Basque gastronomy

The Basque country has a traditional, simple, and an internationally prized gastronomy.  The Basque diet has basically remained unaltered with the passing of time, always basing itself in products of the ocean and land.  Instead of consisting of many spices or complicated recipes, the gastronomy emphasizes the quality and freshness of the food.

The Basque country is called "el país Vasco" in spanish and "Euskadi" in it's language called "euskera".  An autonomous community in the north of Spain, the Basque country also extends to southern France, but the Basque culture is much stronger on the Spanish side.

Throughout the history of Euskadi, Basque people have thrived in their independence and isolation.  The Romans never romanized the territory much, and the Muslims failed to conquer this northern area.  The land is protected from invasions by it's unique location, stuck between the mountains and the sea.

The fantastic location also has provided the country with an ideal climate for growing a variety of products.  The Cantábrico sea offers a variety of fish and other seafoods.  The interior of the country is full of rivers, forests, trees, and green fields.  Therefore, the gastronomy consists of extremely fresh fruits, vegetables, wines, and wheats.  The open fields make for good animal farms where the Basque people obtain delicious cheeses and meats.

The beans and mushrooms are especially well known for their high quality in this region.  The fish normally includes cod fish and hake.  The Basques are famous for their different types of salsas that go with the fish.  The cheeses are commonly from goats or sheep.

The cider is a whole another story.  The cider is similar to a hard cider.  Outside of San Sebastian, there are many siderías, where you eat and taste ciders.  The cider is held in wooden barrels.  Traditionally, one opens a valve on the barrel and the cider sprays out into your cup so that the cider is foamy.

Some of the best chefs in the world are in país vasco.  Basically, every bar or restaurant you enter will have excellent food.  Most bars lay out their food on the counter and you select what you want to eat.  These small plates of food are called pinchos.

The Basque diet is fresh, healthy, delicious, and has been preserved throughout history.

País Vasco

Kizoa slideshow: País Vasco - Slideshow

Lagos, Portugal

Kizoa slideshow: Lagos, Portugal - Slideshow

La Feria

La feria in Sevilla is a large festival that takes place at the end of april for about a week.  Sevillanos dress in traditional flamenco outfits; dresses for women and suites for men.  Sevilla suddenly looks like it's back in the late 1800s.  Horse carriages, decorate in bells and bows, transport sevillanos dressed in traditional clothing to the festival.

The festival is situated in Los Remodios of Sevilla (where I live), in about a 5 by 7 block radius.  La feria is enormous!  Tents are lined up, side by side, offering food and drinks.  The tens are usually owned by businesses and therefore only invited people are allowed into each tent.  La feria is a bit classicist, with body guards blocking out uninvited guests.  However, there are a few public tents which is where I spent my time.

The tents are crazy.  Each tent is different.  Some are really fancy, some are small and meant for families.  Others basically have concerts inside.  No matter what, each tent has people dressed in flamenco clothing dancing the sevillano, a flamenco dance.

There also is an amusement park area with a ferris wheel, a haunted house, a type of mechanical bull ride, and more.

Along with the food and drinks in the tents, there are many waffle and churros stands.

I loved the feria.  I luckily had one of my best friends to enjoy the festival with, and the two of us partied till 4 in the morning.  We attempted to dance the sevillano, drank manzanilla (wine special for la feria), ate waffles at 3 am, and went crazy on the rides at the amusement park.  La feria is a fascinating cultural experience as an outsider, and a lot of fun.

Kizoa slideshow: La Feria - Slideshow

Group Video- Ha llegado el momento

CIEE study abroad program offers groups of interest to students that include group trips, activities, and cultural learning.  My interest group consisted of art, theatre, and cultural expression.  As a group we created a music video with a local Sevilla band.  Below is the link to the video.  Slightly embarrassing, but mostly fun and definitely out of my comfort zone, the video takes place first in our CIEE building where we take classes, and different spots throughout the heart of Sevilla.  The video is about a boy (the guitarist of the local band who sings the song in the video) who is tied down by his girlfriend, leaving him unhappy and upset.  As the video goes on, girls dance in the background and try to give him a make over and start over in his life.  At the end, he realizes his identity and leaves the girl.

The song is called "Ha llegado el momento", or the moment has arrived.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTxjLnikOs&feature=youtu.be

Semana Santa en Sevilla

Kizoa slideshow: Semana Santa - Slideshow

Semana Santa takes place the week before Easter to celebrate the last week of Jesus' life.  While the week is very religious, it also has a strong cultural and fun aspect.  People travel from all parts of the world to see the processions that take place in Sevilla during Semana Santa.  The processions are of Baroque style, an artistic time period that overly exaggerates religious art.  All of the processions are made of wood painted with gold and adorned with numerous gems.  The Church's aim with Baroque style was to create an illusion of power and wealth during a time period of fear, rise of Protestantism, and economic decline in Spain.

The streets are flooded with people, food, and drinks.  I loved the environment during Semana Santa, even though I am not a big fan of large crowds.  Families and friends gather in the streets to watch the processions pass by, and then flock to restaurants for beer, coffee, torrijas or pestiños (special deserts during Semana Santa).  I loved the social aspect of Semana Santa and the excitement in the streets.

Torrijas: similar to French Toast but with honey instead of syrup

Pestiños

As a foreigner, all of the processions looked pretty similar to me.  Many of them were of the Virgen, or Jesus with Romans.  Some of the processions told stories, while others just looked pretty.  My host mom says that for Sevillanos, each procession has it's own meaning and importance.

Carried by men and women, the processions belong to various churches throughout Sevilla and surrounding towns.  In fact, one town was supposed to walk various miles with the procession to Sevilla, but the walk was canceled due to the rain.

It actually rained all week.  People were shown on TV crying because events were being cancelled.  My host mom says that every year it rains during Semana Santa.  Ironically, Sevilla has experienced barely any rain in the past few months, but it poured all week of Semana Santa.

My host mom in the newspaper!

http://www.abcdesevilla.es/20120403/semana-santa/sevi-maria-jose-alonso-ruiz-201204030143.html

ABC Newspaper of Sevilla wrote an article about my host mom and her family's contribution to the church.  When my host mom's mother was ill, my host mom's grandfather and grandmother promised to contribute to the church if their daughter (my host mom's mom) was saved.  Their daughter survived and the grandparents donated a statue of the Virgen to their church.  This monument remains a highlight of the church today.