Gastronomic society
A gastronomic society ( Spanish sociedad gastronómica ; Basque txoko , corner, angle, small locality ' ; French société gastronomique ) is an association with a permanent seat in the Spanish Basque Country , Navarra and the French Basque Country , where one or more club members attend on special occasions a menu is prepared, which is eaten by the table company of members and, if necessary, their guests. In some places in the Basque Country, mainly in Gipuzkoa , these institutions are simply called societies (Spanish sociedades ).
What makes it special is that the person who cooks does it free of charge, while the participants bring the ingredients with them. This does not apply to basic ingredients that, like drinks, are made available by society. When the event is over, an invoice for the basic ingredients used and the beverages consumed is drawn up and the signed invoice and the money for it are left in a locked mailbox in the company's area.
The common expenses are covered by the membership fee. The members are usually men. Until recently, women were completely denied access to societies. Even today there are some where women are unable to enter, such as the Sociedad Gaztelubide in Donostia-San Sebastián . On the portal of the societies this is attributed to the allegedly matriarchal origin of Basque society: the man, although he is the head of the family and functions as such in society, only takes on a passive role in the household, and the societies serve that the men Houses and thus the control of women could escape. This also explains the original ban on them from joining the societies.
Quirks
A fundamental characteristic of gastronomic societies is that their own members cook. It starts with buying in the market, if the raw material is not procured otherwise, for example through hunting, fishing or collecting. After cooking, the kitchen utensils are usually cleaned and tidied up (sometimes there is a cleaning service).
It is very common for a group to sing after meals or during meals. The tendency in the Basque Country to sing together is widespread; in such a way that it is very common to come across groups of all ages who sing together or singing through the bars during the social gathering after dinner or during dinner.
Other companies
In some large houses it is customary to prepare an area, usually a basement or basement , for gatherings with friends. This place usually has a kitchen and a spacious table and, by analogy, is also called a txoko .
There is also a variant of these societies called the Stammtisch ( peña ). They are widespread in Navarre , and the most famous are in Pamplona , they are called the regulars of San Fermín ( peñas sanfermineras ).
The custom that the members are exclusively men is no longer continued in the case of the regulars' tables .
Web links
- Sociedad Gaztelubide (Spanish / Basque)
- Sociedad Gastronómica "El Rinconín", fundada en Oviedo in 1965 (Spanish)
- Dave Seminara, BBC: Inside Spain's secret food societies (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Sociedades Gastronómicas
- ^ A b Las Sociedades - Mujer y Sociedades. Retrieved February 14, 2016 .