars” at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The story of Iñaki Williams and his younger brother Nico is one of the most famous sibling rivalries in international soccer. Iñaki chose to play for Ghana, while his younger brother Nico represents Spain. Both players play for Athletic Bilbao, where Iñaki is a captain. See the video.

SPAIN

Spain is among the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup. The team won the World Cup in 2010 and most recently won the EUFA Euro Cup in 2024. The Basque players are all key members of Spain’s team. They are currently headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee for their games in Atlanta.

Aymeric LaPorte
This is Aymeric LaPorte’s second World Cup. LaPorte, 32, was born in Agen, France, which is not part of the Basque Country. However, his great grandparents were Basque and early on, he requested permission to play for Athletic Bilbao, which only allows players of Basque heritage or who are born in the Basque Country.

LaPorte began his career with Athletic in 2010, moved to Manchester City for five years in 2018, then played for the Saudi club Al Nassr for two years. He returned to Athletic in September 2025 where he plays center back. He received Spanish citizenship in 2021 and has played for the Spanish national team for the 2022 World Cup and the Euro 2024, which Spain won.

Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino, 29, currently plays midfield for Arsenal, alongside Mikel Zubimendi. Earlier this year, Merino underwent surgery on a right foot injury sustained in January. He suffered a stress fracture on his foot during Arsenal’s 3-2 league loss against Manchester United on Jan. 25. He appears to be fully mended and was on the field for Spain for its first World Cup game on June 15.

Merino is from Iruñea-Pamplona. He started his soccer career playing on Iruñea’s team Osasuna. Since then, he has moved to Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, Real Sociedad (Donostia) and now Arsenal.

Merino’s father, Ángel Miguel, was also a footballer. His career was mostly associated with Osasuna, as both a player and manager. Merino kicked a goal for a win in the 2024 Euro semi-finals in Stuttgart, Germany that mirrored a win his father enjoyed in the very same stadium 33 years earlier. Mikel Merino imitated his father’s 1991 celebration by rounding the corner flag.

Mikel Oyarzabal
Oyarzabal, 29, is the captain of Real Sociedad, Donosti’s soccer team. Unlike their rivals Athletic Club Bilbao, Sociedad doesn’t enforce a ‘Basque only’ rule with regards to who is allowed to play for the club, having let that go in 1989.

Oyarzabal is from the town of Eibar, Gipuzkoa and is committed to his local team, Real Sociedad, where he has spent his entire career so far, apart from a loan to Eibar at youth level.

Unai Simón
Unai Simon is the top goalkeeper for the Spanish national team. Simon is from the capitol of Euskadi, Vitoria-Gasteiz. He has spent his entire club career with Athletic Bilbao.

Simon was starter goalkeeper for the Spanish national team in the 2022 World Cup and the Euro 2024, which Spain won.

He grew up in the town of Murgia, outside of Gasteiz-Vitoria in Alaba. He started in Athletic Bilbao’s youth team. He has worked his way up from the third division to being starting goalie for Athletic’s first division. He was starting goalkeeper for Spain in the UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup and continues in that role in the Euro 2024.

Dani Vivian
Daniel Vivian, 26, is considered a tough defender for Athletic Club Bilbao. Vivian, was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in the province of Alaba.

He has been with Athletic Bilbao his whole career, starting with their youth teams. He began playing for the national team in 2024. He plays center-back. Several clubs have their eye on this standout defender.

Nico Williams
Nico Williams, 23, is the son of Ghana immigrants who grew up in Iruñea-Pamplona. He played for youth clubs in Iruñea until he joined Athletic Bilbao in 2013.

Williams is a fast winger who plays for Athletic Club Bilbao and the Spanish national team. He was a key player in the EUFA Euro 2024, kicking the opening goal against England in the final game.
Williams suffered a hamstring injury last month while playing for Athletic Bilbao against Valencia in La Liga that almost ruled him out for the World Cup. Spain is being cautious and slowly building up his playing time. In addition, he’s been dealing with an abdominal issue for several months.

Martin Zubimendi
A smart midfielder who plays for Arsenal, Martin Zubimendi, 27, will be traveling to his first World Cup as part of Spain’s 26-man roster. He will play a key role in the midfield alongside teammates like Rodri to help control possession for La Roja.
Born in Donosti, Martin Zubimendi played with Real Sociedad since the age of 12. He joined Arsenal last year.

URUGUAY
Giorgian de Arascaeta

At least one member of the Uruguayan team is Basque. Giorgian de Arascaeta, 32, who plays for the Brazilian team Flamengo, has played for Uruguay’s national team since 2014. The attacking midfielder has a nickname of “Arrascaneta” for his “caneta” or nutmeg ability to kick the ball through an opponent’s legs. He is of Basque and Italian descent. Several Uruguayan players in the history of the World Cup have been of Basque blood.
Arascaeta is currently recovering from a muscle injury.

If you know of any Basque players that we missed, feel free to add them in the comments below. And see comments that have already been added.

For owner Dan Ansotegui, the recognition reflects not only his team’s dedication, but also the good hospitality of the Basque community. As he told Euskal Kazeta, the nomination speaks to the heart of the restaurant, a place where customers are meant to feel at home, and where Basque flavors and traditions continue to evolve through family, staff, and community.

For Ansotegui, the recognition came as a surprise. A validation of the values that have shaped his life’s work.

“We’ve been nominated three times before, but those were for different categories; those were for chef,” he said. “So it was kind of nice to go into a new one. I didn’t really understand it when we were first nominated, because in the past we’ve been nominated for the region of the Mountain West, and this is the first time we’ve been nominated under the national category.” Winners will be announced June 15 in Chicago.

More Basque Restaurants in Boise

What stood out most to him was what the nomination said about his team. “I think it just says a lot about the staff we have here and the way that we treat our customers. Hopefully everyone comes in and they’re at home or they’re in a place that they’re very happy to be.”

The honor, he added, extends beyond his own restaurant. “It’s been a really cool thing for the whole community and Basque restaurants in general. When attention is brought to one restaurant, I think it brings a little attention to everyone. It puts us all on people’s to‑do lists. Hopefully it’s something that’s good for the community of Boise and all Basque restaurants throughout the States.”

Ansotegui is no stranger to the James Beard Foundation. His earlier nominations for Best Chef placed him among the top culinary talents in the country. But this year’s honor feels different.

“I think the idea that we were one of, I think, 20 in the nation to start with, and now we’re in the finals, so now we’re one of five throughout the nation; it’s really an incredible honor,” he said. “You always kind of think that it’s a mistake. It’s been really cool, and the amount of people that have noticed, or travelers who look up places to go in Boise… we seem to be rated pretty high, which is a really nice compliment. It’s a great way for us to meet a lot of people we probably wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

Although Ansots Chorizos opened only a few years ago, its roots stretch back through decades of Basque food in Boise; much of it shaped by Ansotegui himself.

“We haven’t been here very long,” he said. “I had other restaurants here in Boise. I had Bar Gernika, I opened that in 1991 and sold that to one of my employees in 2007. Then I opened the Basque Market in 1999 and sold that to friends in 2006.” Bar Gernika and the Basque Market have become cornerstones in Boise’s Basque restaurant scene. Ansotegui’s success in the restaurant business traces back to his grandmother, Epi Inchausti, and her popular boardinghouse in Hailey, Idaho.

After returning to teaching for several years, Ansotegui found himself back in the restaurant world. “I came back from teaching to work for another friend at another Basque restaurant here; a tapas restaurant in town. And then COVID hit and we closed down, and we didn’t want to close. So that’s when we opened here at Ansots.”

Opening during the pandemic came with challenges. “We signed our lease in May of 2020, and the city wouldn’t let us open. I think we finally got permission in September,” he said. “So during that time we were working on the menu, trying to make sure we were doing things that other Basque restaurants in the area weren’t doing.”

MORE STORIES about Dan Ansotegui

Boise is home to six Basque restaurants, and Ansotegui wanted Ansots to contribute something distinct. “We wanted to make sure there’s enough variety in Basque cooking that we touched on some things that maybe weren’t being done everywhere. Making our own chorizos – we are the only people around here that do that.”

Their menu also leans heavily on traditional sauces. “We do a lot with sauces, whether it’s the salsa biscayne, or the salsa verde, or the koxkera. Those are things that we use a lot, and I don’t think that’s used in a lot of the places here in Boise.”

Ansotegui’s influence on Boise’s Basque food scene spans more than three decades, but he resists the idea of holding a role in preserving Basque culture.

“I don’t really think of it as a role, I just do it because I enjoy doing it,” he said. “As a teacher, I enjoy spreading the word, teaching other people about things, whether it was 4th‑grade math or how to make clams in salsa verde. My daughter and my wife take that as our role too, to teach people who want to learn about Basque cooking.”

Ansots is a family business. His daughter Ellie works alongside him daily, and his wife Tamara contributes ideas and feedback when helping during the catering events.

“It’s great being able to come in every day; my daughter’s here, and my wife has a lot of input,” he said. “It’s always good to bounce ideas off people you trust and love. What we do here isn’t just coming from one mind. We have input from everyone.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Kroketas at Ansots Chorizos

That includes their staff. “Definitely, especially for the front of the house. They make people feel welcome, and we are greatly indebted to everything that they do.”Ansotegui has watched Boise’s Basque food scene evolve over decades, shaped by unique local history.

“Boise is an interesting spot,” he explained. “The boarding houses here were much older than in other places. When the owners were in their 60s and 70s in the 1970s, fewer and fewer sheepherders were coming over, so the boarding houses were starting to die out. We never got any boarding houses in Boise to switch over to public restaurants, so Basque food here didn’t develop in the same way as in Nevada or California.”

Instead, Boise’s Basque restaurants emerged later, and differently. “Basque food here is definitely on a different trajectory,” he said. “We’re lucky. Boise is a small enough community, and there was a time when Boise’s population was about 10% Basque, which is a large amount for an immigrant population.”

Today, Ansots stands as part of that evolving story, and now, as a James Beard finalist, it brings national attention to a unique ethnic community that has been shaping Boise for more than a century.

Ansots Basque Chorizos
560 W. Main St.
Boise, Idaho
(208) 336-9166

Ansots is featured in our video on the Basque Block

“We were trying for a sense of community, of sitting down and coming together at a boarding-house table,” said Edurne Arostegui, the club’s vice president, as she presided over the kitchen. The large dining hall in the Wallingford Community Senior Center had been arranged and decorated to reinforce that image.

The Seattle Basque club has waxed and waned over the years, but more recently, a dedicated group has provided a hub for the local Basque diaspora. They organize annual spring and summer picnics, often held at Lake Sammamish State Park, and provide community updates through their Facebook page and Instagram account.

During the dinner, members and their guests sat at two rows of long banquet tables while board members and volunteers served food family-style. The menu was deliciously simple and traditional: cream of zucchini soup, cod-stuffed piquillo peppers, salad, roasted tri-tip and potatoes, cheese, and a choice of Basque burnt cheesecake or Gateau Basque for dessert. All washed down with red wine. For many, the evening brought back memories of family gatherings past and a warm sense of community — familia — that is so uniquely Basque.

After dinner, people with long strings of raffle tickets waited, hoping to win the beautiful earthenware mugs and dishes created by club director Michelle Errecart. While the raffle took place at one end of the hall, the tables and chairs at the other end were whisked away to make room for music and dancing.

Club president Jean Escoz introduced his long-time friend and accordionist, David Romtvedt, an award-winning poet, writer, and musician from Buffalo, Wyoming. Escoz, himself a Basque dancer of some note, and Romtvedt then opened the dancing with an impressive and delightful dance demonstration.

The winners of the mus tournament were Jose Luis Mallea and Gaizka Mallea in first place, and Joe Guerricabeitia and Craig Fellom in second place. They will represent the Seattle club at the national North American Basque Organizations mus tournament finals in South San Francisco  June 20.

History of Basques in Washington

Back in the early 1900s, the area around the small town of Yakima in eastern Washington had the only Basque community of note in the state. Washington did not have large expanses of public domain land where sheep ranchers could graze sheep, as they did in other western states. As a result, few Basques came to Washington to work as sheepherders.

Because of Pacific Northwest’s abundant rain, much of the state’s western land was claimed for agriculture early on. Sheep tended to be farm flocks adjacent to farms, according to HistoryLink.org. On the drier eastern side of the state, the Columbia River Basin Project, created by the Grand Coulee Dam, provided irrigation water for farming.

Some Basques ran sheep through the Columbia River basin, summering near Mt. Rainier or Mt. Adams or other peaks in the Cascade Range. Two brothers, Sebastian and Juan Miguel Etulain, were well known sheep ranchers here. The historic El Hotel Bascongado in Yakima housed many of the young Basque men who came to herd sheep for them over the years. Read about Sebastian Etulain’s son Richard’s childhood growing up on the family sheep ranch. Nephew Miguel Etulain, who worked for many years on a cattle ranch here, had an interesting family story in the Basque Country before he even arrived in the U.S.

Basque Students Experience Yakima

See Richard Etulain’s book Boyhood Among the Woolies” on Amazon.

Read about the history of Basques in the United States in Nancy Zubiri’s book “Travel Guide to Basque America.”

Karmele is the story of a Basque nurse who flees her homeland after the Spanish Civil War. In France, she marries a Basque jazz trumpet player. After spending time in Europe, the two end up in Venezuela, but eventually they return to their homeland to fight against the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

“They are very excited about bringing this film to the diaspora,” said Philippe Acheritogaray, who arranged for Karmele to be screened in the U.S.

“It will resonate with the diaspora because the characters left Euskal Herria just like immigrants in the diaspora,” added Acheritogaray, noting the similarities between the film’s protagonists and Basque immigrants who settled in the U.S.

The film is based on the real-life experiences of Karmele Urresti and Txomin Letamendi, whose lives are reflected in the novel Elkarrekin Esnatzeko Ordua (Time to Wake Up Together) by Basque author Kirmen Uribe. Uribe has published four books and numerous poems and essays which have been translated into numerous languages. He serves as Writer in Residence in the MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish at New York University.

Director Asier Altuna, along with Marian Fernandez Pascal, started the Basque film company Txintxua Films in 2016. His last visit to the U.S. was in 2016 to showcase his film “Amama.”

MORE STORIES about ASIER ALTUNA

The film screenings are also co-sponsored by the Basque government in Euskadi and the Etxepare Basque Institute.

Film Tour Calendar

Thursday, May 7: New York University, New York, NY. 6 p.m. Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square South. Q & A and wine reception afterwards with Asier Altuna and Kirmen Uribe. Organized by the Delegation of the Basque Country to the U.S. Reservations

Friday, May 8: Washington D.C. Euskal Etxea. 6:30 p.m. Healey Family Student Center, New South Film Screening Classroom Room 156, 3700 Tondorf Rd., Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Free Admission

Saturday, May 9: Big Horn Basque Club, Buffalo, Wyo. 11 a.m. Buffalo Theater, 235 S Main St. Free Admission. Director Altuna will not be part of this presentation.

Monday, May 11: University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nev. 5:30 p.m. Meet & Greet, 6 p.m. Film. Craft Wine & Beer, 22 Martin St., Screening followed by a Q&A – Free Admission

Tuesday, May 12: Mendiko Euskaldun Cluba, Gardnerville, Nev. 6 p.m. Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 1479 U.S. Hwy 395 N. Suggested $5 donation to the museum.

Friday, May 15:  Basque Educational Organization and Basque Cultural Center, South San Francisco, Calif. 7 p.m. Meet & Greet, 7:30 p.m. Film. Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave.  Free Admission.

Saturday, May 16: Ontario, Oregon Basque Club, Ontario, Ore. 6:30 p.m. Ontario Train Depot, 300 SE 1st St. Free admission

Sunday, May 17: Gooding Basque Association, Gooding, Idaho. 285 Euskadi Lane, Gooding. $10 donation optional

Tuesday, May 19:  Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Boise, Idaho. 6 p.m. Basque Center, 601 W. Grove St. Free Admission. Donations to BMCC accepted

Thursday, May 21: Chino Basque Club, Chino, Calif. 6 p.m. Chino Basque Club, 15181 Sierra Bonita Lane

Friday, May 22: California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield, Calif. 4:30 p.m. Doors, 5 p.m. Film. The Doré Theatre, 9001 Stockdale Hwy.  Free Parking in Lot C.  Free Admission

Sunday, May 31, Seattle Euskal Etxea, Seattle, Wash. 2 p.m. Lowdown Ballroom, 628 11th Ave E. (Capitol Hill), Seattle

Film Trailer with English subtitles

Across eight albums, they have continued to experiment while keeping their rock foundation. Known for their energetic, high‑quality live performances, Kokein brings a dynamic, emotionally charged presence to the stage, a culmination of decades spent touring and growing together as a musical family.

When the Basque rock band Kokein walked into Bakersfield’s Basque club for the first stop of their U.S. tour March 21, they were stepping into a community that already felt strangely familiar. The room buzzed with anticipation; not just for the music, but for the rare chance to welcome a contemporary Basque band whose sound has shaped a generation back home. The band was also scheduled to play at the TreeFort Festival in Boise, Idaho and for the Basque communities of  South San Francisco and Chino, Calif.

Before their acoustic set, I sat down with three members of the band, vocalist Zaloa Urain, guitarist Iker Sáenz Zaitegi and drummer Haritz Lete to talk about their music, their identity, and what it means to share Basque rock with diaspora audiences. The other members of the band include Edu Arguinzoniz and Jatsu Argarate.

“Sensitive Rock”: How Kokein Describes Their Sound

When asked how they would introduce their music to someone hearing it for the first time, Urain paused, searching for the right words. Then she smiled.
“We make rock,” she said.

The band members laughed, but nodded in agreement. Lete used the phrase “sensitive rock.” “Dynamic,” Sáenz added. “Going up and down with emotion.”

It’s a fitting description for a group whose music blends intensity with vulnerability — a sound that resonates deeply even if you don’t speak Basque.

“When you’re singing and playing, you feel something,” Urain said. “And you want people to feel that too. Music is magic.”

MORE STORIES ABOUT MUSIC

The Bakersfield show was special for another reason: Kokein performed an acoustic set, something they rarely do in the Basque Country.

“Today is a special set,” Lete explained in their interview with Euskal Kazeta. “We’re going to play acoustic. We normally play electric.”

They used to perform sets with just the guitar and vocals. But at the Bakersfield performance, Kokein added drums and bass guitars.

“So it’s going to be something that we did in 2007, almost 20 years ago, and it will be fun,” said Sáenz before the performance. For the diaspora audience, it meant hearing Kokein in a stripped‑down, intimate format; a unique moment in the band’s 25‑year history.

The band was especially excited to perform their newest album, Bidea Da Helmuga (“The Path is the Destination”), entirely in Euskara. Released in 2024 to honor their 25th anniversary, the project celebrates both legacy and evolution.

The album is divided into two halves: five brand‑new tracks and five reimagined versions of earlier songs, interpreted by an impressive lineup of Basque artists. These collaborators include Miren Narbaiza, Ander Mujika, Joseba Baleztena, Zea Mays, Eraso!, Mursego, and Nakar; musicians who have long been part of the same Basque Rock scene and who bring their own distinct styles to Kokein’s sound. Together, they create a tribute that highlights Kokein’s influence across generations and reflects the band’s deep commitment to community, collaboration, and the Basque music scene.

Connecting Basque Worlds
Though Kokein has performed internationally, in London, Japan and other regions of Spain, playing for Basque Americans carries a different emotional weight. This is the band’s first tour in the United States.

Music has a way of collapsing distance; between countries, generations, and people who may never have met but somehow understand each other through sound. It moves past language and geography, carrying emotion in a way that feels universal. They are excited to understand how Basques in the U.S. feel their culture.

Watching Kokein prepare for their set in Bakersfield, it was clear that this tour was much more than music; it was about connection.

Their music became a bridge between the Basque Country and the diaspora communities who hold their identity in a different way, proving that a melody can do what words sometimes can’t: remind us that we belong to something larger than ourselves.

“It’s really nice,” Urain said. “There’s something we have in common.”
The band spoke about how Basque identity shifts across borders. In the Basque Country, it’s woven into daily life. In the U.S., it’s something people actively preserve through clubs, festivals, and community traditions.

“Our friends have performed here; so it is nice to continue this cultural exchange.” Sáenz explained. “Sometimes when we talk about Basque culture, they think only of folk music,” Urain added. “But there are many bands in the Basque Country making new music. It’s nice to show that.” In fact, the number of Basque rock bands singing in Basque is growing. Kokein members consider themselves to be holding a more traditional take on rock music.

When I asked them to describe the tour in one word, Urain didn’t hesitate.
“A gift,” she said. “A big gift for us.”

She explained that the band feels deeply grateful; not only to travel and perform in the U.S., but to be welcomed by Basque communities who see their music as a bridge to the homeland.

For drummer Lete, the tour holds an especially personal meaning. Lete has family members who live in Boise, Idaho and he will be able to see them during the band’s stop there.

“It’s very special for me,” he said. “Really nice. I will connect with my family.”

Sharing their music with relatives who have built their lives in the U.S. adds another layer of emotion to the tour. “It feels extra special,” he said. “To share this with them.”

A Celebration of Basque Identity, Across Oceans
As they prepared to take the stage in Bakersfield, the band reflected on what it means to perform for Basque Americans who hold their identity in a different way; shaped by distance, memory, and community.

“We want to know how you feel Basque,” Urain said. “We know we are different, but identity is a huge part of everyone in that room.”

For Kokein, this tour is more than a series of concerts. It’s a cultural exchange, a reunion, and in many ways, a homecoming; not just for the band, but for the diaspora communities who see themselves reflected in their music.
And for the audience in Bakersfield, it was a reminder that Basque culture is alive and evolving; sometimes electric and loud, sometimes acoustic, always full of emotion.

During a performance in Boise, Idaho

The Basque word for cider is “sagardoa,” where “sagar” means apple, and “ardoa” is wine. This apple wine is produced in six of the seven historic Basque provinces, with Zuberoa being the lone exception, but well over 90% is produced in the province of Gipuzkoa. Basque cider has no added sugar and is dry, with no added carbonation.

The town of Astigarraga is the center of cider production, with 21 traditional baserriak or farms, each producing their own private label. Demand is so great in Gipuzkoa that they import two thirds of their apples from elsewhere in Europe to satisfy all of it.

But what I’m here to talk about is the consumption of this delicious nectar at its place of production, at the sagardotegi (ciderhouse). For most of the year, while the apple trees are cared for, apples are picked and pressed and the sweet juice is left to ferment in casks, these cider houses are closed to the public. Once the cider has completed its fermentation process in the tanks and casks sometime in mid-January, the doors of the cider house, or sagardotegia, are thrown open to the public for nightly sessions of eating and cider-sampling.

MORE STORIES about FOOD and DRINK

The ciderhouse season traditionally ended sometime in April, although as popularity has increased, we’re seeing some places extend their season into May and beyond. A select few are now bucking tradition and opening year-round, to the delight of many enthusiasts.

My first visit to a sagardotegi was in the 1980s, when most locales followed a standard formula, whereby each group attending brought their own txuletas or steaks, with the house providing the rest of the set-up, plus all the cider you could drink, for a set price. The house also provided grills where you prepared your own meat, which was eaten standing up, thus facilitating frequent trips to the casks or kupelak, sampling each in turn while enjoying the food.

The Traditional Ciderhouse Meal
The standard set-up begins with chunks of salt cod (bakailua) served with fried green peppers (piparrak), followed with a salt cod omelette (tortila). The txuleta that comprises the main course is a massive, bone-in cut, separated by the butcher from a side of beef not by saw, but with the meat hatchet used by Basque butchers since time immemorial.

This tasty, local, grass-fed beef is seasoned with nothing but salt, seared on the outside and red on the inside, then cut by the grill master into individual strips and served on a communal platter. I like to call dibs on the bone and gnaw on the flesh caveman-style but I’m a bit of an outlier. The dessert that follows consists of local cheese (gazta), local almond confections called Tolosako teilak eta zigarretak, quince paste (menbrilo), and walnuts (intxaurrak), which often are brought all the way from California!

Due to stricter European health regulations, you no longer find yourself sharing your eating space, as I did on that first experience, with the cattle that reside at the baserri the rest of the year. Also, nowadays benches and tables are typically provided. Traditionally the meal was taken standing up, which also facilitated quick trips to the cask area for cider samples.

At today’s more modern sagardotegia, the house provides all of the food and preparation. You pay a set fee and everything is brought to your table. Many establishments now offer additional vegetarian or pescatarian options. It’s fairly common for there to be a mid-day seating, and there are some sagardotegiak that open all year round, so that you can get your cider house fix even if you’re visiting in the middle of the summer.

At this point, if I still have your attention, you’re still wondering what this word txotx is about? The Basque word txotx refers to the little stick jammed into the cask, pulled out when ready to dispense some cider. When the caskmaster is about to pull this stick from the cask and offer up a stream of cider to all in the vicinity, “TXOTX!” is the call to action. Nowadays, rather than a stick jammed into a small hole, most casks are equipped with a small spigot that serves the same purpose. Here’s how the ritual works:

“Txotx Time”

1. “TXOTX!” is called.
2. All interested assemble near the cask, in line, taking up a position to get a swallow of cider.
3. When your turn comes, have your glass ready behind the person in front of you. We want to keep the stream going without wasting a bunch of it on the floor.
4. Hold your glass as far from the spigot as possible, letting the stream fall down to your glass, “breaking” the cider and bringing out all of its effervescence. Watch and learn from others, it’s not that hard!
5. As soon as you have a few ounces, step away and let the next person get their sample. For the optimal experience, you’ll want to drink it as soon as it’s been served. This means taking small, but frequent samples. It’s perfectly fine to sip your glass, then get back in line for another sip before the spigot has been turned off.

I enjoy going back and forth from table to different casks, comparing the character of each, and returning to the ones that I’ve especially liked. That said, if you prefer to just stay at your table, many establishments will bring you a steady supply of bottled cider that you can enjoy at the table without interrupting your meal. If you haven’t acquired a taste for cider and prefer to have some red wine accompany your meal, like many a French daytripper that arrives on a tour bus, that can also be arranged.

As is common at any Basque celebration, the food and drink are a big part of the evening, but not all of it. Music often figures heavily into the experience. You may get to hear a few improvised verses sung by bertsolariak, or a trikiti session offered by a strolling pair on the accordion and tambourine singing in delicious harmony. Occasionally you’ll be dining with a large group that will pause between courses to belt out traditional songs. The activity of sampling from the different casks lends itself to fun and engaging conversation with fellow cider aficionados and cider house staff. So the cider house experience is more than just a meal, it’s an event in itself. TXOTX!

McCay’s List of Ciderhouses
Here’s a list of the ciderhouses that I’ve visited over the years, all located in the province of Gipuzkoa:

Aialde Berri Sagardotegia – Santu Enea Auzoa, 37, Usurbil. A nice intimate experience in a natural setting, well worth visiting when cider is in season.
Begiristain Sagardotegia – Originally at Iturrioz Baserria in Ikastegieta, now located at Guadalupe Auzoa, 14 in Legorreta. This was my first ciderhouse experience in the 1980s, and I was back for a repeat trip in the 1990s. At that time, diners shared their dining area with barn animals and brought and grilled their own txuletas. For better or worse, that sort of experience no longer exists.
Izeta Sagardotegia – Urdaneta Bidea, Aia. Although officially in Aia town limits, this is located in the hills above Zarautz, with some amazing views. Open all year, there is not a huge emphasis on the txotx experience but they have won awards from various travel guides. The family running this operation has produced a number of champion harrijasotzaileak (stonelifters).
Lizeaga Sagardotegia – Martutene Pasealekua, 139, Donostia. While its address is officially Donostia/San Sebastián, it’s more associated with the town of Astigarraga, home to several ciderhouses and thought of as the core of cider production in Gipuzkoa. This was my go-to sagardotegia of choice in the 1990s, where meals were consumed standing up in a dining area with the casks within arm’s reach.
Ola Sagardotegia – Meaka Auzoa, 102, Irun. Built in a stone ironworks building dating back to the 13th century, while inside, you feel like you’re in a castle dedicated to eating and drinking. It was inaugurated as a sagardotegia in 1999 by Iñaki Bengoetxea, a champion segalari (traditional Basque sport of cutting grass with a scythe) and promoter of Basque sport and culture. A great place to enjoy a meal and music session.
Petritegi – Petritegi Bidea, Astigarraga. A large operation, this was probably the first sagardotegia to tap into the demand for the ciderhouse experience any time of year. They also offer guided tours that explain the entire process, from growing and picking the apples, to pressing, fermentation and bottling.
Saizar Sagardotegia – Kalezar Auzoa, 39, Usurbil. An “undiscovered” alternative to Petritegi, it is open year-round but has not yet been overrun by tour buses.
—
Michael McCay, who lived in the Basque Country for many years and speaks Euskera fluently, is a travel agent with Overtrails. He can book accompanied, all-inclusive ciderhouse experiences for groups of all sizes from the U.S. As part of a locally based travel company, he can help solo travelers, families and large groups visit the Basque Country with customized itineraries or affordable group programs.

Read more here about Overtrails’ services and itineraries. To contact Michael McCay directly, email him at usa@overtrails.com.

I spent the summer of 2022 in Souraïde, a small village tucked into the green folds of the Basque countryside. It was my first time in the region without my parents, and I was there for an internship with a Patxaran (a Basque liqueur) company that was exploring expansion into the United States. I helped with research on the U.S. market, translation and connecting with different distributors and restaurants interested in introducing Patxaran. (See our article on Basque drinks.) Through that work, I was not only learning about the business of Patxaran, but also about the cultural pride and history behind it.

Every weekend, my grandfather’s nephew would pick me up and bring me to their home in Irisarry. I would stay in a room just at the top of the hill from the house where my Aitatxi grew up. We wandered through local bestak or festivals, visited neighbors who greeted us like old friends and moved at the unhurried pace that defines rural Basque days.

That summer, I connected further with my Basque identity. My cousins brought me along to bestak in nearby villages, introducing me to their friends and folding me into their routines. Each weekend we hiked through different paths of the Camino de Santiago, visited cities like Bayonne and Saint Jean de Luz, and slowly the place began to feel familiar in a way it never had before.

Like clockwork, every dinner the family came together and had an aperitif (pre-dinner drink) while talking about their day. We sat around a table that always seemed to grow to fit whoever arrived. Food is not just nourishment; it’s the language of community.

On my last weekend there, that language spoke louder than ever. Early in the morning, we walked to my aunt’s house, where the garden was overflowing with tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. We picked what we needed, filling our arms with the colors of late summer. Later, we carried everything to her son’s home, where the kitchen was already warm with the smell of roasting chicken.

Lunch that day was simple: a whole chicken roasted until golden, a bright piperade (see recipe) simmered slowly on the stove, and very crisp French fries, exactly like the ones I knew and loved at the Basque restaurants in California. As we ate, my cousins explained that this was a classic Sunday meal in France; a tradition built for long afternoons, for families who linger at the table, for conversations that stretch.

Now, for many Basque people that may seem like most meals encountered there. This one felt different. It was an incredibly amazing meal and to many may be thought of as simple or effortless. But calling it simple feels like a disgrace to the tradition. The meal left room for a deeper connection to fill the room. They wanted me to experience it as a goodbye, a gesture that said you’re part of this too.

That meal stayed with me. Not because it was elaborate, but because it was not. It was the kind of food that brings people together without trying.

Now four years later, reading my Aitachi’s recipe takes me back to that same table in Irisarry. The same roasted chicken, the same piperade, the same spirit. A reminder that food can be a story, a memory and a homecoming, all at once.

Looking at the recipe, you can see there are not many words. It is very straight to the point, leaving very little room for doubt. This same recipe carries on the tradition of celebration and community at the Basque clubhouse in Chino, Calif., where my Aitachi, Isidore Camou, cooked for many years. This roasted chicken recipe was regularly served there.

Isidore Camou’s Basque Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1-2 lbs. of drumstick, thighs and breasts of chicken
Small amount of butter
Salt, pepper
Garlic powder

Instructions
Butter the bottom of the baking pan, then cover with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Cover with the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle the top of chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Dab about two large tablespoons of butter on top of the chicken pieces.
Do not cover. Cook in a 400 degree oven until done, approximately an hour. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

After being dormant for several years, a younger generation of the Portland Basque Club is reincarnating it. Its new leaders admit they aren’t certain what direction the revitalized group will eventually take.

“We’ll see what folks want to do, and then we’ll do it,” said Gina Ensunsa, one of the group’s new leaders. At the moment, that includes monthly gatherings at the local tapas bar for three Basque favorites: food, drink, and most important, conversation.

Portland has not historically had a Basque club. Most of the early Basque arrivals in Oregon who came to herd sheep settled in the eastern part of the state. Basque communities developed in the towns of Jordan Valley, Ontario, and Burns, where Basque boardinghouses thrived in the early 1900s. Later, others settled in central Oregon, in cities like Bend and Pendleton. However, since 50 percent of the state’s population lives in the larger Portland metropolitan area, inevitably, many Basques live there now too.

Oregon and Washington Restaurants

A group organized some picnics during the 1990s, but that group did not have staying power. The organizers of the current group seem intent on keeping the momentum going. The group has a Facebook page and an Instagram page and a website.

Among the people at this month’s gathering was the Basque author and historian, Richard Etulain, Ph.D. Dr. Etulain led lively discussions on the importance of gathering the life stories of this generation of Basque Americans. Dr. Etulain has authored or edited 65 books, including “Basques of the American West: New and Collected Essays on History and Ethnicity” and “Boyhood Among the Woolies.”

Anyone interested in the group’s next gathering can find information at portlandbasque.com or join the group on Instagram or Facebook

But as the list of names continued to grow, Professor Pedro Oiarzabal realized that a permanent memorial was needed to pay homage to the heroism and sacrifices of the men and women who helped battle the forces of tyranny in Europe and the Pacific.

On Saturday, Oiarzabal and project supporters unveiled the design of the National Basque World War II Veterans Memorial and announced that it would be built in Gardnerville, Nevada, a historical Basque community.

“As a community, we are finally creating a permanent national space to remember, honor, and thank Basque American veterans who served during World War II,” said Oiarzabal, who is spearheading the project as the primary researcher.

The announcement was made during a weekend celebration to honor the 44th anniversary of the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.

The effort to create a memorial has been more than ten years in the making and represents the most significant undertaking for the Basque American community since the campaign to build the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder, which was erected in 1989 in Reno, Nevada. That large sculpture pays homage to the legacy of Basque immigrants in the West.

“This memorial,” Oiarzabal said, “represents long-overdue public recognition and will stand as a symbol of pride, service, and belonging, comparable in spirit to the National Monument of the Basque Sheepherder in Reno.”

The conceptual design of the World War II memorial is titled “Bizi leku,” which means “the Place to Live” in the Basque language of Euskara. Basque architect Maider Bezos Lanz created the Corten steel design. The design is intended to reflect the experience of migration and settlement, as well as symbolize the adoption of the United States as a new home without losing cultural roots.

“Bizi leku is conceived as a welcoming space,” Bezos Lanz said. “It is a symbolic home, one that brings together all the names engraved on its walls, allowing them to coexist in peace and dignity, united by a shared history and a shared place of remembrance.”

The memorial will feature the names of more than 2,100 veterans who have been identified by a team of researchers who pored over databases and historical archives. Among them are three brothers from Gardnerville —- John, William and Leon Etchemendy -— who were once described by the Reno Gazette as the “the most decorated group of brothers in Nevada” because of the medals and campaign ribbons they were awarded.

In Gardnerville
The memorial will be built at Heritage Park, just a short walk from Highway 395, which is lined with historical buildings in the small city in the picturesque Carson Valley. Among the businesses on the main drag is J.T. Basque, a venerable bar and restaurant that serves family style Basque meals and has been owned by the local Basque Lekumberry family for decades.

Founded in 1879, Gardnerville was an important sheep center and attracted Basque immigrants who helped raise sheep around the turn of the century, Euskal Kazeta Editor Nancy Zubiri wrote in her book “A Travel Guide to Basque America.”

In its heyday, the downtown was home to several Basque restaurants and boardinghouses, where herders stayed while taking breaks from tending their flocks on the open range. The city is home to an active Basque club, Mendiko Euskaldun Cluba, which hosts a popular festival in August.

The project to build the World War II memorial is supported by the North American Basque Organizations. Anyone wishing to support the memorial can make a tax-deductible contribution here.

Read More Stories About the Memorial

To publicize the exploits of the veterans, Oiarzabal’s research team launched a blog, Echoes of Two Wars 1939-1945 in English, and Ecos de Dos Guerras in Spanish and Basque, and team members promote the project on social media and through newspaper articles. The team has also been involved in special events and tributes to the veterans. The team is sponsored by the Basque Country homeland history association, Sancho de Beurko.

If you are a relative of a Basque WWII veteran and you would like to find out if he or she is on the list, please contact the project researchers: sanchobeurko@gmail.com.