Littera Deusto

Modern Languages, Basque Studies and Humanities

Getting to know some of the best chefs in the Basque Country

enero 2nd, 2014 · No hay Comentarios

The Basque Country is the Spanish region with the largest number of Michelin Stars in the food sphere. The question that arises here is:  why is food so important for Basque people? As María José Sevilla claims in her book Life and Food in the Basque Country, “it is simply a question of understanding their order of priorities and, as far as the Basques are concerned, the delights of the table head the list”.  However, this is only possible thanks to the work of great chefs who are constantly trying to innovate. Here you can find out a little bit more about some of the best chefs in the Basque Country.

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Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak

This father and her daughter are considered to be the best chefs in the whole Basque Country. They both work in a familiar restaurant where they also have a kind of food laboratory. They have Michelin Stars, national gastronomy awards… Moreover, Elena Arzak was chosen as the best female chef of the World in 2012. The Arzak family stands up for innovation and usually has traditional Basque gastronomy as a basis for its dishes. In words of Juan Mari Arzak: “La raíz vasca está en todos nuestros platos por mucho que se fusionen”.

Karlos Arguiñano

He is not probably one of the best chefs in the Basque Country, but he is quite a popular chef in the country. He usually prepares traditional, daily food. He has become famous thanks to several recipes books and TV cooking programmes, where he tells some funny jokes. He also has his own restaurant in Zarautz.

Andoni Luis Aduriz

This young chef is the owner of a restaurant called Mugaritz. He has worked with famous Spanish chefs such as Ferran Adriá and Pedro Subijana. One of his main concerns has to do with innovation. In fact, his restaurant collaborates with some creativity projects and he has assisted to a great number of conferences and meetings regarding cooking. He defines his style as austere, organic and natural.

Martín Berasategui

As many other chefs, he started working in his familiar restaurant, where he learnt the basic things about cooking. Some time after, he became the main responsible and made several trips to France in order to complete his training. Now, he has three Michelin Stars and owns some restaurants. The most famous one is located in Lasarte. As he says, “nunca existe una gran cocina sin un gran producto”.

 

REFERENCES

R. W. Apple Jr. (2004) Basque Chefs, sharing the glory. The New York Times. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/dining/basque-chefs-sharing-the-glory.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

María José Sevilla (1989) Life and Food in the Basque Country. New Amsterdam Books.

Javier Urroz (2008) Entrevista Juan Mari Arzak. El País. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://elpais.com/diario/2008/10/05/paisvasco/1223235611_850215.html

EFE (2013) Berasategui: Nunca existe una gran cocina sin un gran producto. El Confidencial. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://www.elconfidencial.com/ultima-hora-en-vivo/2013-12-04/berasategui-nunca-existe-un-gran-cocina-sin-un-gran-producto_115347/

Inés Calle (2008) Entrevista a Andoni Aduriz. Editorial Alaire. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://editorialalaire.es/articulo/160/entrevista-a-andoni-aduriz

Isabel Gallo (2010) Entrevista a Karlos Arguiñano. El País. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://elpais.com/diario/2010/09/18/radiotv/1284760801_850215.html

Howie Kahn (2013) Chef Juan Mari Arzak’s Heirlooms. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 26th December, 2013 from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323469804578525203339567478

 

 

 

 

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