French Cycling Holidays - A Culinary Odyssey Part 1

French Cycling Holidays – A Culinary Odyssey – part one - The Mediterranean and Canal du Midi

One of the main reasons to visit France is the contribution the country has made to the world of fine food and drink. We were going to write an article with a few of the highlights, but as soon as we started we realised that there were far too many to be covered in one piece!

So, we are going to highlight the spectacular food and drink that each region has contributed and that you will sample with a hearty appetite on our fantastic cycling tours. We will start, as we start our biking season, in the South…

…in the fascinating port city of Sète, the launching point for our Mediterranean and the Canal du Midi tour. Sète sits with the Mediterranean on one side, and on the other the huge lagoon of the Etang de Thau (pronounced “Etong de Toe”). The Etang is one of France’s foremost producers of shellfish, and these feature heavily in the region’s specialities. We’ll take a look at a couple of Sètoise specialities.

Tielles de Sète

For lunch, don’t miss the town’s most famous delicacy, the Tielle Sètoise. Tielles are delicious pies, similar to Spanish empanadas, filled with octopus and other seafood, all in a spicy tomato sauce. The pastry is based on bread pastry, and the steam released on cooking gives the crust a lovely soft consistency. A Tielle, a side of salad, and a chilled rosé des sables – lunch perfection!

Bourride Sètoise

In the evening, stay with the seafood theme and try the stunning Bourride Sètoise. The Languedoc answer to Marseille’s Bouillabaisse, Bourride is principally a monkfish stew with a few other white fish varieties, like bass, hake and turbot also allowed. It is cooked in white wine, and lemon juice with tomatoes, leeks and potatoes and flavoured with thyme, bay and orange peel; crème fraiche is then added to give a velvety consistency. Finally it is served with aioli, the pungent garlic-laden mayonnaise of the region. To cut through the richness, the locals drink the local speciality white wine, Picpoul de Pinet, made in the plain behind the lagoon – wine experts regularly choose Picpoul as the number 1 choice for accompanying seafood.

 Noilly Prat

Along the coast from Sète in the little fishing village of Marseillan, is a hidden gastronomic gem. On the harbourside, where the sea breezes can add their tang to the maturing barrels, we find the vermouth producers Noilly Prat. The company was started in Marseillan in 1851, and the process has remined the same to the present day. Noilly Prat is made exclusively from white grape varieties grown in the Marseillan area, Picpoul and Clairette. These produce light, fruity wines which are matured in massive Canadian oak casks inside the original storerooms. The wine stays in these casks for 8 months, maturing and absorbing the flavour of the wood, before being transferred to smaller oak barrels which are taken outside and left for a year. Here they are exposed to the sun, wind, and low winter temperatures, while the wine is slowly changing. The result is a wine that is dry, full-bodied and amber coloured, similar to Madiera or Sherry.

The wines are then blended together into oak casks. A small quantity of Mistelle (grape juice and alcohol) is added to the wines in order to soften them. In the oak casks, a process of maceration, supposedly unique to Noilly Prat, takes place over a period of three weeks. A blend of some twenty herbs and spices is added by hand every day. The exact mix of herbs and spices that goes into Noilly Prat is a closely guarded secret, but camomile, orange peel, nutmeg, yellow gentian, coriander and cloves. After a further six weeks, the finished product is ready for bottling. Our visit to Noilly Prat (with extensive tasting!) is one of the highlights of the tour.

Wines of the Minervois

As we head way from the Mediterranean, into the foothills of the Montagnes Noire (Black Mountains) we are cycling through the oldest wine producing region of France, the Minervois. Stretching from the medieval stronghold of Minerve (another tour highlight) down to the Canal du Midi, Minervois reds have enjoyed a huge improvement in reputation since the days when rotgut Vin de Table was the staple produce. An influx of modern winemakers from other parts of France and the New World have been producing world-beating velvety red wines for the last couple of decades, which can be bought for eye-openingly low prices. Syrah (Shiraz) and Grenache are the predominant grape varieties, with additional varieties like Cinsault, Carignan, Picpoul Noir and Terret also making their way into the blend. These varieties are also the make-up for the legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe – Minervois reds can be had for a fraction of the price. What better to accompany your Cassoulet de Carcassonne…?  

Speaking of which...

Cassoulet de Carcassonne

Carcassonne is the final stop on our Mediterranean and Canal du Midi tour, and is home to the celebrated Cassoulet. Carcassonne, known for its medieval fortress and rich history, has its own unique take on this famous dish, which reflects the local culinary traditions and ingredients of the area.

The history of Cassoulet de Carcassonne is intertwined with the broader history of cassoulet itself, with each region in the Languedoc adding its own twist to the recipe over the centuries.

In the case of Cassoulet de Carcassonne, the dish typically features white beans (often haricot beans), various meats such as pork shoulder, Toulouse sausage (a type of pork sausage seasoned with garlic and spices), and duck confit. Duck confit, a method of preserving duck meat by slow-cooking it in its own fat, is a signature ingredient in the Carcassonne version of Cassoulet.

What sets Cassoulet de Carcassonne apart from other variations is its use of local ingredients and flavours. Carcassonne is situated in the heart of the Cathar country, and its cuisine reflects influences from both French and Catalan traditions.

The dish is typically slow-cooked for several hours, allowing the flavours to meld together and the meats to become tender and succulent. The result is a rich and hearty one-pot meal that is perfect for warming up on a cold day and is often enjoyed with a crusty baguette and a glass of robust red wine. We always offer Cassoulet on the final evening of our tour, and one thing you won't be at the end of the trip is hungry!