The Cuisine of Gascony is one of the pillars of French cuisine. Its originality stems from its use of regional products and from an age-old tradition, typical of the Aquitane and the Midi-Pyrenees, of cooking in fat, in particular goose and duck fat, whereas the cuisine of the South of France favours frying in oil and the cuisine of Normandy contains more dishes that are simmered or cooked in butter. The long life expectancy of Gascons, despite a rich diet, is a classic example of the French paradox.
Main elements
The cuisine of Gasconny is characterised by the use of :
regional products such as duck fat and duck foie gras, salted ham, and the famous mild chilli of Gasconnycondiments : Bezolles mustard, garlic, persillade, onion…mushrooms, in particular the cèpe mushroomgame, birds such as :the ortolan bunting, a small bird which must be overfed 15–20 days before being eaten. The ortolan is now a protected species – since 1999 it has been forbidden to capture or eat it.the lark, which is hunted by the placement of nets in fields and the use of decoys.the common wood pigeon, a migrating pigeon captured in netscoastal sea food : such as oysters, peppery furrow shellss, eel elvers, lampreys, shads... and nowadays, the ’'creac (sturgeon) and Gironde caviar,the sheep’s cheese of the Pyreneeswine :clarets (rosés)tannic reds, the most important being Bordeaux wine (cabernets and merlot), but also Madiran wines (tannat et cabernets), the most tannic and well suited to the local food.dessert wines, ideal with brioche, chestnuts and foie gras, local to Bordeaux (Sauternes...) and Béarn (Jurançon AOC et Pacherenc),côtes de Gascogne and Armagnac are used in cooking, and to flavour Tourtières.Rural family gatherings will often include grilled chestnuts with a glass of vin bourru (sweet and in the process of fermentation, sold with no cork), as well as roste, grilled bread, rubbed with garlic or with tjonque (a sauce made from the leftover juices of pan-fried duck).
Gascon cuisine is able to adapt to new trends while retaining its identity: the use of duck breasts is the best example. The consumption of raw ham is also a modern tendency that has been embraced.
GarbureFoie gras, either candied or fried fresh in cutlet formLandaise salad, which is characterised by its use of duck breast and gizzardsSmoked duck breastBayonne hamCrépinettes of BordeauxBaby eelsSanquette, a fried dish made from lamb blood, garlic, sweet onions, parsley and pancettaMain course
Chalosse beefDuck confitDuck breastPigeon stewStew made from Gascon pigOmelette using sweet Gascon chilliesOmelette using cep mushrooms (Boletus edulis)Lampreys “à la Bordelaise” (cooked in a dark sauce, made from Lamprey blood)“Tricandilles” (boiled porc tripe, grilled on a barbecue)“Millas” a tart made from corn flour with a savoury accompaniment“Amou”, a sheep’s cheese, made in the region Amou“Pastis landais”, a cake flavoured with orange blossom, vanilla and rumCanelésTourtière, a tart with apples or prunesCroustade, decorated with puff pastry“Cruchades”, fried corn cakes“Millas” with sweet accompaniments
