Behind the French Menu

Banon AOP – One of Provence’s Greatest Goat’s Milk Cheeses.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Banon Cheese packed in chestnut leaves

www.flickr.com/photos/alpesdehauteprovence-tourisme/8679356331/

The Banon Cheese

Banon is a soft, mild, tasty, 45% fat, goat’s milk cheese made with unpasteurized milk. The cheeses are small, round, and 6 -7 cm ( 2.75”) in diameter, with each cheese weighing approximately 100 grams (3.5 oz). The cheese matures for at least 20 days and when the young cheeses are considered ready they are dipped in a local eau-de-vie and wrapped in their traditional coating of chestnut leaves; only then may they be sold. The chestnut leaves from Provence’s abundant chestnut forests are applied by hand. For information on buying cheese in France and bringing it home see the post: Buying Cheese in France and Bringing French Cheese Home.

A ripe young Banon AOC cheese.

Photograph courtesy of Joselo Blanco

www.flickr.com/photos/silverman68/5458103495/

The village of Banon

The village of Banon is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and young Banon cheeses may be served warm in a salad, as an entrée, the French first course, with a more mature cheese being part of a cheese plate or on the cheese trolley. In the area try the cheese with the enjoyable, and affordable, Alpes de Haute-Provence IGP wines, especially their rosé or try the slightly more expensive AOP wines from the Coteaux de Pierrevert appellation which has rosés, reds and whites, You may also enjoy Banon with a glass of the sparkling rosé Crémant de Provence, or the albeit expensive, but, very sweet and famous dessert wine, the Muscat de Beaume de Venise, produced just 74 km (46 miles) away.

The village of Banon

The Banon cheese has one of the smallest annual productions of any French cheese, even though it is produced over a wide area in farms and dairies including departments outside the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Altogether all these farm and dairies only produce 70 tons of this cheese every year.

A café in Banon

Photograph courtesy of Guillaume Baviere

www.flickr.com/photos/84554176@N00/37689236386/

The origin of the Banon cheese is sometimes disputed; however, no one disputes that it has been made under its present name in and around the village of Banon for at least five hundred years. Despite that minimum of 500 years, I was told that the cheese is close to 1,000 (years-old), and was created in another village called Puimichel which is some 50 km (31 miles) away. I checked the story of the Puimichel origins on the Banon AOC website, and they ignore that claim; however, they do provide a tongue in cheek claim that the cheese dates back 2,000 years to the Roman Emperor Antonius (86 -161 CE), who “ate so much that he died.”

A street in Banon

Photograph courtesy _Serge_Robert_

www.flickr.com/photos/sergerobert/2461935491/

Banon and the communes around the village produce many other cheeses. If you visit the area on the third Sunday in May you will be in time for Banon’s annual cheese celebration their Fête du Fromage; then you may taste them all. Check next year’s dates on the fete’s website, which is in French but is easily understood using the Bing of Google translation apps:

https://fetedufromage-banon.fr/

The village of Puimichel and Telescopes.

The village of Puimichel that some claim to be the source of the recipe for the Banon cheese is 637 meters above sea level, and home to a 1060mm Newton telescope built by the renowned Dany Cardoen. This one of the world’s largest amateur telescopes.

Puimichel and Perfumes.

Whether you visit Puimichel to check out the cheese story or to look at or through the telescope, then, apart from people walking around staring at the stars, during the lavender flowering season, you will be made aware of the village’s small factories that produce perfumes from the local flora. The fragrance of flowers and perfumes fill the streets at the height of the season, which is July and August.

Puimochel and Pétanque

Also, while many French villages have annual festivals in the third week of September, Puimichel has a weeklong pétanque, boules, tournament, if you choose to join in or learn pétanque make a note. You may also write ahead and hire the telescope for a night or two.

Traveling from Puimichel to Banon

If you are traveling from Puimichel to Banon, halfway between them is the small town of Forcalquier; here, you will find a pastis distillery where for a small contribution to the local economy, you may try an authentic Provencal anise based pastis. Depending on the season, and how much you drank, you may continue your journey onwards through the town’s Route de la Lavande.

The Lavender Road.

Their lavender road supplies much of Provence’s AOP Huile Essentielle de Lavande, the Essential Lavender Oil. Many of the streets outside Banon, Forcalquier, and Puimichel run alongside lavender fields; the flowers color the countryside from the beginning of July until the end of the season, in Mid or end August. The fields are intermingled with olive trees that supply the AOP olive oil from Haute-Provence.

An Authentic Provencal Anise Based Pastis

If you are traveling from Puimichel to Banon, halfway between them is the small town of Forcalquier; here, you will find a pastis distillery, and for a small contribution to the local economy, you may try an authentic Provencal anise based pastis. Depending on the season, and how much you drank, you may then continue your journey, once again through the town’s Route de la Lavande. The fields are intermingled with olive trees that supply the AOP olive oil from Haute-Provence.

PPears confites with lavender honey.

Photograph courtesy of AD04

www.flickr.com/photos/alpesdehauteprovence-tourisme/8679352467/

Stop off for a Natural Thermal Bath

The Romans also used these thermal springs

And the locals still ask whatever did the Roman do for us?

After those visits, for a change in pace, just 30 km (18.6 miles) from the turnoff on the E712 for Banon, in the direction of Marseilles is the village of Gréoux-les-Bains. Gréoux-les-Bains offers thermal baths for those seeking a cure or just a pleasant way to spend a day. The Romans originally used these baths, though I am sure they wouldn’t recognize the facilities today as the area now includes quite a number of highly-rated hotels and restaurants, alongside upscale baths.

The thermal baths of Gréoux-les-Bains.

Photograph courtesy of Chaîne Thermale du Soleil

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

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from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Carving a Pigeon.

Photograph by Food-micro through Dreamstime.

Pigeon or Pigeon Biset

The common pigeon.

This is the pigeon seen on most French menus.

The pigeons on French menus are all farm-raised, except during the 30-day hunting- season when the pigeon ramier, wild wood pigeons, maybe hunted and then they may be on some menus. Farm-raised pigeons have meat that is darker, tenderer, and tastier than chicken. Pigeons were on nearly all restaurant menus in the UK and North America throughout the 19th century, and then in the early 20th century, they lost popularity among mainstream chefs. Nevertheless, younger chefs have become interested in pigeons again, and so pigeons are on more UK and North American menus. Farm-raised pigeons have always remained a favorite on French menus and never lost their popularity. Farming pigeons for food began with the ancient Egyptians and were brought to France by the Romans and the Greeks. Worry not, no pigeon on the menu will come from the village clock tower or town square, they are all farm-raised.

A suprême de pigeon or a baronnet de pigeon,

On your menu, in France, a serving of pigeon is usually a suprême de pigeon, half the breast and a wing, or a baronnet de pigeon, half the breast and a leg. Even large pigeons do not have a great deal of fat, so a roasted pigeon will be barded, wrapped in fat, so that it does not dry out in the oven.

The size of a pigeon serving

From my experience, in France, its best to always ask about the size of the pigeon portions offered; pigeon portions vary considerably. I have had a serving of pigeon that was minute, and that was provided as the main course; other servings were larger but were on the menu as the starter, the French entrée. Check the weight with the server; a whole cooked adult pigeon may weigh 400 grams (14 ounces); though there are larger ones. Without the bones, your half portion, with the bones, will be 200 grams (7 ounces), and that may offer 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of meat. With the garnishes that will be adequate for a single diner, if it is less, you may still be hungry at the end of your meal. Farmed pigeon with its darker meat, and, slightly stronger taste than chicken, will partner well with light red wines as well as white wines.

Roast Anjou Pigeon

Photograph courtesy of Ross Bruniges

www.flickr.com/photos/thecssdiv/8709937644/

For pigeonneau, squabs, young pigeons, see the second part of this post.

The name of the farm or the area where the pigeon was raised will often be on the menu, especially in areas where there are many pigeon farms. Where the pigeon comes from and who raised it is important to the cognoscenti, and that will undoubtedly affect the price. In any case, worry not, none of the pigeons on the menu will have come from the village or town square, or bell tower, that afternoon!

Pigeon choices on French menus:

Le Pigeon de Vendée Rôti aux Châtaignes et Betteraves Chioggia - A farmed pigeon raised in the département of Vendée, in the region of the Pays-de-la-Loire, roasted with chestnuts and Chioggia beetroots. Chioggia beetroots are unique; they have alternating red and white rings when cut.

Chioggia is the famous agricultural land that across from the Venetian lagoon in Italy; Chioggia is renowned for its many unique vegetables, including the Chioggia beetroot, and the Radicchio Rosso di Chioggia, the Red Chicory or Chioggia Chicory, the best-known member of the radicchio family. All these vegetables are now also grown in France.

The department of Vendée is in the Pays de Loire and has many small farms that specialize in unique and high-quality food products, including pigeons. Apart from its many fabulous food products, Vendée also has 200 km (165 miles) of glorious sandy beaches on France's Atlantic coast.

There are Plenty of Sandy Beaches in Vendee.

Photograph courtesy of Gordon McKinlay.

www.flickr.com/photos/gordon_mckinlay/4753745637/

Baronnet de Pigeon Farci aux Cèpes – Half the breast and a leg of the pigeon stuffed with French Porcini mushrooms.

Pigeonneau Fermier de Mr Chabert, Rôti, Jus de Carcasses aux Épices de Cacao, Le Suprême Rosé et la Cuisse Désossée, Fine Purée de Haricots Tarbais - Half the breast and a wing from a pigeon raised on the farm of Mr Chabert, served in a gravy made from the bones of the pigeon flavored with cocoa beans. The breast is served slightly rosé, pink, and the wing is deboned. Pigeon breast, like duck breast, in France, is usually lightly cooked, rosé, pink, so if you want your pigeon cooked differently, advise your server; unlike steaks, you will rarely be asked how you want your pigeon cooked. The garnish is a fine puree made from the label rouge, red label graded, Haricot Tarbais beans, grown around the town of Tarbes in the département of Hautes-Pyrénées.

The haricot Tarbais beans were, originally, like all beans, a South American import. If you are close to Tarbes during the picking season, from Mid-August to October, you may try the fresh beans at nearly all the local restaurants. Otherwise, this bean will be on your menu as a rehydrated dried white bean. Tarbes and the area around has been selecting and improving on the original bean since the 18th century and was, in 1997, the first dried bean to be awarded the Label Rouge, the red label, for its unique and consistent quality.

This menu listing comes from department of Drôme in the south-eastern region of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Here there are many well-known pigeon farms, and this restaurant considers the farm of Mr. Jean Louis Chabert as among the very best; the local clientele recognizes the farm, and so Mr. Chabert's name is on this local menu.

Demi Pigeon et Ris de Veau Rôti - Half a pigeon, served together with roasted veal sweetbreads.

Soupe de Pigeon à l'Ail – Garlic accented pigeon soup.

Suprême de Pigeon de Champigné Rôti au Sautoir - The breast and wing of a pigeon from a farm in the commune of Champigné. The community of Champigné is in the département of Maine et Loire in the region of the Pays de la Loire. The menu notes the breast is roasted/braised in a sautoir, a high-walled frying pan; the French restaurant tradition allows for advising the diner of the equipment used in preparing different dishes. N.B. The department of Maine et Loire is the historical home of Anjou and the Angevines,

The common pigeon or rock dove in the languages of France's neighbors:

(Catalan - colom; colom roquer), (Dutch: rotsduif, duif ), (German - haustaube), (Italian piccione selvatico), (Spanish paloma domestica),

The common pigeon or rock dove in other languages:

( Arabic - حمام جبلي ), (Chinese - 原鸽, 鸽子, （學名), (Greek - περιστέρι ), (Hebrew - yona hasela - יונת הסלע_). ( Japanese - kawarabato - 鳩0 -カワラバト（河原鳩、学名),( Korean -비둘기), (Portuguese: pombo-doméstico, pombo-comun), (Russian - голубь, cизый голубь ), ( Latin - Columba livia domestica).

(Corrections to translations are welcomed along with additional languages.).

Pigeonneau, a squab, on French menus.

Pigeonneau - a squab, is a young pigeon that has never flown; it has a milder, and tenderer meat than an adult pigeon. Squabs are usually served whole as most weigh less than 250 grams (9 ounces), bones and all; that is, maybe, 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of meat.

Roasted squab

Photograph by Ktphotog through Dreamstime

Pigeonneau de Saint-André de Messei Rôti au Citron, Anis Étoilée, Petites Endives Confites - A squab from the commune of Saint-André de Messei, roasted with lemon and flavored with star anise and served with a confit, a jam, made from small endives. Saint-André de Messei, where these squabs come from, is another popular pigeon farming community in the department of Orne in the region of Normandy. The small farms in this area are frequently visited by chefs, especially from Paris, and their farming methods are examined and published; many of these farms also allow tourist visitors. The department of Orne is also famous for the Calvados Pays d'Auge AOC apple brandy produced there.

There are many different endives, and the one used for the confit here will almost certainly be the Belgian Endive, also called the White Endive or Chicon.

Pigeonneau Rôti au Parmesan – A squab roasted and then, before serving, sprinkled lightly with Parmesan cheese and then browned under the grill.

Pigeon Ramier or Palombe on French Menus.

Pigeon Ramier or Palombe – The wild wood pigeon or ring-dove, called the palombe in the Basque country. The wood pigeon will only be on menus in France between 15 October and 15 November when their hunting is permitted. The wood pigeon will be the subject of a separate post, and, by the way, Palombe is also the name that Picasso gave to his daughter.

The wood pigeon in the languages of France's neighbors:

(Catalan - tudó ), ((Dutch- houtduif), (German –ringeltaube), (Italian –colombaccio), (Spanish - paloma torcaz).

The wood pigeon: in other languages.

(Arabic - حمامة الغابة ), (Chinese - 斑尾林鸽[编辑]), (Greek – Φάσσα), (Japanese - モリバ- moribato), (Portuguese: Pombo-torcaz), (Russian - Bяхирь ) (Latin -- cColumba palumbus).

Corrections to translations, free of payment, are welcomed along with additional languages.

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