The emblematic Agen prune
Prunes are easy to preserve, which is why they are carried in the holds of ships and can be safely taken home. The history of the prune dates back to the 12th century and is largely due to the monks of the abbey of Clairac who had the genius idea of grafting, "enter" in old French, a plum brought back from Damascus in Syria during the return of the crusades. The ente plum, used for the Agen prune, was born. Yes, but why is it known as the Agen prune? History indicates that these prunes were transported from the port of Agen to Bordeaux for sea shipments by means of "gabarres", the small boats that carried goods on the Garonne River, and that these transported goods were marked with the name of the port of origin, hence the "Agen prune" stamp on the canvas bags that were shipped.
Beneficial for the health, it is dietetically greedy, because low in lipids, rich in fibers, carbohydrates and trace elements and its antioxidant power is remarkable. It will be your appetite companion, whatever the time of day. The prune can be eaten dry, but also half-cooked, coated with chocolate or as an aperitif, wrapped in ventrèche, or as a digestive, soaked in brandy. It is truly an ally of the cravings and if you have the soul of a cook, bring some for your salty-sweet recipes, there are plenty. We advise you the half-cooked, without preservative, and especially not rehydrated, as it is done more and more.
Nuts' rating
Did you know that Cancon was the French capital of the hazelnut and that the walnut also grew in Lot-et-Garonne? The industry is in full expansion and the know-how is recognized. Nuts are the other specialty of the region and their transformation into various foodstuffs will allow you once again to bring a little bit of the region into your home. In flour, in regressive spread, in beneficial and recommended oil, to be pitted or roasted... the pleasure will be constant. Packaged, in jars, in bottles, everything is made for transportation. As a preparation aid, nuts will also be your allies in the elaboration of your pastries for example.
The truffle or the black gold
The truffle is found in the Lot-et-Garonne region, just like the neighboring Périgord region where it is king. You can bring it back in a jar, you will have fully matured truffles and when you open the jar, the fireworks will perfume your kitchen with the unique scent that characterizes it. In scramble, a simple recipe for an explosion of flavors, you will have to put your eggs in the jar with the truffles during 48 hours and then to you the simplest preparation and the exceptional tasting.
Fruit preparations for taste preservation
Breakfast will never be the same after your visit to Lot-et-Garonne. Not satisfied with being the orchard of France, the Lot-et-Garonne makes a point of promoting its crops. You will have to leave with strawberry, melon, plum or kiwi jams to have a range of delicacies at home. And if you want to cook salty, the tomato of Marmande is available in canned form of sauce or ketchup for original condiments.
Four appellations for four remarkable wine-growing areas
Bruhlois, Buzet, Cotes de Duras and Cotes du Marmandais, these are the four families of the Lot-et-Garonne wine region. As a good wine lover, these appellations will delight you, and bringing back bottles of these wines will assure you a pleasant surprise. The quality is recognized through experienced wine growers who have elaborated biodynamic vintages that are recognized by professionals. Signature wines from the Marmandais and Duras regions have turned the tide for the entire industry and have put native grape varieties such as Abouriou back on the map. Get yourself a few bottles and enjoy in moderation.
All the duck in the can
Not satisfied with being a territory at the forefront of fruit and vegetable growing, the Lot-et-Garonne is also, like its neighboring departments, a land of breeding where ducks like to grow and where preserves are available in rillettes, pâté and confit of all kinds. The duck has dethroned the goose in terms of production, the latter being more difficult to raise and the duck being less fatty and more digestible. The tradition of preservation with salt and fat allows the whole animal to be canned. We advise you to visit the farms scattered all over the territory and thus to privilege the farm products guaranteeing a work of breeding and transformation of quality. In addition, it is not said that you cannot taste a small slice to make you an opinion. From stuffed duck necks cut in a circle, so good as an aperitif, to confit legs married to potatoes cooked in duck fat, there is plenty to do when you bring back preserves and terrines... of foie gras of course!
Beer: the new gourmet craft of the Lot-et-Garonne
It is not a question here of surfing on a fashion of breweries which would grow like mushrooms a little everywhere in the world without having really analyzed the local situation. Clearly, we can tell you, we must bring back beer from the Lot-et-Garonne, because if it develops more and more, it grows by keeping as credo the quality. It is necessary to put forward the work of these new brewers scattered in the four corners of the department with each one a very precise identity. The work of the cultures is primordial and from the barley to the hop, the plants and other cereals are pampered. The same goes for the production with the choice of ingredients, the sought-after aromas, the balance of bitterness... everything that gives beer a thirst-quenching power sometimes or the pleasure of a real tasting of special beers. While strolling on the markets, you will sometimes find these brewers directly, if not, we advise you the delicatessens. Unlike industrial beers that are happily frothing at the mouth, these local breweries give a real qualitative boost to this universal drink.
