Cider from the Basque Country: wild character, history and ancient rituals

Fresh ocean wind, wide sandy beaches, splashes of salt water and that feeling of freedom... The music from every second coastal café invites you to dance, forgetting about everything in the world, and crisp and fragrant baguettes miraculously appear in your bag: there are temptations that are impossible to resist. And why should you?

In the morning, a jog on the beach, then coffee on the terrace overlooking the ocean and surfers gliding on the waves. In the evening, a short trip to a neighboring town or village for a new gastronomic adventure. This is how my vacations in Biarritz usually go: calm, gastronomic and with the bright taste of the French part of the Basque Country. It reminds me of chili peppers, without which it is impossible to imagine local gastronomy: both spicy and sweet at the same time.

It is this contrast that gives birth to local cider, a drink with a wild character. It combines the freshness of the ocean breeze with the tartness of mountain apples, from which it is made according to ancient Basque recipes. Here in every glass you can feel not only the flavor but also the landscape - green hills, apple orchards and the soft light of the Atlantic.

I have to be honest, when I first visited Biarritz, I tried desperately but unsuccessfully to find a wine to my liking everywhere. The region's protagonist is the tiny appellation of Irouléguy, which produces mostly simple and slightly wild wines that inevitably gave me a headache. Desperate, I decided to explore the issue of the legendary local cider, its history and its pairing with the local gastronomy. And I didn't regret it for a minute.

In the Middle Ages, cider production was especially developed in France - in Normandy and Brittany. But the cider of the Basque Country is worthy of special attention. Already in the XI century there are references to Basque apples and wine-like beverages in documents. Rural communities often had their own apple orchards - sagasti, and only a lazy man did not press juice from apples. This was then fermented in wooden barrels.

Local seafarers on whaling expeditions or cod fishing trips were sure to take barrels of cider with them. It was often unsafe to drink water, but the cider was long-lasting and retained its vitamins, helping to fight scurvy on board. It is said that several liters a day were allocated for each sailor - both for health and mood.

Modern ciders vary in style, degree of carbonation and additives. In general terms, it is a fermented beverage made from apple juice (sometimes with the addition of other fruits), produced with minimal interference with natural fermentation processes.

- Quiet cider - no additional carbonation.

- Semi-carbonated - it has a slight natural carbonation. This cider is sometimes aged in oak barrels.

- Sparkling (sparkling or pétillant naturel, petnat) - with bubbles, sometimes with secondary fermentation.

- Sweet/semi-sweet - with residual sugar, softer and fruitier.

- Dry - virtually no sweetness, accented by acidity and apple tannins.

- Mixed variant or mixes - in such ciders sometimes pear or berries, spices and other fruits are added.

In the Spanish part of the Basque Country, they prefer still cider, without added sugar. Basque cider, or sagardoa, is not just a drink, but part of a cultural code. It is made from local varieties of apples, many of which are not suitable for table consumption, but are used to create subtle and tart drinks with a pleasant fruity acidity.

The number of apple varieties in production varies, but their combination allows to achieve the balance of sugars, acids and tannins characteristic of cider. The production is purely natural, without the addition of yeast or sugar, as in the production of natural wines.

The cider season in the Basque Country starts in mid-January - one of the most beloved local events, a true celebration of gastronomy and tradition.

On this day, the producers open the first barrels of the new harvest and everyone starts shouting one word: txotx. The season opens with the planting of apple trees and the sagar dantza dance, while traditional dishes are served at the tables: cod omelette, cod with peppers, juicy steak and cheese with quince jam and nuts.

Basque cider's main competitor is cider from Asturias, a small historic mountainous region in northern Spain.

The main difference between Asturian and Basque ciders is in the flavor and drinking process: Asturian is lighter, with less sediment, often sweet or semi-dry, while Basque is tart, acidic and tannic.

Asturians usually bottle cider in the special tradition of "escanciado" - from a great height to infuse air and create a sparkling flavor.

The Basques prefer to drink cider directly from the barrels, and the moment the host shouts "Txotx!" the guests raise their glasses and line up at the barrels to drink fresh cider. Once in one of the cider houses on the outskirts of San Sebastian, I watched as guests were offered several times a night to "go to the cask", each time opening a new one.

In addition, according to an old tradition, people bring a massive piece of meat (most often a steak), which is then grilled amicably right in the courtyard, among the apple orchards.

There is in Basque cider culture not only a taste, but also a special sound. It is rhythmic, "wooden", and refers to ancient times. This sound gives birth to the kirikoketa. Once upon a time, long before the advent of presses and automatic machines, apples for cider were crushed by hand, using special wooden hammers - kiriko - in large tubs. To make the hard work easier, it was turned into a rhythm: the pounding of the hammers, blows on the board, the clinking of the barrel. In this way, a real melody was born, to which everyone worked and sang together.

Today, kirikoketa is also a dance. It can be seen at cider festivals, usually in the courtyards of cidrotecs, in the open air, amidst the smell of fresh juice and oak barrels. It's a reminder that cider is a drink born out of rhythm, labor and joie de vivre.

Cider is an incredibly gastronomic drink. It is most often served with simple but rich food: cod omelette, grilled steaks, nuts, local sheep cheese idiazabal with quince jam. It's also great with non-Basque food - oysters, mussels, grilled white fish with lemon dressing. With more intense versions of cider you can try oriental or Asian cuisine - sushi, curry, Peking duck. It goes well with cheeses, especially goat's cheese, delicate brie and camembert.

If you want to try the best, here are some tried and tested names to look out for:

- Zapiain Sagardoa is one of the most famous brands of Basque cider, with a history dating back to the 16th century.

- Isastegi Sagardo Naturala is a variant of the classic Basque cider that is often found outside the region as well.

- Petritegi is a cidroteca near San Sebastian that makes authentic Basque ciders. I highly recommend visiting it, it's one of the most atmospheric places I've been to. There you can 100% experience all the subtleties and traditions of cider drinking.

- Astarbe / Byhur Astarbe - they produce Brut Nature sparkling cider, which is made using the traditional Champagne method, resulting in a dry, complex sparkling drink with notes of flowers, pear and apple.

- Ramón Zabala Sagardotegia is an authentic cider house with 200 years of history. Nine varieties of apples are used in the production of cider.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor