Post on 19-Apr-2020
Cuisine Overview
Country France
Regions
Southwest: Pays Basque, Gascogne, Pyrenees (west and central)
Cuisine Overview
Climate and geographical influences
In the south, France borders on Spain, where we find the Pyrenees Mountains and Basque Country. The French have the north side of the mountain, which means a significant difference in vegetation and wildlife to the south side of the mountain. The French side boasts oak and beech forests.
Pyrenees
Pays Basque Wooded hills and great river valleys define the Midi-Pyrenees region, as well as, of course, the Pyrenees Mountains to the south.
Midi-Pyrenees The southwestern coast of France is Bordeaux wine region. Bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, it has many vineyards, including along the Gironde river.
Cuisine Overview
Aquitaine
Staple grains and carbohydrates and representative dishes Potato and small white beans (haricots tarbais) are typical starches of the region. Garbure is a typical soup with both potato and beans, and the famous cassoulet uses the tarbais beans.
Haricots Tarbais
Garbure Bearnaise (the version of Garbure served in Bearn)
Cuisine Overview
Cassoulet
Protein sources and representative dishes
Basically, almost all meats, poultry, and fish are represented. The Basque people are known for their deep-sea fishing (specifically for cod), and the Gironde is a popular place for salmon and sturgeon to spawn. There are some famous local breeds of cattle (Blonde d’Aquitaine, Boeuf de Chalaise), and many types of poultry, including chicken, turkey, pigeon, capon, and especially duck and goose. Dishes include foie gras and confit. Let’s not forget local breeds of pigs – delicious hams ensue!
Boeuf de Chalaise
Basque pig (Pie Noir du Pays Basque) or Ass Black Limousin
Cuisine Overview
Jambon de la Vallee des Aldudes (ham)
Foie Gras (goose liver pate)
Duck confit
Cuisine Overview
Cooking fat
Olive oil, butter
Vegetables and representative vegetable dishes
Peppers, tomato, corn, carrots, eggplant, garlic, onion, leek are all represented here. The region also favors peppers, truffles, and a hot pepper called piment.
The black Perigord truffle is from the southwest of France.
Piment d’Espelette is from the Basque region, and made from piment (hot pepper).
Cuisine Overview
Piperade is a traditional dish: an omelet made with red peppers and piment d’espelette.
Ttoro (Basque fish stew)
Fruits and representative dishes
Prunes: can be eaten as they are or, popularly, with Armagnac.
Gateau basque (with plums, cherries, or apricot): typical cake filled with custard and preserves.
Cuisine Overview
Herbs/Spices/Flavorings Thyme Parsley Saffron Basquaise: tomato and pepper
Preserved foods Sheep cheese, Roquefort, confit (duck/goose), piment d’espelette, prunes, fruits macerated in Armagnac, charcuterie (Bayonne ham), salt cod, anchovies.
Roquefort
Salt cod
Preserved fruit
Cuisine Overview
Beverages
Armagnac: brandy distilled from wines of Gascony.
Wines from Bordeaux
Ingredient origins
(Ingredients used in the region’s cuisine that you mentioned in this Cuisine Overview)
Asian ingredients that have had an impact on the region’s cuisine (3) - eggplant
New World ingredients that have had an impact on the region’s cuisine (3) - potatoes - chili peppers (Pays Basque) - corn - polenta - peppers - chocolate (Pays Basque) (not mentioned)
Cuisine Overview
Europe / Middle East World ingredients that have had an impact on the region’s cuisine (3) - plums - saffron - apricot
References/Sources
French Regional Cooking, by Anne Willan La France Gastronomique, by Anne Willan The Cooking of Southwest France, by Paula Wolfert Culinaria France, by Andre Domine (Editor) http://www.ourgenealogy.ca/France/France.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/6950786/Insiders-guide-to-Aquitaine.html http://www.all-free-photos.com/show/showphoto.php?idph=PI14136&lang=fr http://www.aftouch-cuisine.com/gastronomy/midi-pyrenees-r15.htm http://www.frenchcountrycuisine.com/ http://www.papillesetpupilles.fr/2006/04/garbure-barnaise-blog-apptit-7.html/ http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/countries/midi-pyrenees-cuisine-hautes-pyrenees/ http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cassoulet-with-bacon-andouille-country-ribs-10000001924653/ http://www.terredesaveurs.com/pl/productions_bio.pl?c=23&n=2&lg=uk http://www.veloloco.com/guide/weather.php http://bigpictureagriculture.blogspot.com/2011/03/twelve-heritage-pig-breeds.html\ http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/11/ham_from_aldudes_valley.php http://www.foie-gras-sarlat.com/conserved-duck-c-23_48.html http://www.guide2midipyrenees.com/information/152/Truffles-of-the-Midi-Pyrenees-in-South-West-France http://croquecamille.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/exploring-france-pays-basque-piment-despelette/ http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsensdugout.canalblog.com%2Farchives%2F2005%2F09%2F14%2F801576.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8 http://lacuisinededidine.vefblog.net/10.html http://asstrongassoup.blogspot.com/2011/08/prunes-in-armagnac.html http://fr.academic.ru/dic.nsf/frwiki/748037 http://www.formaggio.it/francia/roquefortE.htm http://www.briancoad.com/dictionary/DicPics/salt%20cod.htm http://www.bordeauxwine.ws/