Gastronomy

This region is famous for its country cooking, with simple dishes, produced using farm products dominate. Produce such as garden vegetables, fresh eggs, milk and ingredients found growing wild in the countryside. It is very easy to produce a meal using local produce.

Farci Poitevin

Made in a string bag, the large cabbage leaves are filled with vegetables, diced pork, flour and egg and cooked for several hours. It was a way of using the surplus vegetables from the garden during the growing season.

A specialist producer of Farci Poitevin can be found in Sommières du Clain / Tél : 05 49 87 70 28

SAUCE AUX LUMAS

In Poitevin Lumas is a word for snail. This sauce is prepared with white or red wine with shallottes, garlic and lardoons (small diced bacon pieces). There is a little song…..

“Quand tu m’fais d’la sauce aux lumas
On etend tcheu qui jargotte
Y’t bigerai sur les deux jottes
Y sr’est benaize dans ma pie”…

Snails are reared and cooked at La Ferme de l’Epine – 86350 – Chateau Garnier.
Tél : 05 49 87 49 80

FROMAGE DE CHÈVRES

There is a legend that says that when the Sarrizans were defeated by Charles Martel they left leaving their goats. A number of goats cheeses are produced. The most known is without doubt ‘le Chaichou’ made in cylindrical shape. Several producers of goats cheeses sell them at the Gençay market where you can also try them for taste.

Dates of the market at Gençay :

Large town foire – the 2nd and last Thursday of the month.
Covered market – every Thursday and Saturday morning.

BROYÉ DU POITOU

This biscuit of butter, sugar and flour was blessed by the priest on festival days and shared with all the villagers, each braking off a small piece.

GALETTE FROMAGÈRE

Some fromage frais is mixed with eggs, sugar and egg whites which are beaten to form a meringue. Before that a pastry case is prepared in which one puts the mix before cooking in the oven.

tourteauTOURTEAU FROMAGER

Eggs, flour and sugar are mixed together. This is poured onto a base of goat’s cheese. The tourteau is cooked in the oven in a ball shaped mould, it is a festival dessert.

GRIMOLLES

A type of pancake mix, very thick is mixed with diced apple. La Grimolle is cooked in a cabbage leaf and traditionally cooked in the village bread oven.