Gastronomy in Charente Maritime

The Charente Maritime, a gourmet and generous nature!

Sea side

You will have to get up early to go to one of the many markets in the department. Once your little black has swallowed, you will discover impressive stalls of fish and seafood: bass, meager, mullet, sole, turbot arrived the same morning from the auctions of La Cotinière, Royan. Depending on the season and the arrivals, you will only be able to choose between prawns, langoustines, scallops or the inevitable and unmissable oysters, classified by size. Ask to get to know the casserons, the local name given to squid, delicious, sautéed and nicely browned, with garlic and parsley.

Melon from Charentes

Its very sweet flesh is a pearly orange, it is savored under an arbor with a glass of Pineau, Charentais melon. It was at the end of the 15th century that the French discovered the delights of the melon then called Cantaloupe. Two centuries later, Saint-Amand mischievously describes it: “blood yellow, it is painted: it is massive to the center. He has few grains in his belly”. Cultivated in France, it will become the Charentais melon that we know today. Spherical and slightly flattened, green-gray in color turning yellow when ripe, this melon with dark green streaks; with smooth or lightly written skin. Its orange flesh, thick, juicy and very sweet, has aromas of muscat grapes.

The Marennes Olerons

The oyster, this headless mollusk of the bivalve family, is particularly rich in minerals and trace elements. Among them, iodine, essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid, phosphorus which provides long-lasting energy, iron essential for the prevention of anemia, as well as magnesium, the deficiency of which exposes you to significant fatigue. , sleep disorders, hypersensitivity to stress, as well as a drop in morale. To these minerals are added a good amount of B vitamins, in particular the anti-fatigue vitamins B2, B5 and B6, as well as vitamin B12 which balances our mood.

Four Varieties

The fine de claires: it must have spent 28 days in the claires to give it this strong taste of terroir. It is recommended for lovers of less fleshy oysters. The special of clear: Regular in shape, it is a little more voluminous in flesh. La fine de claires verte label rouge: This is a superior quality product. The criteria for obtaining this label are numerous. Growth in claires red label: This is the top of the range of Marennes Oléron oysters. The latter will stay 4 to 8 months in clear and be raised at very low density, which gives them a very pronounced taste of terroir.

Prawns

Prawns in France, it may come as a surprise. The Charente-Maritime has nevertheless made it a specialty for twenty years. No soy, wheat or fishmeal. Crustaceans only eat small worms called nereids or gravettes, naturally present in the clear. And they cohabit with the oysters for the benefit of all, including the marsh itself.

Molds

The eclade of mussels, a must. First of all, collect a large quantity of pine needles.

Roughly wash the mussels and remove any that are already open. Next, set the wooden board on a flat, neutral surface. Arrange the molds in a rosette, points upwards, starting from the center of the board. Gently cover them with a thick layer of pine needles. Ignite the pine needles. Then, when they are consumed, dispose of the ashes using the postal almanac!

The Fish

The Atlantic Ocean is generous and the species of fish are numerous. Sea bass, sole, meager, hake, conger eel and sea bream populate our seabed. Nowhere else, a species of fish: the ceteau.

The céteau is a species fished exclusively on the coasts of Charente and Gironde (traditional fishing). It is a species that looks like sole but is smaller, and just as delicious.

Pineau of Charentes and Cognac

A happy dazed discovered a clear liquor with a unique flavor. Pineau was born, in the land of cognac. Thanks to the range of grape varieties present in Charente, Pineau has two colors.

Another flagship with noble aromas, cognac. Cognac, liqueur of the gods according to Victor Hugo, gives rhythm to the life of this country. The cellars where sometimes century-old cognacs age, announce the color: black. Marked by the evaporation of alcohol, it envelopes walls and tiles and proves that the angels have taken their part!

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