Inside
Country
BASQU
My friend Oliv ia’s mother and aunt are preparing quintessential Basque dishes for din-
ner. There will be blistered padrón peppers, along with baked goods. For the moment,
it’s a squid cook-off, and the sisters eye each other’s mise-en-place in the aunt’s apart-
ment kitchen in Biarritz, an elegant beach town wedged between the Pyrenees and
the Atlantic Ocean. " When most people think of Basque country, they think of
Spain, but the region is made up of seven provinces, three of which are in France.
By Jane Sigal
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH GALTON
Food Styling
By Mariana Velasquez
Baker, cheesemaker, pepper farmer, curer of ancient hams:
These are a few of the makers preserving the native tastes and character
of this distinctive corner of southwestern France