Basques-msg - 4/29/06 Basque culture, language, names, clothing. NOTE: See also the files: France-msg, Spain-msg, fish-msg, languages-msg, Basques-bib. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Proper Basque Name Help.... Date: 7 Nov 1996 18:58:23 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley cafe (reymomo at soho-stl.com) wrote: : My lady is trying to come up with a Basque persona. So far, we've got : plenty of family names, but very few proper names for women. Can anyone : suggest sources/names? I have a couple of book titles, but I'll warn you that the best sources for Basque names (and other cultural information) are probably going to be written in Spanish. There are several considerations to keep in mind. As with any minority language, you will find that many Basque people in period used given names borrowed from the majority culture (Spanish or French, in this case), although possibly adapted to the sound-system of the minority language. So she will have the choice between a given name of Basque _linguistic_ origin, or a non-Basque-language name that was habitually used in Basque culture. The name books that I know of are as follows: Michelena, Luis. "Apellidos Vascos" (San Sebastian: Editorial Txertoa, 1973. ISBN 84-7148-008-5 This is the only book that I actually have a copy of. It is in Spanish and is organized by surname, however the text includes verbatim examples of whole names (including given names) with dates attached -- the very best sort of historic name source. I have not yet had time to go through it and extract and organize the given names in a useful fashion. (There is also the problem that it may be difficult to recognize the gender of Basque-langauge names -- and most will be male, as usual.) The U.C. Berkeley library has a copy of the book, if you have access to inter-library loan. (Call No. CS 29940 B 37 M 521 1973) The following book I know of only from bibliographic citation and have no firm idea how useful it is for historic research. Narbarte Iraola, N. "Diccionario etimologico de apellidos vascos" (San Sebastian: Txertoa, 1989) -- this would be primarily surnames (apellidos) Another useful place to look would be books on Basque history -- although the names are certain to be "normalized" in some fashion (as well as being primarily male). Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn From: skward at acs5.acs.ucalgary.ca (Shannon Krysta Ward) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Proper Basque Name Help.... Date: 8 Nov 1996 20:59:38 GMT Organization: The University of Calgary cafe (reymomo at soho-stl.com) wrote: : My lady is trying to come up with a Basque persona. So far, we've got : plenty of family names, but very few proper names for women. Can anyone : suggest sources/names? : Vicente There is a book by Connie Lockhart Ellefsen called _The Melting Pot Book of Baby Names_. It has a whole section on Basque names, both male and female. Of course there is no documentation for any of it, because it's a modern book, but it might serve as a jumping-off point. it seems to me that many Basque names, especially female names, are references to the Virgin Mary and local shrines thereof in the Basque language. Hope this helps, Pier Francesco da Montefiore From: miaminix at westworld.com (Lorilynn Iversen) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Basque Names Date: Sat, 23 Nov 1996 18:55:38 GMT f339j at unb.CA (Daniel Flemming) wrote: > (The Basque language actually predates Latin...) >Loki I'll say. According to Dr. L.L. Cavalli-Sforza's new book, genetic evidence suggests that the Basque language might just be the only surviving remnant of the language of the Neolithic inhabitants of the region, popularly known as the Cro-Magnons! Would that qualify as OOP? :) -- Alexis, who must admit to a certain amount of awe at the possibility From: shire2308 at aol.com Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Basque Names Date: 24 Nov 1996 14:11:11 GMT Yes, Basque does predate Latin; in fact, if you ask some of my cousins in Bilbao, they'll tell you it's the "original language of man". It's origions are still being debated (it's been connected to everything from Slavic to Pictish(!)....and some feel it is the origional language of the Iberian people). It is NOT spanish (or french, for that matter). Bring up "that" comparison around the wrong crowd in the wrong place and you could get yourself killed!! I am Basque (mundanely) but I don't speak a work of Euzkadi. My grandparents did....and there is a saying amongst the Basques that "when God is angry at the devil....he makes him learn Basque" (loose translation). The language is not only difficult....it's difficult to pronounce (ex. the term "Euzkadi" is prounounced "ooze-KAH-dah"....I love to see heralds stumbling with that one). But my own mundane name has been twisted many a time by well-meaning teachers, receptionists, etc.., so I'm always patient. (Basulto....."Ba-ba-Ba-suello!" or "ba-sa-luto!") There is a Spanish/Basque dictionary (it's huge...it's like "those Basques have a different word for everything.."). That will give you a general idea of pronounciation. I'll try and find the one I've seen and let you know where you can get it. I don't think Berlitz makes one, but you never know. In the meantime, good luck!, Armand Rafael D'Euzkadi Kingdom of the East Royal Forest of Rusted Woodlands From: Cynthia Virtue Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Basque Names Date: Mon, 02 Dec 1996 19:14:51 -0800 For those looking for sources on things Basque: I have a book which has been on my "must read soon" shelf for a regrettably long time, about the Basques. [My persona is nominally Basque.] You may find it useful; here is the relevant information: The Basques, by Roger Collins, Basil Blackwell Inc, of Cambridge Mass (and Oxford), publisher. First published 1986. Covers history of the Basque people from earliest times until the present, including modern political struggles for independence. ISBN 0-631-17565-2 Also I recall a doctoral thesis which I found in photocopy form in my college library, called "A Circle of Mountains." I do not recall the author's name, but it was specifically about the French Basques, their language and oral histories. I remember most strongly that the more or less current way (modern, not medieval) of visualizing things for the Basques is as circles or cycles (unlike westerners, who tend to see things in straight line progressions.) Also, as might be expected, their world view is/was shaped by the sheep with which they make their existance; apparently they have in the past viewed the human gestation cycle as being similar to making cheese; the woman has red milk, and the man contributes white rennet, and the baby is "curdled" in the womb. Fascinating... but I digress. And of course there is the book (not the movie) The Return of Martin Guerre, which is a popularized scholarly study about an odd case of mistaken identity in 1540 or thereabouts. The copy I have is by Natalie Zemon Davis via the Harvard University Press, and has a lot of bibliographic information in the back, which may be useful. If these sources have been covered already, I extend my apologies; I have missed some postings due to the holiday lag-time. --- Lady Cynthia du Pre Argent, Minister of Silly Hats, Crosston Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 10:46:55 +1000 From: Aden Steinke Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Iberian Basque 1500's? (long) Ester Mendes wrote: > I ran a search on the international library database, OCLC. While I > didn't find a huge number of items that dealt with the 16th century > specifically, I did find some books dealing with wider time frames > that may help you get started. Many of the books are out of print, > but you may be able to get them via Interlibrary Loan at your local > library. If you give your librarian the accession number, rather than > the ISBN, the search will go much faster. > > If you look for any library books on the topic use the following > keywords: > Pais Vasco > Pays Basque [Senhora Ester Mendes bibliography on the Basques is in the Florilegium as Basques-bib - Stefan] The major historical entity in period for the Basques was the Kingdom of Nafarroa/Navarre, and the main nautical state from which a large part of the crews of Columbus and Magellan came was Bizkaia/Vizcaya. Despite being linguistically and ethnically not related to the Spanish or French you can find a lot just by looking at regional info in Spanish / French books. > On a side note, it seems that a sizeable Basque community settled in > Nevada and Idaho and the university presses from those states seem to > have printed a hefty amount of Basque history. The University of Nevada, Reno has a Center for Basque Studies (one of my mothers cousins is there :) ) as a result of the large numbers of Basque shepherds migrating to the US in the early 20c. Aden > Senhora Ester Mendes > (Kirsti Thomas) > celyn at drizzle.com Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 17:41:21 -0400 From: Robin Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: Cooks within the SCA otsisto wrote: > I do not believe that Basque and Catalan are the same thing. > Lyse They are not the same thing. I have not come across any period recipes -- though that may be a language issue. Basque is not an Indo-European language, and is completely unlike, French, Spanish, and Catalan. Alan Davidson, in "The Penguin Companion to Food", mentions seafood and mushrooms as being two significant items in Basque cuisine. Mark Kurlansky, in "Cod: a biography of the fish that changed the world", says that in the Middle Ages, Basque fishermen were catching, salting, and selling large quantities of cod and whale. -- Brighid ni Chiarain Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 17:22:41 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" Basque and Catalans are different in both location and language. Catalan is a Romance language. Basque is not related to any major language and is lumped into a group of unrelated languages including Japanese, Ainu, Korean, Elamite, Etruscan, Merotic, Sumerian and Hurrian (according to the quick ref). Catlan is spoken from Andorra East into Catalonia and Roussillon (Fr.) and the Balearic Isles. Basque is spoken at the opposite end of the Pyrennees, primarily in the provinces that make up Navarre and, at one time, Gascony and Aquitane. Bear Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 15:36:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Huette von Ahrens Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: Cooks within the SCA --- Robin wrote: > otsisto wrote: >> I do not believe that Basque and Catalan are the same thing. >> Lyse >> > They are not the same thing. I have not come across any period recipes > -- though that may be a language issue. Basque is not an Indo-European > language, and is completely unlike, French, Spanish, and Catalan. Here is what the Encyclopedia Britannica says: Basque remains an isolated language with no known linguistic relatives. The hypothesis of the German philologist Hugo Schuchardt (1842-1927), which once had wide currency, posited an intimate genetic connection between Basque and Iberian and the Hamito- Semitic (Afro-Asiatic) language group. This theory was superseded by attempts to establish a more or less close link between Basque and Caucasian, the language group indigenous to the Caucasus region. A lack of common linguistic characteristics between the Basque and Hamito- Semitic languages makes Schuchardt's hypothesis extremely dubious. There are, however, some common features that favour the relationship between Basque and Caucasian. Still, proof of a genetic relationship beyond reasonable doubt appears remote. Perhaps the most promising theory involves the comparison of Basque with the long-extinct Iberian, the language of the ancient inscriptions of eastern Spain and of the Mediterranean coast of France. But, despite amazing phonological coincidences, Basque has so far contributed next to nothing to the understanding of the now-readable Iberian texts. Therefore, it is possible that the similarity may have resulted from close contact between Basques and Iberians and not from a genetic linguistic relationship. Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:26:30 -0400 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: Cooks within the SCA Kurlansky is also the author of The Basque History of the World : The Story of a Nation You might also check that out. Johnnae Robin wrote: > They are not the same thing. I have not come across any period > recipes -- though that may be a language issue. Basque is not an > Indo-European language, and is completely unlike, French, Spanish, and Catalan. > Alan Davidson, in "The Penguin Companion to Food", mentions seafood > and mushrooms as being two significant items in Basque cuisine. Mark > Kurlansky, in "Cod: a biography of the fish that changed the world", > says that in the Middle Ages, Basque fishermen were catching, salting, > and selling large quantities of cod and whale. Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:51:37 -0400 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: Cooks within the SCA Sorry if I confused things. I was on my way out the door to go get Patrick from practice. Santich is the only thing in English that comes to mind that might be close to containing medieval fare that the Basque people might have eaten. I did say it contained Catalan fare. Culinaria Spain doesn't contain a good historical section on the cusine; it does for a number of regions, but not this one. I checked Adamson and some of the other stuff laying around and didn't find anything else. In checking FirstSearch, there are however at least 170 books catalogued under Cookery, Basque so there might be something mentioned in one of those. 24 are listed as being in English. The only book that comes through in an added keyword search with the word history added is this one-- Traditional Basque cooking : history and preparation / which is a University of Nevada Press. UNV Press site says: Traditional Basque Cooking: History and Preparation Jose Maria Busca Isusi Busca Isusi discusses the history of Basque food from prehistoric times to the modern age-the kinds of food eaten, the cooking utensils employed, and the methods of preparation used. These favorite Basque recipes provide much information on this culture's unique cuisine as well as specific instructions on how to prepare the food. more ... 212 pages, line drawings, 1993 Paper, 0-87417-202-0 $21.95 Johnnae Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 10:05:53 -0400 From: "Daniel Phelps" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" > Be interesting, to see the recipe in translation- perhaps to discover if > this is an actual Basque recipe, or if it's a recipe perceived as being > cooked the way the Basque folks cook things, as we have seen in other > recipes. Personally, all things considered, I'd expect Basque recipes to be > heavily reliant on lamb or mutton, perhaps goat, since sheep and goats would > tend to be a more appropriate foodstuff for their lifestyles, than chickens > would. Hmmm... while they are now associated with sheepherding it is my understanding that the Basques in period were also intrepid fishermen and whalers. I seem to recall reading in national Geographic about a per-Columbus(?) Basque whaling station being discovered on the Canadian coast. That and that they fished the Grand Banks for cod first before being chased off by other people with navies. Perhaps some information regards food can be gleaned from a study of Henry of Navarre who was the last king of that "basque" kingdom. He united it with France or even his grandmother Margarette and her Heptameron as there might be pertinent asides in it as well. I have read that modern Spanish has a substantial number of 'basque" borrow words perhaps there are some basques cooking roots that can be explored? Daniel Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 13:41:55 -0500 From: "otsisto" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" The Basque that lived further inland were sheep and goat herders. They were fairly good with horses. Pamplona (org. Iruna) was/is(?) Basque territory. The racing of the bull is allegedly from a days of when Mithraism was introduced to the area. It was believed by the Basque that the first people were Centaurs and That the Basque were descendents of the Centaur or Zalzaval. Lyse Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 10:49:17 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" The whaling station is 16th Century. There is evidence that the Basque whalers may have reached Iceland by 1412 and possibly were in Labardor before Columbus arrived in the New World. There is speculation that Europeans have been fishing the Grand Banks since the late Neolithic, but the evidence is a little stronger for the Bretons and some other European fishermen fishing the Banks beginning about the 12th Century. To my knowledge, none has been proven. The speculation is the Basque began moving out into the Atlantic between the 12th and 15th Centuries due to intensified whaling and over harvesting in the Bay of Biscay. Bear > Hmmm... while they are now associated with sheepherding it is my > understanding that the Basques in period were also intrepid fishermen and > whalers. I seem to recall reading in national Geographic about a > per-Columbus(?) Basque whaling station being discovered on the Canadian > coast. That and that they fished the Grand Banks for cod first before > being chased off by other people with navies. > > Daniel Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 16:32:30 -0500 From: "otsisto" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" I have the book The Basque History of the World. There is a comment about Basque being Apple Country and mentions apple juice. Though it only gives 1600s as a date of the comment. There is a saute' pigeon recipe that is dated 1920. Pigeons cooked in wine were alleged to have been prepared by monks for pilgrims. And hunting wild pigeon in near the pass of Ibaneta was regulated in 1590 Fuero of Navarra. I understand that morningdoves are not on the no shot list. (just kinding) Traditional Basque Cooking: History and Preparation, is one of the recipe sources in the Basque history of the world book. ABEBooks has it. Lyse Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 01:52:32 -0500 From: "otsisto" Subject: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food/piment d'espelette To: "Cooks within the SCA" I have "The Basque Kitchen" by Gerald Hirigoyen. It mentions a spice called piment d'espelette. He says that you can substitute sweet paprika or mild chili powder but it won't be quite the same. Piment D'Espelette is a French Basque spice common, of coarse, in Espelette. http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/espelette1.html Excerpt: Early History When Columbus brought chile peppers to Europe from the Caribbean after his second voyage in 1493, they were first grown in monastery gardens in Spain and Portugal as curiosities. But soon the word got out that the pungent pods were a reasonable and cheap substitute for black pepper, which was so expensive that it had been used as currency in some countries. So the best thing about chilies-in addition to their heat and flavor-was that they did not have to be imported from India; anyone could grow them as annuals in temperate climates. Carried by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, numerous varieties of chilies quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean region and Africa, and the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere, where they permanently spiced up world cuisines such as those of India, Southeast Asia, and China. However, there were some famous national cuisines that were not conquered by chilies; Italians, for example, utilized chilies only sparingly. The peperoncinis, for example, are used in antipasto, crushed red chilies are a topping for Neapolitan pizzas, and hot red chili powder as an ingredient in some pasta sauces. But no one region in Italy celebrates chilies. In France, however, chilies were established as a tradition in just one region the Nive Valley in the southwest, and especially in the village of Espelette to the south. It is believed that chilies were introduced into the Nive Valley by Gonzalo Percaztegi in 1523, the same year that corn first made its appearance there. At first it was thought to be related to black pepper and was even called "long black American pepper," and it wasn't until the 17th century that it was placed in its own genus. Lyse Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 09:08:02 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Basque Food/piment d'espelette To: "Cooks within the SCA" I would take this article with a grain of salt. Chili peppers were found on Columbus's first voyage and are first described in the journal entry for Tuesday 15 January. The author may be confusing this with the tale that Queen Isabella was treated with medicine made from peppers brought back on the second voyage or is referencing inaccurate secondary sources. IIRC, Grewe speculates on the spread of peppers in Spain, but I have encountered no primary evidence of where and why they were grown. Personally, I speculate peppers were grown for the kitchen and the pharmacy rather than as curiosities, for Columbus states, "There is also much chili, which is their pepper, of a kind more valuable than [black] pepper, and none of the people eat without it, for they find it very healthful." Leonard Fuchs, in his 1545 Herbal, identifies these peppers as "Capiscon rubeum & nigrum: Roter and brauner Calecutischer Pfeffer, Capsicum oblongis: Langer Indianischer Pfeffer, and Capsicon latum: Breyter Indianishcer Pfeffer." Setting aside Fuchs's error of identifying the peppers with the Indian subcontinent, it is fairly obvious that capsicum peppers were placed in their own genus during their first (known) scientific description rather than in the 17th Century as the author describes. In my opinion, the most accurate statements in the article are probably those about Gonzalo Percaztegi, but I would like to know the author's sources so that I could verify the information. Bear Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 10:17:23 -0500 From: "otsisto" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] RE: Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" Traditional Basque cooking by Jose' Maria Busca Isusi. P.32 In the Basque Country, and principally on our farms, we find ourselves midway between the two methods(which is on page 31), which is not a virtue in this instance. These lines are offered as a piece of advice to the reader unfamiliar with the rice paellas served in our country homes which consist of gummy mixtures of grains of rice and more or less flavorful pieces of meat and fowl. Earlier in the book he gives the impression that the paella is a Spanish dish (from Valencia) that is transformed to Basque taste. It is a casserole of sorts. This book has a tiny bit of history of Spanish Basque foods with itty bitty amounts of references and conclusion to the references. -----Original Message----- (snip) Anyway off to the point of the intent of my message today, Basque food. Anyone know for sure whether Paella is Basque or Spanish? I know its development has fallen to the Spanish cousine. I have made several and they are really great crowd feeders. But I am trying to find actual documentable period recipes for them. I also realize they may have flown under the umbrella as they were primarily a peasant food for farm hands. Cealian Of Moray Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 14:35:54 -0500 From: "otsisto" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] RE: Basque Food To: "Cooks within the SCA" There is also "The Basque Kitchen" by Gerald Hirigoyen. But it is modern recipes, many his renditions. Though both books have what I consider an ewww factor recipes. Chiptrones en su tinta (Squid in it's own ink) and Txipiroia Beren Saltsan (stuffed squid in ink sauce). The latter has a picture, the sauce looks like a cross between plum sauce and an oil slick. I can't begin to describe the stuffed squid. :P (TWGoS)The TBC book reminded me that I had come across information that Millet was the main grain as wheat was hard to grow in the area. Also, before a certain type of oak died out in the area, acorns were another flour source. (side note: you can get a starch from acorns) Chestnuts was interchangeable or mixed with millet. Edited by Mark S. Harris Basques-msg