Page 455 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Bastions of Everyday Basque Life
For a true Basque experience, start with Bayonne (p458),
the capital of Basque culture and home to the Musée
Basque, then dip into one of the fishing villages that dot
the coast, such as St-Jean-Pied-de-Port (p460), for bowls
of marmitako (fish stew, typically tuna), eaten to the
sound of pelota balls being smacked across a court, or to
the border towns Aïnhoa (p459) and Espelette, where the
annual pepper festival has been celebrated for centuries.
If there is only time to visit one village, make it St-Jean-de-
Luz (p466). This proud fishing port, with its red timber-
framed architecture set against the breathtaking
backdrop of the Pyrénées, is a quintessential Basque gem.

Fishing and pleasure boats PELOTA
bobbing in front of St-Jean- A traditional Basque
de-Luz’s charming and ballcourt game, pelota
colourful harbourfront. pits players against
each other using their
bare hands, different
kinds of bats or a
chistera – a narrow
curved basket on the
end of a glove. It can be
played in a number of
ways, generally
against a wall, like a
cross between squash
Axoa aux and handball; you’ll see
piments a high-walled court or
d’Espelettes, fronton in most Basque
a typically towns and villages.
spicy Basque
veal stew

Zingy Cuisine
The food in this region is
distinctly different from the
rest of French cuisine.
Basque dishes are generally
spicy, with their central
ingredient being the piment
d’Espelette, a mild pepper.
You’ll see strings of these
peppers adorning buildings
throughout the region, but
most evidently in the village
of Espelette, from which
they take their name.

Stringing Espelette peppers
into ristras (chains) to dry
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