Bota bag

Expert-subject|food and drink

A bota bag is a traditional Spanish wine skin. Typically, it is made of leather, and is used to carry wine, although any liquid will do. Traditionally, bota bags were lined with tree sap or other resins to prevent liquids from seeping through. Modern bota bags have a latex liner. It was very handy for Spanish travellers.

A goatskin is a container for wine, so called for being traditionally made of goatskin. In the Basque Country, the goatskin is known as a zahato.

The zahato(a) /s̪ahato/ is the traditional wineskin bottle of the Basque shepherds.

With its narrow nozzle, it is possible to drink "zurrust", i.e. intercepting the jet without touching the bottle.

The name of "zahato" or "zahako" (variants: "xahako" [ʃahako ] , "zarako") is a diminutive "zahat-to/-ko" of "zahagi" 'big goatskin bottle'. Its manufacturer is a "zahatogile".

The zahato is made of two pieces of tanned and close-cropped goatskin. Softened, they are cut out on a last and are sewn on their sides. Then the bottle is turned up, seam and hair inside. After drying, it is inflated, then coated with pitch to make it impermeable. The nozzle, traditionally in horn, is fixed by a red collar. The zahato is carried across the shoulder with the red cord which surrounds its along the seam.

This very old product is really suitable for taking some wine with one outside.