A taste of history

The traditional farmhouses that spread across the green hills of Bizkaia have always served as homes, stables, warehouses, granaries, workshops and ovens.

Some had a colt for shoeing animals, others had wells and drying sheds for making basketry, some had a water channel and a forge or mill, and some had a press for crushing the apples that turned into cider. Some also would offer a “benta” service: a place to buy cheese, wine, sausages, flour as well as find a few tables where you could have a plate of bacon with vegetables and “talo” with a pitxer (pitcher) of whatever drink was available. Chatting was never lacking.

Some specialised in the restaurant service. And some became a place of pilgrimage for lovers of this or that dish. Good beans, roast kid, black pudding with leek, sarteneko. Home recipes, grandma’s recipes. Following this route, old or restored farmhouses have evolved to preserve all the flavour and are now among the best in Bizkaia, the Basque Country and even the world.

This is the case of Bittor Arginzoniz’s Etxebarri, always at the top of all the charts. Others, such as Boroa, in Amorebieta Etxano, Garena in Dima or Andra Mari in Galdakao, hold Michelin stars. Jaureguibarria, also in Amorebieta-Etxano, is on the way. Baserri Maitea, in the hills of Forua, in the heart of Urdabai, or Korostondo, in Otxandiano, offer authentic experiences.

In Bilbao itself, Kate Zaharra or Txakoli Simón, the latter with recognised prestige in the treatment of beef cutlets and a bower that provides relaxation just by looking at it.

Special mention should be made of Aspaldiko, in Loiu, 10 minutes from the centre of Bilbao but in another world where peacocks walk through a huge garden. The building, with its tongue-and-groove wooden structure, is several hundred years old and deserves a visit for its amazing state of preservation. The restaurant and the service are exceptional.