Author, photographer, and journalist Rob Kachelriess has just published a fascinating report on the culinary offerings to be found by visitors to Nevada on Thrillist, a website dedicated to cuisine, drink travel, and entertainment.
Actually, he goes beyond covering just cuisine, because the footprints left by the Basques in that part of the world are, as we’ve often said, far-reaching and quite deep. Yes, it is true that gastronomy is perhaps the most noticeable face of that multifaceted heritage. We never fail to remember the H.D. Miller article we brought you in 2015 where the (at least then) director of the History, Politics, and Philosophy Department at the University of Lipscomb in Nashville defined the cuisine imported by the Basques who emigrated to the Far West as the most representative regional cuisine of the Intermountain West, the region located between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada, which separates it from California and the Pacific.
The author, on his culinary trip through Nevada, introduces us to the important Basque present and culture to be found throughout the state. He also gives an excellent overview of the history of our small national community, located on both sides of the Pyrenees since time immemorial.
A nation, our nation, indeed our culture and people in world history, are subsumed into that of the nation-states it is administered by. This means that that people never get to decide their own future, as the militaries of other nations such as Spain and France make those decisions for them.
But it’s still quite interesting that cuisine is turning into one of the key elements that is helping us to define ourselves and make clear our different reality. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go, as Basque cuisine is still subsumed under “French” or “Spanish” cuisine, depending on who’s writing the by-line.
This is a situation that befalls even this otherwise excellently written article we’re discussing today. Given how carefully the author chose his words in the article itself, it’s disheartening to see a subtitle (written by the publication) talking about the “Spanish/French towns near Reno.” It’s the inevitable price to pay for having our history and culture always written by other nations.
But that is but a minor flaw to this truly excellent article. Rob Kachelriess takes us on a deep and honestly spectacular journey through the key elements left behind by the Basques in Nevada, from Basque restaurants to Basque festivals (which, by the way, are getting started right now), passing through cultural centers and places where you can learn Basque, he shows us everything.
It’s an amazing article that helps sets up the Basques in the world as the leading players in their own history and culture.
Thrillist – 25/5/2023 – USA
Eat Your Way Through European Basque Country in… Nevada?
Nevada is synonymous with bright neon lights, easy entertainment, the allure of casino cashouts, and an Old West cowboy culture that appreciates a good shot of whiskey, especially if it’s distilled from the grain of the land. But there’s something a little less expected in the northern half of the Silver State. From Gardnerville to Reno to Ely, a strong presence of Basque culture fills the deserts with European family-style dinners, dancing to accordion music, and numerous summer festivals full of games and lots of red attire. The Basque community was part of a wave of immigration during the gold and silver rush that shaped the character and fortune of the Wild West.
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Last Updated on Dec 3, 2023 by About Basque Country
