Riches of French Southwestern Terroir

Focus regions /

Friday 10 July 2015

French cuisine has a reputation for being rich. While one shouldn’t generalise, the rumors are true, at least in part, when it comes to the cuisine of Southwest France. Full of flavor, texture, and yes, quite a bit of richness, this regional cuisine is home to some of France’s most famous dishes and ingredients, and yet it is as varied as the regions that define it.

Previously even further divided by dialect and culture, today’s southwest is a patchwork of regions including Poitou, Aquitaine, Perigord, Quercy, Gascony, and the Pyrenees, each of which lends its own local flavor to the Southwest’s cuisine. Philippe Arrambide, chef of the restaurant at Hôtel des Pyrénées, talks about some of the best ingredients the region has to offer.

 

For M. Arrambide, local ingredients are of “utmost importance. I capitalize on the richness of the local terroir. I use these products whenever I can and try to highlight their natural flavor when preparing them.”

 

A Carnivorous Paradise

The French southwest is famous for the quality and variety of its meats, the king of which may be the duck. Duck legs are served confit in the region’s favorite dish – cassoulet, a world-renowned bean stew – while the breast or magret is served smoked or seared. Duck liver, however, is the most prized portion: southwestern foie gras was recognized by the European Union in 2000 with a Protected Geographic Indication status, or IGP.

 

But duck is not the region’s only carnivorous culinary contribution. M. Arrambide is a particular fan of young “agneau de lait” or suckling lamb from the Pyrenees Mountains. Ham is another star, with cured ham hailing from the seaside city of Bayonne, on the border between the Basque Country and Gascony, being one of the most celebrated charcuteries in France. It was attributed IGP status to protect its time-honored production method, with strict regulations on which breeds of pigs can be used, what they can be fed and how they are to be slaughtered. The result is a flavorful, slightly sweet ham that is recognizable by the Basque Cross imprinted on the final product.

 

The Land of Many Cheeses

Charles de Gaulle famously cited the difficulties of governing a country with 350 different cheeses. Indeed, each French region has its own claims to fame, and the Southwest is no exception. Sheepsmilk cheese is the region’s specialty; in fact, the region is home to France’s only two AOC sheepsmilk cheeses. Basque-Béarn Ossau-Iraty has boasted the status since the 1980s, while Roquefort earned it in 1925 – the first cheese to ever earn the title. To bear the name of Roquefort, the blue cheese must be aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

 

The region is also famous for its goat cheeses, including Rocamadour, which hails from the culinary haven of Quercy. The town of Rocamadour is located in a gorge above the River Dordogne, and the cheese made there was awarded AOC status in 1996. Cabecou is the more general name for cheeses of this style, a name that comes from the Occitan word cabra, meaning goat.

 

On the Vegetal Side

France may talk a big meat and cheese game, but let’s not neglect its produce. Rich, sweet, meaty Agen prunes hail from Aquitaine and have been protected with a PGI since 2002.

 

The Périgord region offers a wealth of earth-grown produce, not the least of which are “black diamonds,” truffles that can fetch up to $1,200 a pound.

 

But there are simpler products as well, products that are no less noble. M. Arrambide is particularly taken with piperade, a traditional Basque dish of tomatoes, peppers and onions. “It’s a simple, nourrishing dish with a lot of flavor,” he says. “I like to revisit traditional recipes by working on textures, cooking styles and presentation, but it’s important to me to preserve the flavor and the authenticity of the products.”

 

From Aperitif to Digestif

Even with all of these gourmet choices, the cuisine of the southwest often takes second place to its alcohols – perhaps because Aquitaine is home to the Bordeaux wine-growing region. But bottles from Saint-Emilion, Médoc and Pomerol are just the start: the region also distills Cognac and Armagnac from white grapes, and Sauternes, a sweet white wine from the region, is a favorite for serving with foie gras.

 

In fact, M. Arrambide finds it particularly interesting to marry local dishes with local flavors. “Maybe not systematically… it’s not a rule. But it’s interesting to marry a dish and a wine of the same origin. My favorite is foie gras and Jurançon.”