The Food of the Basque Derby

With the Basque Derby about to take place in the Copa del Rey for the very first time, Abbas Asaria serves up an equally mouthwatering preview of the Basque region’s culinary delights.

This Sunday’s Basque Derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club will be its most competitive outing to date: its first ever Copa del Rey final, rescheduled from last spring. Fans play a huge part in this fixture, which is why both teams tried to postpone it until fans would be allowed back, but sadly to no avail. They create a special and friendly atmosphere for a significant derby: there’s traditionally a joint supporters parade towards their stadiums before games in Spain, while their respective supporters clubs in my hometown of London will sometimes arrange to watch it together.

It’s a game that can transcend football. In 1976, the year after Franco’s death, it was illegal to display or possess the Basque flag in line with the suppression of the Basque language and identity under the dictatorship. Yet both captains carried one onto the field before that year’s derby, opening a dialogue that led to the flag’s legalisation a year later. The way that both fans come together to enjoy Basque singing and poetry (Bersolaritza) before games shows how the Basque Derby can be a celebration of Basque identity and culture. It’s a culture that’s responsible for some of the best food I’ve ever had: and so it’s only fitting, on the eve of the final, that I provide you with a culinary preview.

I couldn’t talk about Basque food without mentioning bacalao (salt-dried cod), which is especially popular around Bilbao. It’s delicious, and I’m not alone in preferring its more intense flavour compared to fresh cod. When cooked slowly in oil, it releases its natural gelatin that adds a lovely richness to whichever sauce it’s cooked with. Some of my favourite Basque dishes rely on this: bacalao a la Vizcaina, with red onions, tomatoes, and choricero peppers, and bacalao al pil pil - a technically challenging dish where the sauce is made from emulsifying just the oil and the gelatin. For Athletic Club fans however, bacalao isn’t only sustenance, but a goal celebration.

Fede Merino started the tradition of shouting ‘Bacalao!’ to celebrate goals in the 1980s while commentating on the radio, but it’s mainly associated with his successor, José Iragorri, who turned it into an art form. Though he died in 2014, bacalao lives on in Athletic Club legend. The press room at the San Mamés has since been named after him, and the chant continues with each goal among fans and commentators alike.

Basque cuisine also boasts world class meat, in the form of txuleton: prime rib steaks from older cows with the most intense, meaty flavour, which pairs perfectly with the local cider. Brewed to be non-fizzy, it’s poured from a height to aerate it on its way down, and this combination can best be enjoyed in countryside Basque cider houses (Sagardotegui). Given the opulent tasting menu they serve, it’s just as much an experience as a meal. There’s tortilla de bacalao (cod omelette) and roasted cod with peppers to start; a juicy, medium rare steak as the main event; Idiazabal cheese, quince jelly and walnuts for desert; and, of course, unlimited cider. Most of these cider houses are in the region around San Sebastian and Real Sociedad, and the man known there as El Rey del Txuleton (The King of Txuleton) is one of the most important footballers in their history.

Real Sociedad, much like Athletic Club, had a Basque-only selection policy until signing John Aldridge in 1989. Some fans initially opposed his arrival and what it represented, but he soon won over the Txuri-urdin faithful, and a local butcher offered him a txuleton for every goal he scored. It earned him the above nickname, and also started a wonderful tradition between the club and other foreign strikers that arrived soon after. Aldridge left two years and 40 steaks later, having made the club’s identity what it is today, and was given a standing ovation on his return in 2015. As a little nod, the club currently raffle a txuleton to a supporter with each game.

Food is a big part of matchdays, and before games you’d normally find bars around the stadium filled with fans enjoying drinks and pintxos. Pintxos are small, individual portions of food skewered onto a toothpick, often onto a bit of bread, and are a great way to try lots of different dishes in an evening. “The pintxo de tortilla (Spanish omelette pintxo) is king,” says Beñat Gutierrez, an Athletic Club fan and host of the Txoko Podcast. Alex Zubiria, a journalist and Real Sociedad fan I spoke to, is a fan of the Gilda: a pickled chilli, an olive and an anchovy on a toothpick. “Enjoying pintxos is a huge part of our culture,” Txabita, the president of the Athletic Club Supporters Club in London, tells me. “It’s a big part of our annual trip to the San Mamés. While it’s not the same, we’ve sometimes organised pintxo competitions in London before matches.”

The eating continues during the game with the bocata - the halftime sandwich. You have classic fillings like tortilla (Spanish omelette) or jamon that are popular across Spain, but also the occasional regional twist. Alex particularly likes tortilla with txaka (crab sticks), a popular combination around San Sebastian, and Athletic Club commissioned local Michelin starred chefs to make their own special ones to celebrate their local gastronomy. The bocata does much more than feed you and there’s one for every occasion. Chef Ander Unda has his bocata del gol, a salt-cod sandwich in honour of their goal celebration, while Beñat tells me how a good bocata has often rescued a disappointing result. Chef Fernando Canales, while making his fried tongue and red pepper sandwich, shows how it can bring fans together. “I make two,” he says, “One to eat, and one to share and make friends, since there’s always someone who’s forgotten theirs.” Just make sure to not rely on Eneko Atxa for that, who despite bringing two sandwiches, eats both himself. “One when the game starts”, he says, “and one at half time.”

It was none of these dishes, however, that was behind Athletic Club’s recent Spanish Super Cup: their first trophy in five years. The winning goal was scored by Iñaki Williams, who became Athletic’s first black goalscorer in 2015. Born in Bilbao to Ghanian parents, his presence in a team with a Basque-only selection policy, an identity traditionally associated with whiteness, is massive. While a minority of fans saw his inclusion as breaking with the club’s traditions, Iñaki sees himself as part of it. “I want to open people’s minds who still say ‘That black guy can’t be Basque or play for Athletic,” he says. “No. I’m black and I’m Basque. I feel Basque.”

His prominent position in the team and statements around his identity have started conversations on what it means to be Basque, and have allowed others from black and immigrant families access to an identity that would have historically excluded them. He’s been a constant for a team whose fortunes have oscillated during his tenure, having recently overtaken Andoni Zubizarreta’s tally of 184 consecutive La Liga games. Shortly after his winning Super Cup goal his mother was asked by a radio station the secret to his longevity, and had a simple answer: “Ghanian food. His favourite is fufu and groundnut soup, it gives him energy.” When both teams take to the field this Sunday, in a game that has often served as a means to celebrate Basque identity, it’s fitting that one of the protagonists will be someone who has helped to redefine what that means.

Abbas is the host of The East African - Indian Supper Club. Follow him on Instagram here.