Explore France - Gascony for Gourmet Cuisine

Famous for Gastronomic Treats - Foie Gras, Confit D'oie and Armagnac

Mar 29, 2007

The most rural part of France with one of the finest and most robust cuisines in the country. Hometown of Alexandre Dumas, the creator of 'The Three Muskateers.

What is commonly referred to as the Armagnac region is actually the Gers départment in the region of Gascony. It’s an easy-going, laid back sort of place. Even the rivers sound sleepy, with names like Douze, Midouze, Auzon. But there's nothing laid back about the food. Geese and ducks are the staple of Gascony cooking and you'll see them freely roaming in fields and farmyards wherever you go.

France - Gascony - Famous for Foie Gras

The geese get specially fattened for foie gras, which the locals swear is the finest in the world. Then there is the ubiquitous confit d'oie, an ancient method of preservation whereby the goose is cooked, cut into large pieces and piled into a big jar and the fat which has come from the goose during cooking is poured over it. Very hearty, very fattening, and not for those fighting the battle of the bulge. But what the heck, why not relax and enjoy? France is not a country for food cissies.

The main town, Auch (as in 'gosh') is essentially medieval in character with many lovely old houses. Even the tourism office is housed in a 15th century building. There's a magnificent pale yellow stone cathedral, and rising up from the river is a vast monumental staircase which is home to a statue of Gascony's most famous son, d'Artagnan, the headstrong, passionate muskateer in Alexandre Dumas' heroic tale 'The Three Muskateers'. Although the story is fiction, d'Artagnan really did exist. His real name was Charles de Batz and he was born in 1611. Like his alter ego in Dumas's story, he was a courageous, chivalrous, and often reckless man who not only had a great appetite for life but also for the good food and wine of his native Gascony.

About thirty miles north of Auch is the unforgettably named town of Condom. Nobody is quite sure how it got its name but one suggestion is that it came from condominium, meaning a jointly controlled stronghold. Hmmm! Anyway, it draws the crowds - if only to take pictures of the town sign which, the locals say, has been stolen more times than they can remember. And don't make any jokes about them having a small population - they've heard them all before.

Condom Cathedral dominates the town., a Benedictine abbey and apart from its jokey name it is a good place to use as a base for visiting other parts of Gascony. It is one of the main centres for the distillation of Armagnac. There's an Armagnac museum where you can find out what the difference between the brandy of Armagnac and Cognac really is, and there are a number of Armagnac producers whose premises you can visit where you can taste the different brandy products and be shown the distillery and how it all works. It's fascinating.

Armagnac brandy has been produced in Gascony for over 500 years, and only really got into the export business in more recent times, when Americans boycotted Scotch whiskey during theWar of Independence. The unique character of the brandy derives from the soil of the region, which is light and sandy and ideal for the growing of Armagnac grapes. The most prestigious Armagnacs come from here. To find out what makes Armagnac different from its cousin Cognac you should visit a producer. Visitors are always welcome and you will be offered tastings of the different brandies - some have as many as fifty different brandies on hand and, like wine, some years are better than others, depending on climatic conditions.

Brandy is technically a fruit spirit. Any old fruit juice can be turned into brandy and often is and the tradition of distilling fruits goes back centuries. Peasant farmers all over Europe would use whatever what available to them - fruit, flowers, berries, herbs, even leaves - to make a rough spirit which was often aged in rough casks.

Gascony is one of the most pastoral areas of France and is a great place for just wandering and exploring. The country roads are almost traffic free and the landscape is unspoilt and uncrowded. Wherever you go you will come across small villages and towns with wonderful markets where the food is straight from the farms and orchards of the region - you'll never want to eat store-bought again! Buy some fresh, damp little goats cheeses wrapped in vine leaves, crisp baguettes, tomatoes that really taste the way they should, and picnic amongst the vines. What more could you want? Ah yes, don't forget the Armagac. Salut!

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