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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

Plats Cuisinés (Cuisine)

Cassoulet

Cassoulet, a rich, flavorful casserole of white beans slowly baked with a combination of meats, is a specialty of France's southwest regions. Its origin is uncertain, but a legend from the town of Castelnaudary claims that it was created during a British siege of a French castle during the Hundred Years' War. The story goes that the cooks of the castle poured all the meats they had left into a single dish of white beans—and that the rich food combined with the local wine so invigorated the French that they chased the English back to the north of France.

Cassoulets take their name from the cassole, the earthenware dish in which they were traditionally cooked and come in many versions. Many use pork and mutton, but the famous one from Castelnaudary uses duck confit instead. Quality and taste vary tremendously from one restaurant to another and recipes can be as simple or elaborate as the chef desires. Canned versions of varying qualities and prices are also sold in supermarkets.

For more information about cassoulet history visit: www.cassoulet.net and www.confrerieducassoulet.com 

Maison du Cassoulet - St-Lary

Garbure

Garbure is a rich bean soup, usually made with meat confit or camayou (boned ham) and seasonal vegetables, and cooked all day. No two cooks make their garbure exactly the same way as it is traditionally based upon whatever ingredients are available. In small villages, farmers still practice a custom called chabrot, where the leftover broth from the soup is mixed with a glass of red wine right in the bowl and then drunk.

Vignec - La Ferme Vignecoise - St-Lary

Touradisse

For centuries, touradisse was a mainstay of French country fare but it had been forgotten for many years. Today it is making a small but well-deserved comeback: made by slowly roasting corn dough in a cauldron over a fire, touradisse now stuffed with foie gras or other meat delicacies is appearing as a side dish on gourmet tables. Only a few restaurants offer touradisse and you usually need to order it ahead of time.

Pétéram And Pistache

Luchon lays claim to two cuisine specialties that are all its own: pétéram and pistache. Pétéram is a spicy dish of sheep tripe served with potatoes soaked in white wine. Pistache is a flavorful stew typically made with mutton, tarbais beans and pieces of ham. The gourmet restaurant of Luchon's Étigny Hotel is a good place to try these dishes and other local specialties.