Abstract
The Basque Country, located along the Spanish-French border, has a long history of cultural distinctiveness. Since the late 19th century, the region has also been home to a strong Basque nationalist movement. Today, the Basque Country is internationally renowned for its excellent cuisine. Many neutral observers consider it the best and most innovative cuisine in Spain. The area around San Sebastián ranks second on the Michelin international ranking, which measures the number of Michelin stars per inhabitant. Only Kyoto and its surroundings rank higher. This paper analyzes the amazing story behind Basque gastronomy’s global triumph from the mid-19th century to the present day. The analysis begins with the late 19th century discussion sparked by Spanish intellectuals about Spanish cuisine, which was criticized for being overly influenced by French standards of fine dining. A key point of this debate was determining whether a genuine Spanish national cuisine exists or if Spanish cuisine is merely the sum of its regional cuisines. Given the predominant influence of French cuisine also in Basque restaurants since the late 19th century, this paper addresses some crucial questions: When and why did BASQUE cuisine become visible as a symbol of premium gastronomy? How did this cuisine fit into the narrative of SPANISH national cuisine? Who were the drivers behind this success? What made the New Basque Cuisine movement so successful since the late 1970s? The paper discusses these questions with the aim of contributing to our knowledge of the relationship between cuisine and national identities.
Presenters
Ludger MeesProfessor, Contemporary History, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
History of Food, Spanish Cuisine, Basque Cuisine, National Identities
