Discovering a territory also means taking the time to learn about new culinary flavors. Cuisine is reinvented every day by combining taste qualities of local products to the creativity of great chefs. New dishes, in festive colors, are created for the greatest pleasure of gourmands and gourmets. While waiting to push open the door Restaurants here are some sins of gluttony.
Angelica or “the herb of angels”
Niort and Poitevin marsh are the cradle of the largest known aromatic plant in the world : “the angelic”. According to tradition, the Archangel Raphael introduced man to the plant in the 10th century. many medicinal properties. It is tonic, stomachic, sudorific, antispasmodic, carminative, purgative, expectorant, emmenagogue, digestive and… anti-plague! It treats tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid fever, small pox, rheumatism, cellulite, colic, gout, ulcers, anemia, impotence, bites and toothache. After the terrible plague of 1603, “the herb of angels” is grown large, with its feet in the water and its head in the sun.
From head to toes, everything is good in the angelic: seeds, stems, leaves and roots. Today, the umbellifer is transformed to make liqueur, candied stems, carved subjects, cream, jam, candy and chocolates. In 2006, candied angelica has been qualified and approved by the Regional Institute of Agri-Food Quality (IRQUA). It is used in the composition of suze, pernod, chartreuse, Bénédictine… and flavors gin and vodka! It is also used in cosmetology, a perfumery and pesticides. Today, a promotion association, producers-processors, artisan bakers-pastry chefs and restaurateurs work tirelessly to restore its nobility.
Don't miss out on tasting it during your stay. It is tasted salty version as pepper on Parthenaise meat or with fish or sweet version, tasty mix with apple or chocolate.
Mogette, the white market garden bean
It is in the black earth of Wet Marsh, fertilized by winter floods, which are cultivated the mogettes (White beans). Part of the harvest is consumed fresh while the other is dried on pegs (stakes on which the mogette plants are installed after uprooting). This white bean is a very popular traditional dish.
Chabichou, the king of goat cheeses
The history of only Picto-Charentais goat cheese with AOC would begin during the Arab invasions. In 732, Charles Martel stopped the Moors in Poitiers. In their debacle, the Saracens abandoned their larder which would be the origin of a local breed: the Poitevine. Moreover, the word chabichou comes from the Arabic “chebli” meaning goat. Actually, the Poitou goat, exploited since the Neolithic, experienced expansion from the time of Roman Gaul! As to name of cheese, he is resulting from the evolution of the old Poitevin “chabre”, goat in French.
Echiré butter, a world-famous butter
Conclusion fine and delicate taste, to soft texture come from both the terroir but also the unique manufacturing process. From 1904, Echiré butter was ranked among the most refined. Since then, all the men who are attached to its history have worked to ensure that it is the best in the world. Served at the Elysée since René coty (1956), at Buckingham Palace, in the Principality of Monaco and used by chef Poitevin Joel Robuchon but also tasted in many countries such as Japan or United States.
Scofa, the Carmelite cake
Scofa is a creamy cake which was made by the Carmel of Bessines and whose name is composed of the initials of its ingredients: ssugar, ccream, farine and amandes. Today, the Carmel is closed but the Scofa is still produced nearby, by the monks of Ligugé, in Vienna. The secret of the recipe is lovingly (safely) guarded!
Where to buy these regional products?
Many shops selling regional products are distributed throughout the territory, it will therefore be very easy to provide you with these excellent products.
