Recognized, revived, forgotten: local productions
If you don't necessarily associate the Cergy-Pontoise area with gastronomy, you'd be wrong! Firstly, because the area has a rich history in this area. For example, wine production was very important here in the Middle Ages, and the limestone hillsides of the Oise allowed for the cultivation of vines. White or red, the wines, which are preserved in the cellars of Pontoise, were very popular in the capital. The most famous, the Ginglet, was a wine similar to the Chardonnay. In the 19th century, however, the ravages of phylloxera, and the improvement of transportation conditions allowing the production of other provinces to flow efficiently to the capital, led to the near disappearance of local production. Fortunately, an association of enthusiasts perpetuates the tradition by cultivating 700 plants.
Among the other productions that have almost disappeared, we note the Pontoise veal, with its tender flesh, fed only with milk, and whose near hegemony on Parisian tables has been challenged, here too, by species that have effectively come from other provinces.
At the same time, two local productions are well known here: the first is the apple called "Belle de Pontoise. This one, born in 1869 from a seedling of Russian apples planted in the eponymous city, is light yellow in color with some red spots. Sweet and sour, it can be eaten raw or cooked, in a pie for example. Another local product is the "Chou de Pontoise", which will accompany any dish with its flavors.
The presence of the Vexin plateau, and the possibility of growing hops there, have allowed several brewers to set up shop here, sometimes in "microbrewery" versions. Thus the beer amusingly called "Bidule", whose hops are recovered on the banks of the Oise, was launched in 2020, and distributed in certain local events. More broadly, Vexin beer is considered by many experts in the field to be one of the tastiest. The flagship of this production is without question the Vexin farm-brewery, located in Théméricourt. White, blond or amber, it is available in several versions, the best known of which is called "Véliocasse", flavored with honey - another production of the plateau.
Finally, the Vexin is the place of other productions: beyond beers, oils, pears, red fruits, mushrooms, milk and eggs, in particular, are the object of a "Regional Natural Park" classification. The latter even proposes, on its website, a cookbook realized by the students of the Escoffier high school of Eragny-sur-Oise!
To eat, to picnic
There is a wide range of restaurants in the area, and it seems impossible not to find one or more establishments that match your tastes, budgets and desires - the guide you are holding in your hands is proof of that! Brasseries, takeaways, posh restaurants, the communes of the agglomeration have dozens of possibilities.
In parallel, if you wish to have a picnic, some places are worth the detour, and will make your culinary moment a very special one, in an outstanding environment. The banks of the river Oise, the surroundings of the leisure island, the numerous parks and gardens are all possibilities. Obviously, the Axe Majeur is the most popular, which is easily explained: the beauty of the place, and the unobstructed view of Paris, in the distance, are splendid.
