|
www.holidaycottagesinfrance.com
|
|
|
click on flag |
Food and Drink Whilst the region is probably best known for being the home of cognac, this isn't the only alcohol produced in the Charente: the area is also well-known for a sweeter apéritif wine, Pineau des Charentes. Popular legend has it that the drink was the happy result of an accident: apparently, during Henri IV's reign, a wine grower poured grape must into a barrel of cognac eau-de-vie by mistake, and then stored it away. Several years later, he came across this hidden barrel and was amazed to find that the contents had turned into a delicious, sunny liquid, and voilà, Pineau des Charentes was created. Although wine doesn't spring to mind when the Charente is mentioned, since cognac and Pineau des Charentes tend to overshadow other products, there have been vineyards here since Roman times. Traditionally, it was white wine that was favoured here, and this was often added to the shipments of the two major exports, salt and wheat, during the Middle Ages. The most frequently used cépages for the red wines from the Charente are merlot and cabernet sauvignon, producing a wine with body, while the traditional ugni-blanc and colombard, which are already grown for making cognac, are used for the white wines, although sémillon, sauvignon and chardonnay are also present. Rosé wines are making huge inroads too, and production is increasing all the time. French cooking is considered the finest in the world. It has two cuisines: haute cuisine which evolved from France's great chefs and cuisine régionale - regional country cooking made with local produce from recipes passed on from mother to daughter for generations. French food as we know it today did not evolve until the middle of the 16th century, after Catherine de Medici married the Dauphin and brought her Italian chefs to France. New vegetables were introduced in France - tiny peas, artichokes, broccoli, Savoy cabbage and various salad greens, along with new methods of cooking. Haricot beans, Jerusalem artichokes, sweetcorn, tomatoes and potatoes were introduced from the new World, although it took 200 years before the tomato and the potato were widely accepted as food in France. At the beginning of the 19th century the division between the haute cuisine and cuisine régionale began. Restaurants sprang up all over Paris run by chefs who used to cook for the aristocracy, and by well-known chefs from all the provinces of France. New stoves were invented with adjustable heat which helped to advance cooking techniques. Before then most cooking was done over hot coals. In many villages food had to be taken to the local baker to be cooked as he had the only oven. After World War I cooking and eating in France changed greatly. More meat and fish was eaten and more butter and cream. Many traditional dishes were lost during the war. Fortunately, a new interest in regional cooking emerged led by Curnonsky, prince of gastronomes, who motored around the French provinces seeking out local specialities. Cooking in the Charente is simple, but opulent, based on milk, cream, butter - considered to be the best in France - and wine. The inhabitants are often called gagouillards (snails), probably because of the long slow simmering that is so typical of the region's cooking. This fertile, arable land, with its mild climate, produces superb fruit and vegetables. Charentais melons are world famous. Asparagus, grown on the island of Ré, is one of the first to appear in the Paris markets each year. All kinds of wild mushrooms are gathered, as well as truffles. Charente is, of course, most famous for its cognac and each meal traditionally had a trou au milieu - a 'hole in the middle' - when a glass of cognac would be served as an aid to digestion. Local specialities include: soupe au potiron et aux châtaignes, a pumpkin and chestnut soup, poured over slices of bread, Mojhettes fraîches à la Charentaise, fresh large haricot beans simmered with garlic, onion, tomato, butter, oil and herbs, cèpes à la Charentaise, Cèpe mushrooms sautéed in oil with garlic, shallots, parsley and cognac and Parfait au Cognac, a frozen mousse made with nuts, chocolate, fruit or liqueur.
|
