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"Best Cycling Routes of the Pyrénées" — Food, Wine & Other Local Specialties

Pyrénées-Atlantique and Hautes-Pyrénées are part of the Midi-Pyrénées, an area well known for its delicious and varied cuisine. The high mountains, where some of the best French cheese is produced, have always provided rich pasture for sheep, cattle and goats. The largest selection of delicious honeys and mountain fruit jams also comes from these higher elevations. But it is in the lower valleys, particularly in the region of Gascony, that a rich and diverse cuisine has developed. Local wines have also gained nationwide fame and perfectly complement the regional specialties. There are so many delicious dishes in Midi-Pyrénées that a few pages can't begin to explore them, but here are a few typical culinary delights from the mountainous regions.

Fromages (cheese) / Meat Specialties / Plats Cuisinés (Cuisine) / Other Rural Products / Sweets / Wines & Spirits

Meat Specialties

foie gras (Canard and Oie)

foie gras is one of France's most famous delicacies and its origins are ancient: Egyptians are believed to have begun force-feeding geese some 2500 years BCE. foie gras capitalizes on the natural ability of geese and ducks to over-stuff themselves, thus saturating their livers with fat to survive the winter. The resulting gourmet delicacy made from their livers, rich and buttery, is frequently prepared using wine or Armagnac and then perfected with fresh truffles. Foie gras is best enjoyed with a local white wine, dry or sweet, such as Jurançon. In the fall, many local markets, called marchés au gras, sell their foie gras and other duck and goose specialties, making that a great time to try various foie gras preparations and to learn more about this marvelous delicacy.

Magrets de Canard

Magrets de canard are red-meat steaks cut from the breast of the ducks raised to produce foie gras. The breasts are extremely thick and have a much "beefier" taste than ordinary duck breasts: that delicious flavor and the healthy quality of their fat have made consumption of magret skyrocket. Originally a local specialty from the Pyrénées and the southwest of France, magrets are now served in restaurants throughout the country. Though usually served rare and often accompanied with a sweet or slightly sour sauce, there are many new and different ways to serve them. Be sure to sample dishes from various regions!

Salmis

Salmis is a French dish in which roasted or sautéed wild game or duck is soaked for hours in a sauce made with local red wine, Armagnac or cognac before it is re-heated. Rare or expensive ingredients such as foie gras and truffles are sometimes added to this luxurious delicacy. Only a few select restaurants serve salmis.

Confits d'Oie and de Canard

Confits d'oie and de canard, dishes made of goose or duck meat cooked and then preserved in their own fat, are common in the Pyrénées and Gers regions. They are delicious accompanied with cèpes, a gourmet French mushroom; tarbais, the famous Tarbes white beans or even plain potatoes. Confits are also used in other French culinary specialties like cassoulet and garbure.

Charcuteries of the Pyrénées

France is home to many varieties of charcuteries (prepared meat dishes) including paté; boudins or blood sausages; rillettes, a paté-like spread made of shredded meat cooked slowly in its own fat; and saucisson, which are large dried sausages. The entire Midi-Pyrénées region offers a tremendous selection of both traditional and innovative charcuteries. The Basque country specializes in ham and saucisson, while Gers and Lot provide a multitude of fresh sausages and boudin. Many French restaurants offer an assiette de charcuterie, a sample plate of some of these delicacies; most of which feature jambon de Bayonne.

Jambon de Bayonne

Bayonne ham, a favorite of King Henri IV and described in detail by French writer Rabelais, has been popular for centuries. It's lightly salted, delicate, slightly sweet, smoked taste is still treasured today, whether eaten as is and by itself or included in specialty dishes like garbure.

Try these links for a variety of meat specialties:

Ferme Agerria - St-Etienne-de-Baïgorry
Fumoir de la Vallée - Bidarray
Vignec - La Ferme Vignecoise - St-Lary