Basque Food

Abstract

Abstract This study looks at Basque migrants in the United States and shows how different geographical locations there attracted different groups of migrants over time and how the immigrants organised themselves as a diaspora community and maintained their identity. Emigration from the Basque Country to the United States began during the Gold Rush in 1848; since then there have been multiple, distinct waves of immigration. The study’s results are based on in-depth interviews with Basque Americans and a survey. We analysed Basque communities in the Far West, New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, North Carolina and Florida, and found that Basque food is the most common factor by which Basque migrants maintain their identity, regardless of state, place or generation. Even so, there are differences among communities, which distinguish them from each other. Consequently, in order to connect with the diaspora and create diaspora strategies, governments should take these differences into account.