So, Friday the 6th of February was a very busy day for me because after the USAC excursion to Hondarribia and Zumbaia, most of the USAC group also took a trip to a Basque sidería. This trip wasn’t organized by USAC because they pretty much aren’t allowed to plan anything that involves drinking. This was planned through Mikel, a local guy who handles promoting the bars Molly Malone’s and Bataplan to all of the international students. He is also the intercambio of one of the twins (more on that later).
After an hour or two of resting after the excursion, us USAC students piled into a large bus and set off on the most jerkiest bus ride I have ever experienced. The driver needed to learn to take it easy on the clutch. Not long though, we arrived at the sidería. We walked inside, hoping it would be warmer than outside, but to my disappointment, the temperature only changed slightly. There were long tables with just loafs of bread set out. The thing about Spain, is that bread is eaten with every meal. It is strange to even mention bread when asked what you had for dinner because it is expected. Also, there usually aren’t condiments for the bread and having a plate provided is rare.
I was hungry so, naturally, I start snacking on bread. Next thing you know, our table is up and we head over to the other room, which is filled with large barrels of hard cider. An employee opens the spout and a stream of cider comes pouring out. We stand in a line to get our cup under the flow and only fill it up by a few inches. This cider is meant to be drunk quickly since it’s “natural” cider and the slight carbonation goes away after a little amount of time. You can imagine how this played out with a large group of 20-something-year-olds (Don’t worry Dad, the cider was only 4-6% abv).
Not the best photo, but the only one I have that shows the barrels
Filling up
In between trips to the barrels –each of which house a different type of cider, by the way– groups would head back to the tables for different courses of food. The meal we were served is traditional of all Basque cider houses and the plates were put in the center of the table for all to share. Our first course was a small plate of chorizo, which I ate with bread. Next, we were served tortilla de bacalao (cod omelette), cod with rice, and then grilled peppers with pieces of cod. See what I mean when I say the Basques are crazy for their cod? Finally, out came the steaks, which are huge, served on the bone, and extremely rare. At first, I was a little uneasy about eating meat so rare, but it was delicious. The whole experience felt very authentic and I’d be happy to do it again.
Cod with rice
Allison, me
Kenna!
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