There is no more popular and gastronomic tradition in the Basque Country than the Txotx, the cider season. The great moment of the year to meet your friends and family and taste together the first cider of the season, directly from the kupela (cider cask) and accompanied by the traditional dishes of the Basque cider houses. At SAGARDI Basque Country Chefs we join the celebration in our restaurants with our classic Astigarraga Menu and our kupelas well filled with the best natural cider of the season. So, be prepared to the Txotx!

The relation of the Basque people and cider has a strong historical basis, from the large fleets of Basque whalers who in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were loaded with cider casks in their cellars on the way to Greenland and Newfoundland, to the “caseríos” (Basque farmhouses) of the Basque mountain where wine from the areas of Álava and Navarra was difficult to acquire.

But the origin of the Txotx tradition is found on the informal tasting that was carried out in the old cider cellars when buying bottled cider, because the wineries of that time could not keep the drink during the whole year in the kupela, so during this time, from January to early spring, they had to stock up for the whole year.

 

 

The buyers had to taste the different kupelas to get the best quality cider to close the bottled Sagardoa deal. Later, those kupelas that had not been chosen to be bottled were sold by glasses directly from the kupelas, accompanied by something to eat, temporarily transforming the cellar into a cider house.

The tradition derived in the current cider season in which in many cider houses and cider cellars of Euskadi the classic cider house menu is served for these dates and the new cider harvest of the year can be tasted.

Cider is undoubtedly one of the great products that define the character of the popular Basque cuisine, a natural Sagardoa, without added carbon gas and high quality. Like the one we serve at SAGARDI Basque Country, which comes from the great world capital of Basque cider, Astigarraga, from our supplier and great friend Miguel Zapiain.

 

 

Like in Astigarraga, at SAGARDI Basque Country Chefs we follow the tradition that commands to accompany the first cider with a generous menu to share, composed by: the traditional pan-fried “txistorra” of our master butcher Kepa Loidi, the codfish omelette that we prepared in the “Roxario” ciderhouse-style, the original recipe of Txaro Zapiain, the pan-fried codfish, the “Txuleton vaca” matured beef, of course, and the most classic dessert, the selection of artisan Basque cheeses.

We invite you to celebrate the txoxt season with us!

 

MORE INFO and BOOKING: +34 679 20 20 40  – reservas@sagardi.com