History
There are no known data for determining the origin of the apple and cider in the Basque Country. However, it is true that cider has been one of the most usual drinks in Basque farmhouses for centuries.
There are several theories on the introduction of the apple in our territory. Some point towards it being introduced from Africa. A more wide spread idea is that it was the Arabs who brought the apple for the first time, others think that it is the result of the migration of birds transporting apple pips from far off Eastern lands and some say that the Basques learnt the art of producing cider from the Romans. However, some people say that the apple appears in the Basque territory spontaneously. Therefore, there are several and very different theories on the origin of the apple, and so, on cider production in our country. To demonstrate this, here are a few examples to get an idea of the origin and age of this tree in our territory:
XI century
The oldest quote found regarding Basque apple orchards dates back to 1,024: "Damos y ofrecemos?en los términos de Hernani a la orilla del mar un Monasterio que se dice llamar de San Sebastián... con las tierras, manzanales, pesqueras marítimas, etc." "We give and offer? in the district of Hernán to the seaside a Monastery called San Sebastián? with the lands, apple orchards, sea fishing etc." From this moment on, there are innumerable quotes mentioning apple orchards and later on cider factories or presses. There is written evidence of many farmhouses producing cider as an alternative to wine, when the latter was too expensive for them.
The jurisdictions have defended the apple tree, the apple orchard and the cider trade for centuries. There are many quotes on this subject, like the protection of the apple tree from animals and people who could harm it, the protectionist control of the apple and cider, considering them as a collective resource in all Basque municipalities, for the trading of this product not to fall into the hands of speculators. For many centuries the buying and selling of the apple and cider was carried out in very limited circles, and cider must have been produced only for its consumption in the farmhouses. However, when the population started to come together in towns, cider became a negotiable product. The protection of this product in the Guizpuzcoan jurisdiction is worthy of mention: "The introduction of foreign cider is also prohibited, unless the entire province's cider has been consumed". There is abundant documentation on cider and apple levies and taxes, and innumerable agreements taken in the Town Halls at this time or by the corresponding Councils appear for respecting the laws dictated in the Basque Jurisdictions.
Gipuzkoan jurisdiction
The protection of this product in the Guizpuzcoan jurisdiction is worthy of mention: ?The introduction of foreign cider is also prohibited, unless the entire province's cider has been consumed?. There is abundant documentation on cider and apple levies and taxes, and innumerable agreements taken in the Town Halls at this time or by the corresponding Councils appear for respecting the laws dictated in the Basque Jurisdictions.
The relationship of fishermen with cider in the Middle Ages is worthy of mention, as Basque fishermen, who went to Greenland and Newfoundland fishing for cod and whales, transported many barrels of cider in their boats' holds. This practice gradually waned together with whale fishing.
The decline in the importance of the apple started with the introduction of corn as a staple foodstuff in the Basque territory, gaining ground over the apple plantations. The apple orchards were relegated to second-class land, and in many cases, in much smaller quantities. However, this reduction in apple orchards did not cause a reduction in cider production, and its consumption remained higher than other drinks.
From the XVII onwards, the Basque Country's apple orchards started to decline in the interior, where the apple was considered more as a food than a drink. However, and with the help of the port activity, cider consumption increased in the town areas. This consumption was affected by the changes suffered in the XVII Century in the country's fishing activity, which gradually lost importance. The increase in the consumption of wine produced in Alava, and above all in Navarra, further added to the decline of cider.
XX century
In the XX Century, it is Guipuzcoa who faithfully maintains the ancestral tradition of cider producing, also greatly due to the support given by this territory's Provincial Council. A big effort was made in defence of the apple, creating several centres and schools, publishing work above all directed at proper apple cultivation, due to the neglect and abandonment of the apple orchards observed in the province. From 1930 to the Spanish Civil War, the Provincial Council subsidised apple tree planting.
The Civil War signified a break in apple tree cultivation and cider production, wasting years with very big crops. The war brought hunger, and with hunger, as the old cider makers say, people do not feel like drinking. Another new decline came a few years later, which brought about the abandonment of apple cultivation and cider production, as it was no longer a profitable occupation. Between the 1950s and 1960s, many family presses stopped making cider finally, along with cider selling establishments, who changed their business. Industrialisation entailed the abandonment of the farmhouses and the setting up of factories and workshops. It goes without saying that secondary work like looking after apple orchards and cider production was almost completely forgotten at this time. Only Guipuzcoa maintained with difficulty the production and consumption of this drink.
In later years, the work carried out from the Guipuzcoa Country Council in the promotion of apple plantations, studies, classification, etc. must be underlined once again, which with the added effort of the cider producers themselves has led to a progressive increase in cider production, as well as in its consumption.