Travel guide Gironde

"Ho Anqui" is our popular, even vulgar version of "Oh là là". Young and old alike continue to use this insult with varying degrees of rudeness. And mainly in cars, because of all the "wankers" on the roads! In the same spirit, there's the inescapable swearword "Anfigueille"!

Do you speak Bordelais? Derived from Gascon, Bordeluche was in common use just a few decades ago. In reality, it's a clever blend of Bordelais patois with Landes and Périgord expressions, sprinkled with a few words derived from Occitan. So you might hear: "J'ai gavé de chocolatines dans ma poche".

Established in Bordeaux since 1965, Jacques Pouquet, master pastry chef and chocolate maker, was driven by a strong desire to create a speciality that would evoke and enhance the region. After many experiments, this is how the famous Bouchon was born, a small delicacy with almonds, flavoured with grapes macerated in Fine de Bordeaux.

Crunchy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth on the inside, canelé has a deliciously sweet caramelized vanilla flavor. The origins of the canelé are uncertain, but the story goes that it was born in the Annonciades convent in Bordeaux. Whatever the case, it's one of the culinary symbols of the city of Bordeaux. You won't want to miss it!

Chocolatine or pain au chocolat? That's the eternal debate! In Gironde, we say chocolatine, a linguistic deformation of the Austrian Schokoladen. It therefore seems likely that the first term for a chocolate-filled pastry was "chocolatine". And then, to say "pain au chocolat" to designate a viennoiserie makes no sense at all.

Initially intended to house a working class and modest population, the stone stalls are very popular. Built between the Second Empire and the immediate pre-war period, they are the charm of the Bordeaux region. If there is a curtain in front of the entrance doors, it is to create a draught in summer, while preserving intimacy.

"Gavé" is one of the most widely used words in Bordeluche. In conversation, it's not uncommon to hear the famous "Gavé bien", meaning "very well", "really well" or "too well". We've lost count of the number of by-products in which this typical local "Gavé" is spelled. Guaranteed easy to adopt!

A great speciality, lamprey à la bordelaise is prepared in a red wine sauce in the manner of a stew. More delicate and refined than eel, it is a dish much appreciated by delicate palates. Sainte-Terre, the self-proclaimed capital of the lamprey because of its history and its link with fishing, organises the famous Lamprey Festival.

The tidal bore is the wave that forms at the mouth of the Gironde and travels more than 100 km up the river. A natural phenomenon unique in France! Many surfers gather here to hope to ride this breaking wave, which can be up to 2 metres high and travel at speeds of 15 to 30 km/h. The right season? Between June and October.

Often affixed to the keystones of window or door arches and lintels, or dispensing water from fountains, mascarons invite themselves onto architectural decorations. In Bordeaux, they are a reminder of the city's history. The reproduction of African faces refers to the slave trade between the ^17th and ^19th centuries.

This "pocket" is nothing like the one on your pants or jacket. Where I come from, the pocket is a plastic bag! At the bakery, for example, it's the paper pocket where you slip your chocolatines and other brioches at Epiphany time. Not to be confused, of course, with the "bag", which is a fashion accessory.

With 110,800 hectares of AOC and 65 AOC vineyards, prestigious châteaux and grands crus, the Gironde is undeniably a world-renowned wine region. Organized around the Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde estuaries, the Bordeaux vineyards are France's leading wine tourism destination.