ALBACORA Albacore, Thunnus alalunga. Small tuna common in the Bay of Biscay; the meat is less heavy than that of the atun. See also FISH.
ALUBIAS Haricot beans. Usually bought dried.
AMACHU Mother.
ANCHOA Anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus. See also FISH.
ANGULA Elver, or baby eel.
ARROZ Rice; a dish made with rice.
ASADOR Barbecue; barbecue restaurant.
ATUN Bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus. Largest of the tuna family, popular in Basque cookery particularly with tomato sauces or grilled. See also FISH.
BACALAO Salt-cod. See also FISH.
BESUGO Red sea bream, Pagellus bogaraveo or P. centrodontus. The best of the sea breams. See also FISH.
BONITO Bonito, Sarda sarda. Small tuna produced in the same ways as atun. The flesh is lighter in colour. See also FISH.
CABRACHO Scorpion fish, Scorpaena scrofa. See also FISH.
CASERIO A farm house; caserío-txakolí is a winery and inn where txakolí wine is made and sold.
CAVA WINE Spanish sparkling wine prepared by the méthode champenoise.
CAZUELA Earthenware casserole; a dish prepared in this.
CEBOLLA Onion.
CHIQUITO Small glass of wine.
CHORICERO PEPPER A variety of green or red pepper. The term is commonly used for dried sweet red pepper.
CHORIZO Sausage flavoured with pepper, pimentón and garlic.
COSTERA Fishing season.
CUADRILLAS A group of men.
DORADA Gilthead bream, Sparus auratus. See also FISH.
ENSALADA Salad.
EUSKADI The Basque country; euskal sukaldaritza berria is the new Basque cuisine.
FISH In most of the fish recipes, one kind may be substituted for another of the same general type – white or oily. Far more important is that the fish should be very fresh. In the tunny recipes any type of fresh tunny (but not canned) may be used. However, scorpion fish, with its unusual flavour, must be used for the pastel de krabarroka. This fish is the famous rascasse said to be indispensable for making bouillabaisse, and is sometimes imported for that purpose by very serious fish shops. Monkfish is also irreplaceable, but easy enough to find.
FUERO Local law conferring privilege on an organization.
GUIBELURDINA Wild mushroom, Russula cynaxanta. See also MUSHROOMS.
HOJALDRE Millefeuille, dish made with puff pastry.
HORNO Oven.
HUEVO Egg.
KAIKU One-piece birchwood milking pail.
KOTOTXA Cheek pieces of hake; a delicacy.
KUPELA, KUPELAK Wine or cider vat.
LECHE Milk.
LUBINA Sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. See also FISH.
MARINERA, A LA In the style of fisherfolk.
MERLUZA Hake, Merluccius merluccius. See also FISH.
MORCILLA black pudding.
MUSHROOMS Many of the species mentioned on pages 6–10 also grow wild in Britain and temperate North America. Most species grow in autumn, apart from morels (spring) and St George’s mushroom (early summer). Common mushrooms identical or closely related to those in this book are as follows: zizak, St George’s mushroom (Tricholoma gambosum, not T. georgii as you would suppose, has that name in Britain), or use other Tricholoma species such as the blewit (T. saevum) and wood blewit (T. nudum); related to guibelurdiña are several Russula species, of which the green capped R. virescens is probably the best; similar to Boletus aereus is the cep (B. edulis) and several other types of Boletus are common; ziza-ori, chanterelle (Cantharellus edulis); karraspina, morel (Morchella esculenta, M. vulgaris is similar); galanperna, parasol (Lepiota procera); esnegorri, milk cap (Lactarius deliciosus); ink cap or shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus); berrengorri, field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) and several other Agaricus species (the cultivated mushroom, A. bisporus, is an uninteresting relative). Do not look for the rare kuletos, Caesar’s agaric (Amanita caesarea): if you think you have found one, it will almost certainly turn out to be a pale specimen of the poisonous fly agaric (A. muscaria) with its distinctive white flecks washed off the cap by rain. You can buy some wild mushrooms in good delicatessens: field mushrooms; occasionally chanterelles, fresh or dried; morels, dried or in cans; and ceps, almost always dried but quite easy to find, usually under their Italian name funghi porcini or German Stein-pilze. One kind of wild mushroom can be substituted for another, except for Tricholoma species, most of which have a mild flavour. A reasonable way to fake a mixture of wild mushrooms is to use cultivated mushrooms and add a few dried ceps or Chinese dried mushrooms (these are shiitake, Lentinus edodes, and are widely available from oriental delicatessens: they are dried whole and have distinctive dark caps with white cracks). Soak the dried mushrooms until soft (ceps need several hours, shiitake 20 minutes), strain the soaking water and add it to the recipe. Dried mushrooms are too strong flavoured really to use on their own in a recipe containing a large quantity of mushrooms.
NUEVA COCINA VASCA New style of Basque cookery.
OLIVE OIL The most popular oil in Spain. It is extracted in several stages. The oil from the first pressing, called ‘extra virgin’, has a fine olive flavour. Virgin oil that does not meet the highest grading standard is refined and then blended with premier quality oil to create olive oil.
OLLA, OLLO Cooking pot; dish prepared in a pot.
PASTEL A cake pie, or even pâté; pastelito is a little one; pastelería means pâtisserie.
PELOTA Basque national ball game.
PESCADO General term for fish.
PIL-PIL, AL Method of cooking fish with oil and garlic.
PIMENTON Sweet or hot red pepper condiment. Quite easy to obtain, but at a pinch paprika can be used instead.
PIMIENTO Sweet pepper.
PIPERADE Cooked dish of tomatoes and peppers lightened with eggs.
PROBATEKO Tasting of wine or cider.
QUESO Cheese.
RAPE Monkfish, Lophius piscatorius. See also FISH.
REVUELTO Literally ‘turned over’; a dish of scrambled eggs.
SALSA Sauce.
SIDRERIA Cider house, often one open to the public for tasting and food.
SOPA Soup; sop (bread used to take up liquid).
TALO Maize cake.
TAPA Any of an amazing variety of snacks eaten with wine.
TORTILLA Flat omelette.
TXAKOLI A young, sharp, slightly sparkling rosé or white wine; not unlike Portuguese vinho verde, which may be used as a substitute in recipes.
TXISTORRA Sausage with spices and garlic.
TXISTU Basque wind instrument, played by a txistulary.
VIZCAINA, A LA In the style of Biscay province.
ZIZAK Wild mushroom of the genus Tricholoma. See also MUSHROOMS.