Two culinary worlds as opposed as Basque gastronomy and the fast food that Burger King embodies have met on Les Masters Basques (The Basque Masters) menus, although the surprising fusion is generating considerable controversy. Burger King has launched these menus throughout France, emphasizing the use of prestigious Basque-French gastronomic products, an issue that has not been liked by producers and some local institutions.
The spot that accompanies this launch is expressive of how the American multinational has sought to link its hamburgers to traditional and quality products from the French Basque Country, such as the Espelette pepper (Ezpeleta), and in general to an area, the Basque-French environment. , with a tourist pull and a good gastronomic line-up. “Recipe inspired by the Basque Country”, picks up the ad.
In the spot itself, however, they report the main element that defenders of Basque gastronomic products have criticized: the sauce of these hamburgers contains only 1% Ezpeleta pepper. So these Les Masters Basques menus wouldn’t be so Basque once you read the fine print, according to critics.
The two “Basque” menus present two options, depending on whether you choose a beef or chicken burger. The first option offers menus with French beef hamburgers (it is not specified if it is from the French Basque Country), sheep cheese from the Pyrenees, slices of chorizo, the aforementioned sauce with a small portion of Ezpeleta pepper, crispy onion and tender brioche bread.
The second option offers chicken burgers, sheep cheese from the Pyrenees, slices of chorizo, crispy onion and soft brioche bread, also with the aforementioned sauce with 1% Espelette pepper.
This launch and the spots that have accompanied it have generated considerable controversy on social media. In addition, some youtubers have reacted to the new releases with mixed reviews.
In the opinion of the staunchest defenders of Basque gastronomy and Basque products, Burger King is taking advantage of a prestigious brand to sell more hamburgers, although using these products in minimal quantities.
However, the truth is that Burger King has done the same as many other businesses, especially in the Basque-French area, where the word Basque accompanies hundreds of products of all kinds. Focusing solely on the gastronomic level, there is no ‘Basque’ or ‘Pays Basque’ designation of origin, so it can be used without any type of restriction.
This was explained to the media by Paxkal Indo, president of the Basque Country Development Council, part of the Commonwealth of Basque Country, which brings together the 158 municipalities of the Basque-French area. “There is no usurpation because there is no territorial brand of the Basque Country. The work to do so began, but it was not achieved because it is always difficult to agree on the criteria â€, he indicated.
From this institution, however, they have regretted that “a land of gastronomic quality products” appears linked to fast food, within what they have considered mere “marketing rhetoric”.
The Ezpeleta Pepper Union, for its part, has regretted that the use of only 1% of its product has allowed Burger King to use it as a claim for its hamburgers.
In any case, Burger King has also acted legally on this point. The company that makes the sauces for Burger King contacted the Union and even sent samples of the sauces. The French Institute of Appellations of Origin did not find any argument against the mention of the use of Ezpeleta peppers.
Now, it remains to be seen if Burger King’s “Basque†hamburgers achieve the purpose of their promoters and consolidate or if this strange merger does not go beyond being a temporary marketing operation without pull among its consumers.
