The Basque History of the World - Mark Kurlansky [149]
The blood sausages were grilled on a wood-burning hearth in the living room, and when they were done, it was time to sit once again at the long table in the kitchen where the choriceros were drying overhead. The Rioja and bread were distributed again. They joked in Basque about the large behind of Felisa’s sister, Estafanía, who was plump and round and had a contagious laugh.
Estafanía’s husband presented his theory that all Basques go to heaven because they don’t know how to curse, a hypothesis that met with snickers. There are no swear words in Euskera. The only one anyone could come up with was madarikátue, which means “damned.” The others thought you could still get to heaven if all you said was madarikátue. But Estafanía said, “No. It won’t work. We Basques swear all the time. It’s just that the words we use are maketos.”
They all laughed. After chorizo, there was the blood sausage, which had a fresh vegetable taste unlike any commercial blood sausage. Next came slices from a cut just above the leg.
Well fed and contented, Estafanía sighed and said, “You see, the best times in life are the first year of marriage and the week you kill the pig.”
THE SIXTEENTH-CENTURY Guipúzcoan Esteban de Garibay, the first scholar of Basque history and the first to attempt to trace the origin of the Basque people and language, told the Castilian crown in the clear simplicity of the ancient language, that which Basques have been saying ever since: “Garean gareana legez,” Let us be what we are.
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Also by Mark Kurlansky
COD
A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
A CHOSEN FEW
The Resurrection of European Jewry
A CONTINENT OF ISLANDS
Searching for the Caribbean Destiny
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The Basque Thank You
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I AM THAT rare and fortunate writer, completely convinced that I work with the best people in publishing: my agent, Charlotte Sheedy, who makes me smile while she persuades me, along with everyone else; George Gibson, still my ideal of what a publisher should be; and most especially Nancy Miller, whose skill and wisdom are always there both as an editor and as a most wonderful friend in good and bad times.
I also want to thank the talented and helpful people at Walker & Company who make it the great house it is; Kristine Puopolo for her interest and advice; Matt Spetalnick for his help in Madrid; and Virginia Peters, who a long time ago came with me to fish beautiful streams and bravely stared down back-alley thugs in patent leather hats.
So many great Basques enriched this book with their generosity, interest, knowledge, and experience. I especially want to thank Joseba Zulaika, who did much to improve this book and has been far too helpful to list alphabetically; Teresa Barrenechea for so much generosity and enthusiasm, for sharing her friends, for being a one-woman public relations force in Vizcaya, and for improving my pil pil backhand; Miel Elvstondo for answering so many of my endless questions; Eva Forest for much valuable advice and assistance, and all the great books; Ramón and Clotilde Labayen for their friendship, hospitality, and advice.
Thanks also go to Jose Allendesalazar for his help and interest; Begoña Aretxaga for her thoughts and advice; the Aranzadi Zientzi Elkartea for help with the Elkain cave drawings; Arautza Barandiaran for her help at the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián; Amaia Basterretxea for her patient assistance at the Euskal Arkeologia, Etnografia eta Kondaira Museum in Bilbao; Itxaro Borda for her help in Mauléon; José Juan Castillo, the great chef, for his kindness and advice; Maïte Faure for her help in Mauléon; Charles-Paul Gaudin for sharing his photo collection; José Gorrotxategi Pikasarri, the great pastry maker of Tolosa, for his thoughts and advice; Maite Idirin for her thoughts and advice; José Luis Iturrieta for his help and many kindnesses; Felisa Madariaga and Julián Gabikaetxebarria for their friendship, hospitality, and advice; Luis Núñez Astrain for his help at Egin; Olivier Ribeton for help at