from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Two hundred years ago, during the French revolution, the
province of Quercy in France's southwest was divided into the department of Lot
and part of the department of Tarn-et-Garonne, with other parts reaching into
neighboring departments. The Causses du Quercy overflow to the north into
Corrèze, to the north-west into the Dordogne, to the west to Lot et Garonne, to
the south to Tarn et Garonne, and the east to Aveyron. Since 1-1-2016, the
department of Lots and Tarn-et-Garonne have been part of the
administrative region of
Occitanie. Despite the 200 years that have passed, Quercy's
Quercy was an ancient province in France's southwest. Much of
its land is made for farming, and the green and fertile fields are still seen
as a patchwork of meadows, orchards, woodlands, and valleys. Wherever you look,
you will find fruit, poultry farms, livestock farms, and more. Through the
Northern Causses of Quercy, there are limestone plateaus carved by the Lot and
Dordogne rivers.
Quercy on French Menus:
Selle d'Agneau IGP du Quercy
Rôtie – Roast saddle of Quercy lamb. The saddle is a large cut, so you
will be offered slices. N.B. Lamb in France is served slightly pink, and unlike
steaks, you will rarely be asked how you prefer your lamb cooked. If your
preference is for well-cooked lamb, advise the server. The Quercy lambs are the
Agneaux Fermier du Quercy, Label Rouge, IGP., and were the first French lambs
to be awarded a red label for the consistently high quality of their meat. They
spend their first 70 days raised by their mothers are free of antibiotics and
growth hormones.
The Natural
Regional Park, Causses du Quercy
The famous Quercy Red Label, IGP lambs, are mostly raised on the
park's limestone plateaus (it is also a UNESCO Global Geopark). Part of the
park overlaps into the pastures of the National Park of the Cevennes.
https://uk.parc-causses-du-quercy.fr/
The beautiful National Park of Cevennes, where some of the lambs
are raised, has its own website, and it is also a lovely place to travel
through:
http://www.causses-et-cevennes.fr/en/i-discovered/natural-parks-and-large-sites/the-cevennes-national-park/
There is a fete celebrating the Quercy lambs: The Fête de
l'Agneau du Quercy. The fete is held every year on the 2nd Saturday and Sunday
in August. (N.B. Always check dates before traveling). The fete is held in the
village of Cressensac in the north of the department of Lot. With less than 700
inhabitants Cressensac combines with other nearby villages and grows overnight
to welcome the visitors in their thousands. Visitors are welcome, and the town
of Rocamadour so famous for its own Quercy product, the Rocamadour goat’s cheese AOP
is just 35 km (22 miles) to the south of Cressensac in the same department. Rocamadour
is a fantastic place to visit and the place to stay when visiting the fete.
N.B. Book a long time ahead.
Duo de Crèmes Brûlées au Safran du
Quercy et Lavande - A duo of crème-brules. One is
flavored with the famous Quercy
saffron,(L’Or
Rouge de Quercy, Quercy’s red gold), and the other with lavender. Quercy is one
of the few remaining places in France where saffron, the herb, is
still grown. A mechanical harvester cannot pick saffron; saffron must have its
deep red stigmas picked by hand, which is both a backbreaking and expensive
job.
Saffron remains the most
expensive spice in the world. In Quercy, a farmer with a whole acre planted
with saffron in a good year will have, at most, two kilos of saffron stigma.
The farmers only begin to make a profit when they receive over $1,000 for 100
grams.
Grosses Crevettes Marinées
au Safran du
Quercy, Gaufre de
Pomme de Terre et Fenouil Croquant - Large shrimps marinated
in Quercy's saffron and served with potato gaufres and crisply cooked fennel, the herb.
Potato gaufres are potato
wafers that look like very thin Belgian waffles. Fennel is a member of the same
licorice-flavored family as dill, with a slightly more robust flavor. Despite
that caveat, the taste of the fennel plant is mild and appreciated by French
chefs who use it in many fish and shellfish dishes.
La Salade Endives aux
Betteraves et Cerneaux de Noix de Périgord
AOP -
A salad of endives
and beetroot served with the locally grown Périgord Walnuts AOP. The
department of Perigord-Dordogne borders
Lot, and many of Périgord's famous walnuts are grown inside Lot's borders.
Endives,
goat's cheese, and walnuts
www.flickr.com/photos/29183526@N06/5336795456/
The endive is the Belgian endive,
witloof or whiteleaf, and called chicons in Belgium. Endive leaves are mostly white
with yellow to slightly light-green tips and are firm and crunchy; they have a
nutty and slightly bitter flavor.
Melon du Quercy, Avec de Fines
Tranches de Jambon Sec –
The much appreciated Quercy melon served with thin slices of cured dried ham. These
melons are claimed to be descendants of melon seeds brought in the 15th century
from Naples. Italy. The Quercy melon is a round, light-green melon with thin,
dark green stripes. It has a sweet, orange-colored, beautifully scented flesh.
The locally cured hams offered here may be cured in a variety of ways and have
many different tastes. Here, the cured ham will complement the melon's sweetness.
Blanc de Volaille Fermières
de Quercy et Segala Label Rouge au Vinaigre de
Xérès et Gambas - Chicken
breast from the Quercy and Segala Red Label poultry prepared
with sherry vinegar and served
with large shrimps. Segala is
a unique agricultural area in the Occitanie region, and together Quercy and
Ségala are an agricultural region that straddles the border between the
departments of Aveyron and Tarn. Quercy and Ségala jointly raised France’s
first red label poultry. Their poultry, including turkeys,
ducks
and Guinea fowl, are all
raised free-range in grassy fields. The poultry
are antibiotics and growth hormone free. N.B. Segala Label Rouge veal is considered
among the best in France, and it will be on many Quercy menus.
The English language website of Aveyron and Segala is:
http://www.aveyron-segala-tourisme.com/index-en.php
The French language website for tourism in Lot will introduce
you to many Quercy events, food products, and more. The website can be easily
understood with the Bing or Google translate apps.
http://www.tourisme-lot.com/pratique/brochures
Magret de Canard de
Quercy Sauce au Vin de Cahors - Duck breast from
the highly-rated Quercy ducks prepared with a sauce made from Quercy’s
famous Cahors red wine.
Risotto Carnarolli au Vieux Parmesan et
à la Truffe Noire du
Quercy - A risotto made with the most expensive of all risotto rices,
the Carnarolli rice. Here it is prepared with aged Parmesan cheese and
the black Quercy truffle. This truffle is the same as the one that comes from
across the border in Périgord. The Périgord truffle, the black
truffle, their black diamond is the most famous, tasty, and costly
of all French truffles; however, truffles have no respect for borders. The
perfect risotto must be soft, not mushy, with each grain identifiable.
Ninety-nine percent of all Italian and French chefs will agree that while the
Arborio and Baldo are better known, the Carnaroli rice is unbeatable where
risotto is concerned.
Also from Quercy:
The Raisin Chasselas de Moissac
AOP – One of the two most famous
table grapes of France. These uniquely tasting grapes are virtually
hand-raised, and they are only available in the markets from late August
through the first week of November. The farmers who grow these grapes also sell
fresh grape juice, and a bottle will cost more than many wines. If you dine in
the area, you may be offered a cocktail made with this grape juice and brandy
called an Emoustille.
The Raisin Chasselas de Moissac AOP grapes.
Photograph
courtesy of Jean Weber
www.flickr.com/photos/inra_dist/23592913481/
Rocamadour AOP - A
45% fat goat’s milk cheese made with non-pasteurized milk. The ancient city of Rocamadour is
in the department of Lot. The Rocamadour AOP cheese is creamy, and when young
is quite mild, then it may well be in your salad, or it may be part of another
dish. When it is older, it will be on the cheese board or a cheese plate. If
you are considering taking one home, you will not pay overweight; all
Rocamadour AOP cheeses weigh less than 40 grams ( 1.4 oz). For more about
buying cheese in France and taking it home, click here.
Les Bières Artisanales Lotoises –
Many craft beers are produced in the department of Lot, and links to many of
these Brasseries (brewers) can be reached through the Cahors Valee de Lot
website.
https://www.cahorsvalleedulot.com/decouvrir/vin-et-gastronomie/les-bieres-artisanales-lotoises
Le Pastis du Quercy (not
to be confused with the southern French liqueur Pastis) – The Quercy Pastis is
a tourtière, a pie, made with apples marinated in a plum-based liquor. There
are many stories linked to this pie’s origins, with the French language website
of Cuisine à la Française offering
three. The website is easily understood with the Google and Microsoft
Translation apps.
https://www.tourisme-lot.com/les-incontournables-du-lot/saveurs-du-lot/produits-du-terroir/le-pastis
The
Capital of Quercy.
The capital of the province of Quercy was the town of Cahors.
When you look for an exceptional French red wine, the red Cahors AOC/AOP will
be among those heading the list. In fact, Cahors is among the top ten red wines
of France, and that is a grading that you will never hear disputed. The Cahors’
local Route de Vins, their wine road, with its wine tastings, may be visited by
car or, for a refreshing change, by boat on the river Lot. Quercy has other
red, white, and rose wines that are on the wine road; the Coteaux du Quercy
Reds, Rosés, and White AOP wines and the Côtes Du Lot IGP.
In the town of Cahors, do not miss the Pont Valentré, the
Valentré Bridge. In Occitan, the original and still used local language, the
bridge is called the Pont de Balandras. This bridge is the symbol of the town
and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This bridge first opened in 1378 and was
rebuilt in 1879. Look for the emblem of the little devil on one of the towers.
Then ask why!
If you are visiting the area, check for more information and
places to visit with the English language website of the Cahors Tourist
Information office:
http://www.holidays-cahors.co.uk/useful-info/contact-your-tourist-office
Ask for the dates of the next Fete du Vin de Cahors, the Cahors
Wine Fete. The fete is held at the end of July or the beginning of August in a
number of the villages close to Cahors. When talking with the locals note that
the town’s name is pronounced without sounding the H; just say ka-ors.
N.B. the locals call themselves Cadurciens.
Quercy
and the English connection:
Those who went to school in the U.K. will have learned about the
100 years war fought between England and France. That was one war among many
that were spread over 400 years! In the province of Quercy, most of these
battles were fought among the towns and castles built on hilltops. Many of
these castles, towers, and hilltop towns remain.
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Copyright 2010, 2015, 2017, 2021
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