CULINARY TOUR DE FRANCE – OCCITANIE – (MIDI-PYRÉNÉES)

It’s my beloved Terre (land) and you will be amazed by magnificent villages like Conques, Rocamadour or Figeac which are linked with the Cathars and the road to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle…

The culinary specialities I will propose to you today are :

* Rocamadour and truffle oil crostini,

* Roquefort terrine with dry fruits and honey,

* Albi navette (cake from Albi with almonds and lemon).

 

 

 

 

 

 

My “peché mignon” with truffles, is the Rocamadour goat cheese, one of the oldest cheeses in the region of Quercy. In the 15th century, those little cheeses were used as value for tax and sharecropping. Because the tax at that time was fixed on cheese. The legend said that the Cistercian monks living in the area, discouraged men from eating meat and encouraged them to prefer cheese products.

Thanks to the renown of the Rocamadour site (that you MUST absolutely visit), the little goat cheese obtained the AOC in 1996.

 

Find the recipe : Rocamadour and truffle oil crostini HERE

 

 

Between you and I, who does not know the iconic Roquefort cheese, made with raw sheep’s milk… ??? It’s a famous microscopic fungus, the penicillium Roqueforti, which gives the dough its bluish green openings and its taste.

Originally from the Causses and Aveyron region, it became in 1925, the first cheese to be recognized as an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée).

Known as one of the oldest cheeses, the “Roquefort cheese” has been mentioned in the archives of the Abbey of Sainte-Foy de Conques, around 1070 during the reign of Philippe Ier…

Find the recipe : Roquefort terrine with dry fruits and honey HERE 

Created in the 18th century, the Navette albigeoise is a cake made with almonds which can be realized in the shape of a diamond.” It was a symbol of Catharism, very widespread among the peoples of Languedoc at the time. For the Cathars who worked hard in weaving, offering a Navette to others was a sign of recognition…

Find the recipe : Gâteau d’Albi HERE