Aquitaine And Pays Basque Overview

At the edge of France and Spain, Aquitaine and the Pays Basque are diverse in both landscape and culture. The English held Aquitaine from the 12th to 15th centuries, and the Pays Basque is the French half of the former kingdom of Navarre, the mountainous ancestral home of the Basque people. The area was joined with the Kingdom of France when its ruler, Henri IV, inherited the French throne in 1598. Today, a small Basque separatist minority still maintains that its land is independent of French and Spanish authority; for the most part, though, most French Basque willingly function in the larger French society while still proudly asserting their strong cultural identity.

Sprawling vineyards dominate Aquitaine, especially near Bordeaux, while the pine forest of Les Landes opens to the windswept west coast known for its stunning beaches, wild waves, and great surfing. In Pays Basque, closer to the Spanish border, the scent of fresh seafood accompanies the clinking of cowbells. An hour or two to the east, tiny villages sit among the towering peaks, lush foliage, and roaring waterfalls of the Pyrenees.

When locals aren’t enjoying the beach or mountain trails, they’re relishing the regional cuisine. The Pays Basque cooks up some of France’s best seafood, along with jambon cru (cured ham) and the ubiquitous piperade (omelet with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes). In Aquitaine, Moulard duck, Roquefort cheese, and Armagnac (a local brandy) are essentials. Aquitaine flavors its cuisine with the elusive truffe noir (black truffle), but its glory is its wine, as the vineyards of Bordeaux produce some of the world’s best vintages.