Not holiday time, although it seems to me that nowadays everybody is on holiday all the time!
For your planning, here's a little article from"frenchentree.com" a Website based in Britain.
The area of mr le marquis "Le GARD" is quite well described, as are the other local areas:
Here's the link:
http://www.frenchentree.com/languedoc-restaurants-wine/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=12025

and here's a little bit concerning "le GARD":

Gourmet’s Tour of the Languedoc-Roussillon

There’s something yummy to try in every department of the region

With 27 Languedoc-Roussillon restaurants awarded stars in the 2010 Michelin Guide (including one which has reached the dizzy heights of 3-stars) and with regional wines regularly topping the numerous international wine industry annual awards, now is a fantastic time to come to the Languedoc-Roussillon and enjoy the good life!

Now of course, you can rely on the stars and the awards and such – and you should, after all they do list the best of the best – but if you’re a true gourmet and are really intent on exploring the region, you will want to know all about the local delicacies and culinary traditions.

So, where to start? Well, I have pretty much travelled the length and breadth of the region eating and tasting along the way (hard job, but someone has got to do it) and so I now offer you this gourmet tour of the Languedoc-Roussillon, highlighting the delicious treats and hidden secrets that you’ll really want to look out for when you’re here.

As you will see, there’s something yummy to try in every department of the region; the tour starts with Provençal flavours in the Gard, will take us north to the hearty mountain foods of Lozère before heading south to the stunning seafood of the Hérault, then west ito the rural surprises of the Aude and then south again to the Catalan delights of the Pyrénées-Orientales!

So all that’s left for me to say is, of course, bon appétit!

Gourment's Tour of Languedoc Roussillon


Gard
Many would say that the Gard shares more with the neighbouring region Provence than the Languedoc-Roussillon to which it belongs, and indeed one often hears the term Gard Provençal applied to all sorts of things here. For me what really defines the cuisine here are the wonderful blends of herbs that fill the garrigue scrub that grows everywhere – oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, marjoram and basil.

And between the garrigue are the lavender fields and the olive groves. The Gard is home to la Picholine: a green olive which was awarded AOC* recognition in 2006, not too long after the oil that is produced from it was also awarded that status (in 2004). So, the Picholine is now officially the "Olive de Nîmes" and is rather lovely – it has a deep green colour, its flesh is juicy, rich and has a very attractive crisp finish – perfect for aperitif time and also when used in the other local olive favourite, the tapenade olive spread. Head to the artisan market at Uzès for all your olive and herb requirements!

A visit to the Gard would also not be complete without heading into Nîmes to find the well-known Brandade de Nîmes. Also known as brandade de morue, it is a purée of salt cod, olive oil, and milk sometimes toped with a fine potato purée that tops the dish of mashed salt cod – delicious! And then for something quite different: the Camargue wetlands southeast of Nîmes, home of wild horses, pink flamingos and the famous black bulls. The adventurous meat-eater will want to sniff out a Gardiane de Taureau – a bull meat stew that has been simmered for about 3 hours having already been marinated for at least a day in a mixture of red wine, onions, vinegar, thyme, bay leaf, orange peel and garlic! This can be served with the sticky Camargue red rice, also known as riz rouge, for a thoroughly filling meal that should keep you going for days!

Lastly, it’s also good to know that the Gard department is the number 1 producer of asparagus in the whole of France! So you’ll get yours very fresh whilst you’re there, usually available between February and June.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

last chance for Christmas - today only....!

The Empire is dead...Long live the Empire...?