Although cassoulet (a delicious meat and white-bean stew) is probably the best known local dish, Midi-Pyrenees provides French Cuisine with many of its finest flavours. These include foie gras, wild mushrooms omelet, Armagnac brandy, Roquefort and a number of other excellent cheeses.

Cuisine

There are so many “typical local dishes” in Midi-Pyrenees as there are “typical places”, specific cultural and geographic areas known as “terroirs“ :
• On the upland plains and hillsides of the Causses, Aveyron is famous for its aligot (purée of tomatoes, tomme cheese, cream and garlic), estofinado (made from dried haddock and potatoes), tripoux (tripe, ham and garlic cooked with white wine) and, of course, Roquefort cheese. There is also gourmet cuisine with Michel Bras, one of France’s top Chefs with its wonderful local produce from fragant herbs.
• South-west, the Gascony plains are home of foie gras, preserved duck and goose dishes and a whole range of pâtés or potted pork.
• Toulouse also has its own specialities, like cassoulet and saucisse de Toulouse. For the sweet of tooth, violet-scented candies remind local visitors that the flower is a symbol of Toulouse’s way of life.

The Midi-Pyrénées wine road

Flanked by the two biggest wine-producing areas in France (Bordeaux and Languedoc), Midi-Pyrenees offers 5 AOCs, each very different.
The geographic diversity and the range of grapestocks produce a wide variety of good, reasonably-priced wines. Probably the best known are Cahors, Fronton, Gaillac, Madiran, Pacherenc, Saint-Mont and the fiery brandy from Gers : Armagnac.

So, “Bon Appetit”!