Tom Waits
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| Goikola has more than 700 years of history Used to be an old forge/blacksmith/steel-mill. A wonderful place to stay for a few days. Daughter Garazi in the window, Carmen sitting outside. |
As it turns out, I truly fell in love with this small family. So joyful, creative, nearly self-sufficient
(they have a huge organic garden, a small orchard, and sheep), very well-read (which
led to several interesting conversations), great cooks, and most of all, they demonstrated
a deep love of their history and country.
There was never a dull moment staying with them at Goikola.
The Goikola farmstead (etxea) is now in what was a 14th
century forge/blacksmith/steel-mill, surrounded by high mountains, leafy
woodland, and meadows bathed by the Gaztañegi stream which crosses the Valley
of Lastur, located inside the great limestone massif of the Izarraitz Mountain Range
in the heart of the Basque Coast Geopark with its fascinating coastal flysch
and its intricate inland karst. This region combines the tranquility and inspiration
of a rural and artisan environment, with the added enjoyment of its natural
assets.
Carmen and Txema used to milk hundreds of sheep with which they produced the famous Idiazábal cheese made from raw sheep milk. Over the years they won many prizes for the remarkable quality of their cheeses. They still have a room semi-dedicated to all the trophies they won over the years – quite impressive. As they got older, they pared down and now only have fewer than twenty sheep. Enough to get some wool or milk, but not enough for any kind of commercial production. They turned the area where they used to make the cheese into rooms or small family units for rent, separate from the main house where I stayed.
At Goikola, nearly all the food served was from the
farm or local. First lunch: Bonito fish,
comfrey, potatoes, garlic, Chivite wine (from Navarre since 1647), bread, butter, flan, coffee. Second lunch: Chicken, potatoes, flat green beans, lemon
gelato, coffee, wine, bread, butter, jam, walnuts. Another delicious meal: Mussels, rice, parsley, Basque green peppers (guindillas),
olives, bread, butter, honey, coffee, wine.
Everything so fresh and delicious.
My stay didn’t include meals, they were extra,
however, during my last breakfast with them, as I was getting ready to pay for
the meals I ate there, they told me that since I had become family, the meals
were free. So much generosity from
people I barely knew.
I invited Carmen and Txema to a sidreria (cider house)
as a ‘parting’ gift. It’s difficult to
go to a sidreria on the spur of the moment. They
are so popular and, especially being the end of the season, nearly impossible to
just show up, hoping to wait for an open table.
Thankfully Carmen and Txema are very well known in this area and were
able to talk one of the local sidrerias to welcome us for lunch. It was quite an experience and I’m glad I
asked them to go with me as they could better explain what to do, how to do it,
what to order, etc. I was happy to spoil
them while learning more about the Basque ways.
On my last day, Garazi gave me a ride to the nearest bus station so I could go back to The Land of the Basques to begin my private tour with Iñaki and Ana. I am so glad I had this opportunity to live with a family before touring again.
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| I got to live in the back of the house |
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| Carmen and Txema used to have several hundreds Latxa sheep Now only these few |
Idiazábal Cheese
Idiazábal is
a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk, usually from Latxa or
Carranzana sheep in the Basque Country and Navarre regions of Spain. The milk must
be curdled using natural lamb rennet.
This cheese is aged for a minimum of two months, dense,
has an inedible rind, tastes nutty, buttery, slightly spicy, and sometimes has
a hint of smoke. It is slightly acidic
and oily. Some liken the taste to burnt
caramel and bacon. It is similar to the more
well-known Manchego.
The optional smoking takes place at the end of the
aging process, using woods from the beech-tree, birch-tree, cherry tree or
white pine. The intensity of the smoked qualities depends upon the type of wood
and length of smoking.
It pairs well with quince jam, cider, whiskey, apple
juice, or red wine and the best seasons to eat it are spring and summer.
This cheese has been gracing the tables of Northern
Spain for centuries and was granted PDO – Protected Designation of Origin
status in 1987. Eating Idiazábal is like making a journey
through the lush green pastures of the Basque Country, getting a taste of its vibrant
gastronomy, and sharing in the joys of the age-old art of cheese making.
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| Idiazábal cheeses aging (from another farm, not Goikola) Cheese making season is over for now - this is all they had that was left aging At Mikel Basterra Goikuria farm |
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| Idiazábal cheese is served with quince (membrillo) paste for desert - a delicious pairing Manchego in Mexico or Spain is also often paired with quince paste |
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| Carmen putting away red onions from their amazing garden |
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| Red onions drying by the kitchen |
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| Using her own sheep's wool, Carmen cards, spins, weaves, prints, and dyes She also teaches various types of workshops dealing with fibers |
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| Carmen's studio is beautiful and bright, a great place to create or learn |
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| With an upcoming workshop, I am helping card some wool |
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| From a short walking distance, the very small town of Lastur I like the way the house corners show rocks, typical of this area Many of the homes are 1/2 timbered - meaning filled with rocks between the timber then plastered over the filler rocks then painted a light color |
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| The upper corn mill in Lastur from 1335 Used only for demonstrations today |
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| Small window in old upper mill |
Basque Cider Houses (sidrerias) have been running
since the 11th century. They
are almost a must when coming to the Basque Country but many are only open
seasonally, or as long as the cider from their barrels is still flowing. Some cider houses may be open out of season
but they’ll be serving bottled cider only. A
reminder to take that into consideration when visiting.
They usually serve a set menu but for some reason this
place was a little different (or maybe due to the fact that I came here with
people well known to this establishment?).
I let my hosts order so we would get what is the most typical to
eat. In this case we had: Cod, Octopus,
Beef, French fries, and unlimited amount of cider. For desert, Basque pie (almonds and cream), and
lemon or mango sorbets mixed with champagne.
My host, Carmen, sang with a group for a while. Txema, being shyer, stayed with me at the
table. I eventually had to get some of
the cider directly from the barrel while people yelled funny instructions on
how to do it right, making comments about my poor ‘tourist’ technique. It’s worth trying cider from different
barrels. Not all of them will taste exactly the same, being from different varieties
of apples.
Every diner is given their own glass, but they aren’t
served the cider. Instead, one of the waiters will occasionally shout ‘txotx’
which means the cider barrels will shortly be opened. Diners rush to the huge
wooden cider barrels, (kupelak) which are then opened from a small hole, with
cider shooting out. The cider has to be caught in your glass from a couple of
meters away!
After a very late lunch the owner of the sidreria
offered us a table on the small back balcony.
That area is much quieter and has a nice view. He wanted us to try out a type of bitter
(liquor) he has been working on for a long time. His bitter is made with local plants. It had an interesting taste but it was a little too
sweet for me. I loved the color and think
it definitely has potential as a true bitter.
Beware of wet flooring where people get their cider
from the huge barrels, it can get quite slippery and some people can’t wait to
see who the next victim of a slip or near fall will be but it’s all in good fun. In the old days (before health standards) the
floors were made of dirt and straw which could absorb the cider and not get
slippery. Now floors are tiled so they
are easier to clean but that also makes them slippery when wet. This place was
truly bustling and everyone was enjoying themselves, ending the sidreria season
with a bang.
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| Apple cider barrels at a sidreria (cider house) We went to the Urberu Sagardotegia Sidreria for a late lunch |
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| The idea is to catch the cider before it hits the floor - I wasn't very good at it The closer to the floor, the more difficult, But supposedly better because it inserts more bubbles in the cider |
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| My hosts Carmen and Txema were friends of the owner of the sidreria He had us taste a new bitter he was making with local plants/herbs Beautiful color, a bit too sweet for a bitter for my taste but promising Check out the scenery... |
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