It has the landscape of Tuscany, the weather of Spain and the food and wine of Kings, Gascony has for years been Frances best kept secret. Mostly ignored by Parisian bureaucracy through lack of interest, it has managed to escape the over development that the rest of France has incurred despite boasting Europe’s first holiday playground around its Atlantic borders with Spain in the nineteenth century. Because it has mostly been left to its own evolution Gascony can boast a wealth of culture, traditions and pleasantly preserved villages like no where else in France.

Food:
Gascony food is not really found on the gastronomic trail of haute cuisine of which France prides itself. Nouvelle cuisine would be considered as a joke and quite rightly so when the region can boast the healthiest Frenchmen in the country who have the least heart problems and the longest lives. The food of Gascony is fresh, natural and extremely tasty and the most satisfying and healthiest cuisine to be found in the whole of the country. If you love a really wholesome gastronomic experience then Gascony is the place to be.

Real Gascony food only truly exists in the kitchens of the peasant farmers but there are some excellent restaurants (a selection is listed at the end) that celebrate the hearty heritage. Gascony cooking is a combination of good quality food and love for its natural flavours all conjured up in traditional ways, passed on through the centuries by the heritage of appreciation and respect for the land. This attention to tender loving care is born from an inbred desire to make people happy and satisfied by the gastronomic experience of a good rustic meal. Country cooking is founded on sympathy and only done well with a deep instinctive feeling and according the best known chef from the region, Pierre Koffman, "It is done at its very best if its been done all your life".

Food in the region is also a culture and to understand it is important to know the ways of a Gascon peasant, which has only recently changed because of the introduction of the agricultural advances with heavy machinery and chemical fertilisers, advances that the Gascon peasant truly doesn’t like.

The peasant’s day began before dawn and the lunar circle as opposed to the seasons ruled the daily routine. The men would spend the early hours outside and the women would begin the culinary preparations of the day by preparing a good breakfast for seven o’clock when the men would return for their nourishment. The meal would consist of soup, bread, ham, sausages, eggs and red wine. Lunch would be prompt at midday with soup, bread and usually chicken with wine, followed by a siesta until two then back to the fields and supper of bread and a thick soup at seven p.m. Bed was at nine. Crops would be sown with the rising of the moon, ripeness was with the fullness and harvesting would take place with the wane. The moon had to be rising when eggs were put underneath the ducks and hens to hatch and trees were only cut down when the moon was full. Sunday was a day of rest, when families got together and a lunch could last all day from preparation to consumption.

Gascon men are traditionally hunter gathers and nothing would be bought in a shop if it could be grown, foraged or caught. From mother to daughter methods of preparing and preserving would utilise the days as well as tending to the pottage’s, (the kitchen gardens that grew all the vegetables, herbs and fruits) and the rabbits, hens and ducks. When not working on the farms the men would be either fishing the local rivers for trout or pike or on the chase, out hunting for ‘gifts from heaven’ partridge, pigeons or the highly prized ortolan caught when migrating south to Africa. There were also hares and rabbits to be caught and wild boar or deer to be shot for the table. If there ever was ‘A Good Life’ it was here on a Gascon farm. There was rarely a break and natural disasters such as droughts and crop failures had to be catered for by stocking a good larder.

For all this the Gascons had a good appetite and demanded to be able to taste the result of their labours. It was noted by a seventeenth century Parisian physician that whilst the rest of France was eating the likes of leeks in soups, the Gascons took delight in eating theirs raw with honey. Garlic was (and is today) frequently eaten raw to keep away diseases. Legend has it that the moment Henry IV was born in 1553, whilst the plague was raging in Pau, his grandfather insisted on rubbing a clove of garlic on his lips to protect him from the virus and also some red wine. When the young Gascon Prince first went to the Paris Court people would keep a few yards away because of the smell of the garlic on his body.

Typical of all this, the food served is fresh, unadulterated and totally unpretentious yet it is certainly a fiesta of flavours provided by the goodness of the earth and honest hard work. The good restaurants in Gascony take great pride in emulating their ancestors and providing the meals with the same TLC that was an important ingredient in all the farmhouse kitchen of the region.

Now days anything can be bought in the supermarkets of the region and most of the people have jobs away from the land and little time to nurture their pottages. Local markets illustrate the seasonal wares that the land provides. But the culinary traditions are fiercely protected and although meals are no longer prepared on an open fire in a large pot, Gascons still demand quality above quantity in their fares and insist that their meals are as satisfying as those of their fore fathers. Food fusion can come and go but Gascon country cooking always remains the same.

There is no doubting the excellent quality of the ingredients in the region, especially with its main fare of ducks, chickens and geese. They are raised on local maize and indeed force feed to provide the swollen livers for the foie gras. The method of pouring the grain down the necks of the birds is something that only the British have a problem with. Many of the foie gras producers of the region provide opportunities for visitors to witness the care that they take with the birds at feeding time.

When preparing the ducks and geese for the pot, nothing is wasted. The liver of course is prepared for the highly prized foie gras, the breast as a magret for frying, grilling or smoked in the thin slices. The limbs are preserved in their own fat as confit, the gizzards are cooked and served on salads, the neck is stuffed with prunes, the fat is kept for cooking with and the rest is put into sausages, all save the carcass which is boiled for hours to make a stock for soups. Chickens are often lovingly cooked whole in pots with vegetables as requested by their very own Gascon King Henry IV. The chickens in this region are never reared in factories as many of those bought in the shops of Britain are, but live in sunlight and muddy farmyards and the benefits are in the texture and flavour.

The instinctive culture of foraging can best be seen in the markets in the autumn when those who have often risen before the sun to collect wild cepes, a large meaty mushroom, sell them on make shift stalls,. Cooked in garlic and duck fat they are delicious and many restaurants will put them into omelettes for a filling plat de jour as an alternative to meat. Walnuts, which are more synonymous with the Dordogne, are displayed in abundance, as are chestnuts that are roasted openly in ovens and are sold for grazing purposes to the passer by.

Markets are always the best place in Gascony to discover what the seasons provide the local terrain with. Spring begins with asparagus shortly followed by cherries and the apricots, nectarines and peaches. Artichokes and fennel arrive on the stalls around this time. Little wild strawberries collected from the woods burst with flavour and perfume then the summer arrives in full with melons and plums grown in the fields and orchards all around. Tomatoes, peppers courgettes, aubergines and all kinds of beans add to the array and as August goes into September figs, raspberries, apples and blackcurrants appear. Autumn brings nuts mushrooms and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and root crops arrive ready for the winter fare. Preparing food in Gascony is never boring.

Cheeses are not traditionally from the heartland of Gascony, but there are many farmers who have had to diverse into goat farming providing the consumer with wonderful varieties of cheeses wrapped in pepper, garlic or walnuts ready to be spread onto the crispy fresh bread from the boulangerie. The Pyrenees and Basque regions supply the region with a piquant hard cheese called brebis, which is made from sheep’s milk.

Deserts tend to come from patisseries and there are only really two that are indigenous to the region. The first is a pastis, a pastry made traditionally from goose fat, but nowadays butter. It is soaked in Armagnac and thinly laid on to prunes in a rugged fashion and the other is the same but with apples called a Croustarde de pomme. Crepes would be commonly served for desserts in the home, often flambéed in Armagnac. There are of course in every household, jars of fruit, such as cherries preserved in Armagnac and not to forget prunes, which are nothing like the prunes of school dinners. Prune D’Agen are rich succulent dried plums and come in various forms, natural, soaked in Armagnac, covered in chocolate and even wrapped in smoked duck for a delicious accompaniment to an apéritif.

(Follow on : Wine)

Everything from the land is lovingly washed down with wine, a vin de table locally grown and made. Both the red and the white are fruity and best drunk young and even in abundance rarely give a hang over, as long as they are not mixed. Because the wine growing regions of Bordeaux fringe on the borders of Gascony there are no end to the superb wines to experience. Exclusive encyclopaedias have been written about their produce and history so it is almost an insult to try and sum up the wines of Bordeaux in a few sentences, but here goes.

Graves comes from the south of the Garonne River and is better known for its white wine but does produce some excellent reds. Further along to the east around the town of Langon Sauternes is produced. This is a sweet white wine borne of the noble rot, which arrives because grapes in this region are able to remain about six weeks longer on the vine than the rest of France, giving the opportunity for the fungus to grow on the skin thus producing the sugars required. Sauternes was traditionally a dessert wine but is more commonly accompanied with foie gras on lightly toasted pain de campagne.

Further north on the banks of the Garonne are the famous St. Emillion and its poorer cousin, but no less delicious Fronsac. It is the land between the Garonne and the Dordogne that is more notorious for the superior reds. For centuries all the wines from the region were shipped to England and it was known as Claret because of its light colour. Claret was the same wine that was drunk when the Romans occupied the area and had to be drunk young because until the eighteenth century with the large-scale production of bottles and corks wines were unable to mature. Today Claret is considered the poorest of the wines produced in the area. It wasn’t until the end of the Hundred Years War that the French were able to get back some of the wine they produced and from then on its quality improved.

In the heartland of Gascony there are some excellent thought lesser-known wines, many with a VDQS on their labels. Madiran and St. Mont were both developed when the monasteries took possession of the vineyards in Gascony and produce excellent reds and whites. Tursan, which originates on the edge of the Landes and is grown in sand, offers rich reds and dry fruity whites, often a favourite of the British palette in the summer. Cotes du Brulhois comes from the immediate area around Agen and was notoriously popular (at the time) under the brief British occupation of the nineteenth century. The red wines are known as ‘vins noirs’ because of their intensely dark colour. Grown at the highest altitude in the region are amber coloured white wines from Jurancon vineyards. They are particularly precious to the Gascons because legend has it that Henry IV was christened with it. Again, the sweeter version is another wine that goes very ell with foie gras.

The most famous digestive to evolve from the region is of course Armagnac and up until recently every farm would produce its own brew. Armagnac is divided into three types according to the area. Tenareze is from around Condom, Bas-Armagnac within the Eauze area and Haute-Armagnac from around Auch. Armagnac is Frances longest established eau-de-vie, water of life dating from the fifteenth century. Quality varies with production and when purchased from the maker it is always possible to try the various ages the fiery brandy has been kept in the oak caskets to mature before it is bottled. Typically, the longer the better as is anything worth waiting for.

Drunk by itself as a digestive Armagnac is smooth and rustic leaving a trail of warmth in the food pipe, there is little to beat the sensation on a cold winters night after a hearty meal. However not satisfied with letting a good thing lie, the Gascons have produced a number of aperitifs from Armagnac. The most popular in the region is Floc, which is similar to a fortified wine and best served chilled. Another is produced at the old chateau of Monluc and is a liquor of Armagnac and essence of oranges mixed with a sparkling dry wine presenting a drink called Pousse-Rapier, thrust of the sword, which it has.

(Follow on : eating out or in)

Eating out or in:

Gone are the days when it was possible to get a gastronomic feast for under a tenner, but there are still plenty of good value meals to be found in the region, albeit at midday. Local cafes and brassieres tend to serve a steak frite as their plat de jour be if something more satisfying is required then is has to be an auberge or restaurant. Even hotel restaurants are worth investigating although they may have a separate menu for non-residents.

With the introduction of a global market everything is obtainable in Gascony at any time of the year, mostly in the big supermarkets on the outskirts of the towns, but for a true Gascon experience it is best to rely on the restaurants, auberges, local shops and markets. As with anything quality always varies, but anything with a queue, a crowd, or where it is necessary to book is usually a good bet. For a picnic it is not necessary to go any further than the local markets that are held weekly in almost every town or village. For a restaurant it is very important to know that any decent lunch will only be served between twelve and two and the best meals served are in the form of plat de jours and/or set menus. It is advisable to see how busy the restaurant is before committing, especially if there are several places to eat in one town.

For a complete genuine experience it is worth finding out about the local ferme auberge, where everything should be produced within the establishment. There are plenty about usually in the countryside and the service on the whole is friendly and welcoming and the food is second to none. A good farm auberge will serve about seven courses of home produced products cooked in the traditional way, accompanied by a local aperitif and a decent vin de table all inclusive in a very reasonable price. Don’t expect to do anything energetic afterwards.

Pierre Koffman who spent all his school holidays with his grandparents in the heart of Gascony list a few excellent restaurants in his ‘Memoirs of Gascony.’ All do a cheaper lunchtime special but excel in the evening meals when it is more common for special occasions to be celebrated. There are many others serving excellent local food usually one establishment in every town, but never the less even today the following restaurants can relax on their laurels of brilliantly produced Gascony cuisine.

Daguin at the Hotel de France: Auch
Restaurant Florida: Castera Verduzan
Restaurant de Bastard: Lectoure
La Rapiere: Mauvezin
La Belle Gascon: Poudenas