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Tres Arroyos, Argentina.  San Francisco de Bellocq, neighbor to Tres Arroyos, was the site on October 5 and 6 of the first Basque Gastronomic Fair “Between Land and Sea.”  A project of the Hiru Erreka Basque club and the Pampa Vasca group was extremely successful and was attended not only by representatives of the local community but also by delegations of the Basque clubs Euzko Etxea in La Plata and Eusko Biltzar in Coronel Pringles.

Activities began on Saturday the 5^th with a touristic tour through Bellocq and a walk through Claromeco, one of the resorts in the Tres Arroyos.  The walk was guided by members of Pampa Vasca, a club linked to the INTA whose goal is to promote rural tourism highlighting the importance of the Basque arrival to the area.  Pampa Vasca was created in 2010 and EuskalKultura.com was at its first meeting.

[“Between Land and Sea,” there were also walking tours.  A large group of guests rode horses to tour the town and its beaches (photo EE)]

The first Mus games also took place on Saturday. More than 15 teams participated, but only two were awarded prizes.

[Tournament winners were first place D. Iker Altamira and Xabier Aramayo and in second place, Andoni Azkarate and M. Jon Broquelarie.  Both teams are members of the Gastronomic club Bixente Ibarguren of the La Plata club (photo EE)]

On Sunday, the main event without a doubt was the Tortilla contest.  It must be said that the competition became a show that nobody wanted to miss, not only were the abilities of the sukaldaris were fun to watch but also their talent for sharing with the audience.

[Contest judges were from the Gastronomic club Bixente Ibarguren whose members came from Tres Arroyos accompanied by the Feminine guild “Mary Aramayo.”  First place went to Maria Laura Serante, from the Beti Dantzari group from the Pringles Basque club, and second place also went to someone from Pringles, specifically Fabiana Norma Boccanera, and third place went to Tres Arroyos to Sandra Flores (photoEE)]

Gastronomic offerings continued later with the award ceremony with a lecture and tasting hosted by chef Iñaki Xavier Xalaverry Undargharin.  It should be noted that the festival also included a bit of charity and the organizers would like to thank the Peñas from La Plata for their donations to the Library at the School #22 in Bellocq.

The festival concluded with a Basque dance exhibition.  Dance groups from Hiru Erreka and from Eusko Biltzar performed a large number of dances, each one in their own way, but also as a group.  Members of Otxote from the Eusko Etxea in Necochea also participated in the closing and as a farewell, everyone gathered to dance a Fandango and Arin Arin.

[Host dancers and those from Coronel Pringles provided a number of Basque dances and rhythms (photoEE)]

Organizers indicated that “the results are very positive, there were many people participating and collaborating and we are sure that everyone would agree that we will organize future editions, in Bellocq but as well through the circuit of Basque institutions, the number of people that will participate will be bigger each time.”  Hiru Erreka expects to host the second edition of the Basque Gastronomic Festival “Between Land and Sea,” in 2014.