from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Entrance to the port at La Rochelle.
www.flickr.com/photos/ollografik/2581012577/
Charente-Maritime has over 450 km (280 miles) of coastline; the longest coastline of any French department. It is 200 km (124 miles) “as the crow flies” from the Loire River to the department's border close to the City of Bordeaux. All along the coast are hundreds of sandy beaches, seaside towns, fishing ports and offshore islands with innumerable fish and seafood restaurants offering locally caught fish and seafood along with farm-raised mussels and oysters. Restaurant menus will offer Label Rouge, red label (IGP) lamb, beef, rabbit, oysters, mussels, melons and AOP Goat’s Cheese, AOP Butter, and Cognac AOC.
Beaches away from the crowds in Charente-Maritime.
www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/15102008949/
Until 1-1-2016 the department of Charente-Maritime was linked together with the departments of Charente, Deux Sevres, and Vienne in the administrative region called Poitou-Charentes. That bond and that of many other French regions were dissolved to reduce bureaucracy, and now Charente-Maritime and the other three departments are now part of the new super-region of Nouvelle Aquitaine. Nevertheless, most of the foods seen on the menus of Charente-Maritime still come from the old region of Poitou-Charentes.
On the menu in Charente-Maritime:
Pineau des Charentes – The Aperitif. Wherever you are dining in Charente- Maritime one aperitif that will always be offered is Pineau des Charentes. This aperitif is the only one developed from Cognac, and its fame is not limited to this region or even France. It really is special and worth taking home or buying it there.
A 10-year-old Pineau des Charentes
Only real connoisseurs worry about the age for this aperitif,
It's so good that most just quaff it.
It's so good that most just quaff it.
www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/12204681145/
Carré d’Agneau du Poitou-Charentes Rôti aux Gousses d’Ail Jus d’Agneau à la Marjolaine – A rack of the red label Poitou-Charentes lamb roasted with garlic cloves and served with a sauce made from the lamb's natural cooking juices flavored with marjoram.
Dos de Cabillaud Roti Risotto aux Petits Pois, Lentins au Café, au Beurre d’Échiré – A thick cut of roasted fresh cod served with a risotto of shiitake mushrooms flavored with coffee and the AOP butter of Échiré. The AOP butter from Poitou-Charentes if one of only three AOP butters in the whole of France.
Faux Filet Grillé, Pommes de Terre Nouvelles de l'Île de Ré aux Herbes et Tomates Confites. A grilled UK sirloin steak, a USA strip steak. (The USA and UK sirloins are not the same cut). Here the steak is served with the Île de Ré, Island of Re, AOP new potatoes, and tomatoes confit, a tomato jam. From May through mid-June check your menus for Pomme de Terres Nouvelles AOC de l'Île de Ré. These are the earliest of France’s AOP new potatoes; they come from strains of Alcmaria, Charlotte, and Léontine potatoes. You may enjoy these potatoes on their home turf by visiting the island’s potato fair in May, their Fête du Lilas. Then the local restaurants will make sure that you do not miss out. There are those who believe that the heavens open and magnificent singing is heard when the Pommes de Terres Nouvelles AOC de l'Île de Ré are placed on the table.
l'Île de Ré AOP new potatoes.
Jambon de Bayonne, Melon du Haut-Poitou – The Charentaise type red-label Melon du Haut-Poitou served with France’s most popular cured ham, the Jambon de Bayonne. This fruit is a light-green round melon with ordered dark green stripes and a fragrant and sweet orange flesh inside.
Haut- Poitou melons.
La Moule de Bouchot en Velouté Froid au Safran d'Angoumois et Cristes Marines – A cold velvety soup prepared with the small, red label, mussels the Ile de Re's Moules de Filières Label Rouge. The soup with the coastal vegetable called samphire or salicornia and hand-raised saffron from the old province of Angoumois, now part of the department of Charente.
Lapin de Mille Ventes aux Pruneaux et Raisins, Frites, Salade - The red label Mille Ventes rabbit stuffed with prunes and raisins and accompanied by French fries and a salad. Rabbit and hare are farm-raised in France.
L'Entrecôte de Boeuf Race Parthenaise Grillée à la Fleur de Sel de l'île de Ré – Two unique local tastes in one. An entrecote, a rib-eye steak from the red label Parthenaise cattle grilled over the flower of salt from the l'île de Ré. The Parthenaise is a local breed of cattle that were brought back from extinction and are recognized for their excellent meat. The Île de Ré is an island off the coast of the fishing port and city of La Rochelle. Île de Ré is famous for its Fleur de Sel which are the crystals of sea salt rich in iodine and magnesium that are hand-gathered from the top of a salt drying pan.
There’s nothing to eat in Charente-Maritime.
www.flickr.com/photos/mikegras/38188217725/
Plateau de 6 Huîtres N°3 (Fines de Claire Marennes-Oléron) – A plate with 6 No 3 size red label Fines de Claire Marennes-Oléron oysters. The Marennes-Oléron is the largest oyster growing center in France and produces the only two oysters that have a red label rating. Their Fines de Claire are European oysters about three-years-old that are fattened for one month in the estuary's tidal waters; during that month they grow fatter along with their friends as there are only 20 oysters per square meter. The number 3 on the menu listing indicates the shelled weight of each oyster; that is 56 - 65 grams (2.00-2.30 oz). These red label oysters are raised on the island of Oleron and the coast opposite to where the town of Marennes leads to the bridge that connects the mainland to the island.
Oysters and mussels on sale.
www.flickr.com/photos/loloieg/223576897/
Chabichou AOP - Chabichou (also known as Chabichou du Poitou AOP) is a traditional soft, unpasteurized, natural-rind, French goat’s cheese with a firm and creamy texture. Chabichou is aged for a minimum of 10 days and up to 6 weeks. A young cheese may be part of a salad while a more mature cheese will be stronger tasting and part of a cheese platter.
Goats’ cheeses and the Chabichou Route de Fromages.
Goats’ cheeses are made in all the four departments of the old Poitou-Charentes regions. The region is not as famous as Provence for branded goats’ cheeses, but they produce a great deal more; nearly 20% of France’s total consumption. Consider spending a few hours on their unique Chabichou and goat’s cheese road, their Chabichou Route de Fromages. The map for this cheese road is carefully set out with entrances and exits on Charente-Maritime and the other three departments. The stops are carefully planned to be near to producers of wines, cognac, and restaurants.
The Chabichou Route de Fromages website is in French only, but is easily understood using the Google or Bing Translate Apps:
Marans
The Marans’ chicken eggs color chart.
Not to be ignored is the inland fishing port of Marans near La Rochelle, the capital of Charente-Maritime. Marans is famous for its fresh saltwater fish and seafood restaurants. You may see the fish coming off the boats but Marans’ international fame claim to fame comes from its chickens, The Marans chickens have a place in the world of gastronomy as they lay naturally dark brown to amber and deep red eggs. While the eggs taste exactly the same as other chicken’s eggs, two boiled eggs from Marans chickens can make breakfast a whole new experience.
There are four islands off the coast of Charente Maritime.
The Île de Ré
Sunrise from the Île de Ré
Île de Ré is the most famous island off the Charente-Maritime coast with 20,0 year-round residents, a number that reaches more than 150,000 at the height of summer. With nearly all the holiday-makers French who return here year after year you know the place is exceptional. If you wish to book a hotel room for a week or two in July and August, you had better try four years in advance. However, finding a hotel with a room for one or two days is possible or make a day trip to the fabulous beaches, excellent restaurants and casino. Apart from its beautiful beaches, oysters, mussels, fresh sea fish, seafood, Fleur de Sel, and AOP new potatoes, there is Cognac. The small island is home to three Camus brand Cognacs that are grown there and distilled in the town of Jarnac but aged on the mainland,
The Île d'Oléron
Dining at an oyster farm
www.flickr.com/photos/jmenj/29080069007/
Île d'Oléron is the largest island off the coast of Charente-Maritime, 30 km (19 miles) long and 10km (6 miles) wide. While it is a dot on the map compared with Corsica France’s largest mainland island, it is still mainland France’s second largest island. Like the Île de Ré, it is also a trendy vacation center for the French. Despite the importance of tourism of even greater significance to the local economy is its enormous aquaculture industry which includes the only two oysters to have been awarded the French Label Rouge mark of quality. These are the only oysters in the world with a merit badge; they hold their ratings by virtue of their consistent taste and texture.
La Fine de Claire Verte Marennes Oléron, Label Rouge - The red label Marennes Oléron European oyster fattened for one month.
La Pousse en Claire Label Rouge –The red label Marennes Oléron Creuze, crinkly shelled, oyster fattened for four months.
The Île d'Aix
Île d'Aix is a small island that has a year-round population of 200 who are mostly engaged in fishing and mussel and oyster farming. The island's central claim to fame is the three days in 1815 when from 12 to 15 July Emperor Napoleon I spent his last days on French soil there before being exiled to St Helena. It is a place for a half-day trip with a visit to an oyster farm.
Grondin Perlon - Tub Gunard in UK & Sea Robin in the USA.
A very tasty member of the rascasse fish family.
www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/21830329278/
The Île Madame
Mussels in the market
www.flickr.com/photos/entreprise/37519314071/
Île Madame is in the River Charente estuary is the smallest island in this group and is joined to the mainland by a natural causeway. All around the island are oyster beds with the waters around the island home to a particular algae, called the navicula blue. This algae results in an oyster with a green tinge and the farm includes a welcome center where you can order as many as you wish. If you arrive on the Island at the wrong time, you may have to wait until the low tide to get off.
There are two other tiny dots on the map; these are offshore forts of Fort Boyard and Fort Enet. They remain, more or less as they were when they defended the coast, an assignment that ended with the Napoleonic Wars. Now they are a stop off for day trips, the site of TV specials and of course, oyster farms.
Fort Boyard
www.flickr.com/photos/hellolapomme/2248527353/
The two principal towns in the old region of Poitou-Charentes:
La Rochelle
The most important town in Charente-Maritime is the department's capital La Rochelle on the Atlantic Coast; it is both a seaport and fishing port on the Bay of Biscay, with a long and famous history. La Rochelle has a wonderful array of fresh fish and seafood around the old port and two central fish markets. Apart from being a visitors base camp La Rochelle is the commercial center of Charente-Maritime and hosts the largest shopping centers including a branch of Galeries Lafayette. La Rochelle is home to the largest boating marina in Europe with space for over 5,000 boats, and yachts and also the mainland end of the bridge that connects to the Île de Ré. (New Rochelle in New York State is named after La Rochelle, and they are twin cities. New Rochelle was settled by refugee Huguenots (French Protestants) in 1688).
Cognac
The Île de Ré Camus range of Cognacs.
The digestif that will be offered in every restaurant in Charente-Maritime is Cognac. The town gave its name to the brandy that is one of France's most significant contributions to the world of gastronomy. Like the Cognac made on the Île de Ré all the Cognac in the world aged is aged in or close to the town of Cognac in the neighboring department of Charente. It makes for an interesting day trip from La Rochelle, 104 km (65 miles) with direct trains taking one hour and fifteen minutes.
Dutch merchants found that by distilling one liter of brandy from eleven liters of local wine, they produced a very pleasant digestif. The Dutch called their creation brandewijn, meaning burnt wine. Brandewijn was the word that would become brandy. The Dutch found that the very best wines for this young brandy, an eau-de-vie, came from wines around the town of Cognac and they set up distilleries. Then the French discovered that if the brandy, still an eau-de-vie, was distilled twice it produced something that was much better than the original brandy with an aged eau-de vie becoming a fine Cognac.
For information on deciphering Cognac labels and how to tell the age and grade of a Cognac click here. For more about the ageing and blending of Cognac click here. For more about visiting the town of Cognac and trying different Cognacs click here.
Connected Posts:
Bouillabaisse and Bouillabaisse Marseillaise on French Menus and Links to Recipes for Bouillabaisse.
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