By Real Academia de Gastronomía
Silvia Artaza
Dining room of the Basque Gastronomic Brotherhood (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
The so-called txokos, or societies, are private venues where groups of friends get together to cook and enjoy spending time together around the dinner table. They have helped cultivate and preserve the Basque Country's traditional culinary heritage. How much do you know about them?
Luis and Onintza in San Sebastián's old town (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
1. Tired of paying for the tiniest drop of wine
The first society in the Gipuzkoan capital was La Fraternal, located in the old city. It began in the mid-19th century when a group of txikiteros (friends who would meet up to drink wine from very small glasses called txikitos) in San Sebastián became tired of paying for the tiniest drop of wine. They decided to set up their own place, stock it with food and drink, and socialize without being restrained by opening hours.
Cooking at the Basque Gastronomic Brotherhood (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
2. A space for democracy …
A txoko is made up of members: there is a president, there is a founding charter, and bylaws that lay down the rules governing their activities. There are no owners; the members all feel the same sense of ownership and it works because it is run on the basis of mutual trust. This motto meant that, back then, craftsmen, doctors, fishermen, lawyers, and merchants alike all shared the same space.
Members of the brotherhood setting the table (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
3. … and collaboration
A day spent in a gastronomic society is a collaborative affair: some cook, others prepare the starters, someone else cuts the bread, and others put out the tablecloths and crockery. There is no wait staff: the guests organize the serving of the food and the clearing away afterward among themselves. Everyone who comes to a txoko for a meal has to pay a small fee to cover costs such as cleaning, use of the stoves, table linen, and cutlery.
Members of the brotherhood cooking (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
4. Not just about eating
Spending a day in a gastronomic society is about so much more than eating, and no one understands this as well as they do in the Basque Country. It's about sharing and spending time together. They share lunch, but also anecdotes and news: both good and bad.
Members of the brotherhood cooking (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
5. Members only
Only members have the right to enter the txoko or society's premises, though they are allowed to bring guests. If they do so, they have to reserve in advance, confirming the total number of people and paying their bill at the end.
Time for the appetizer at the Basque Gastronomic Brotherhood (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
6. And, at the time, exclusively for men
At the time the societies were established, women were prohibited from entering the premises, let alone being members. Though times have changed, progress is moving at a slow pace, and the issue still rears its head today. In some gastronomic societies, women are still only allowed to enter on specific dates and at set times. In others, women may go into the txoko but not the kitchen. And some societies do open their doors to women, but not as fully fledged members. However, change is unstoppable. In 1998, Aurora Aramburu was the first woman president of a gastronomic society in the Basque Country.
The Library of the Basque Gastronomic Brotherhood (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
7. Preserving tradition
Many associations originally set out to safeguard Basque gastronomic tradition by recovering traditional recipes, such as marmitako (tuna pot) or cod in pil-pil sauce, or regulating regional products. In some cases, this work includes creating and retaining a gastronomic reference archive, which is passed between the members year after year. One example of this is the Alejandro Dumas International Library of Gastronomy of the Basque Gastronomy Association (Cofradía Vasca de Gastronomía).
Medals at the Basque Gastronomic Brotherhood (2020)Real Academia de Gastronomía
8. From the Basque Country to the whole world
Today, gastronomic societies also exist outside the Basque Country, and not only because of their direct influence on neighboring regions such as Navarre, and cities like Madrid and Barcelona. They also exist in countries like Uruguay and Argentina, where there are large Basque communities. These offshoots keep this culinary legacy alive thousands of miles away.
Exhibition based on the texts of Silvia Artaza.
Photography: David de Luis.
This exhibition is part of the Spanish gastronomy project, España: Cocina Abierta (Spain: Open Kitchen), coordinated by Google Arts & Culture and Spain's Royal Academy of Gastronomy (Real Academia de la Gastronomía). The section on culinary legacy was coordinated by María Llamas, director of the Alambique cookery store and school.
Acknowledgements
Lourdes Plana Bellido, president of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy; Elena Rodríguez, director of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy and Carmen Simón, academic of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy.
www.realacademiadegastronomia.com
www.alambique.com
