What to eat Hautes-Pyrénées? culinary specialties and gastronomy

The garbure

This is THE dish of the region. The garbure is both a traditional soup and a dish in itself. Depending on the habits and the season, it is composed of cabbage, turnips, potatoes, beans (Tarbais, of course!), carrots... Depending on the financial means of the cook, it was garnished with goose confit, duck neck, stuffing, ham, sausages, but very often, only a piece of rancid bacon was used. Even in summer, the dish has become a must in the department, where it brings together the best local products. Tasty, hearty and typical, it is obviously on the menu of any good Pyrenean restaurant that respects itself!

The cake on the spit

The real recipe of the spit cake requires time. This speciality is conical in shape and has several layers. Its preparation can only be done by hand and it is certainly those long hours spent on the wood fire that make it so tasty. The dough is gently poured onto a mould placed on the spit. It is necessary to ensure a constant movement of rotation so that it cooks in a uniform way. To obtain a nice thickness of 5 cm, dough is added on top each time: an operation that takes at least 1h30. Delicious and fresh, this cake, both hard and melting, can be kept for up to two months and is one of the specialities of the Hautes-Pyrénées.

The AOC Barèges-Gavarnie

With this controlled designation of origin, the breeders guarantee a strong identity, an ancestral know-how and a flawless origin of the product. Gourmets will see it as the assurance of a particularly tasty and tender meat, which is unlike any other, and without bad fat. The labeling was a long process that began in 1996, under the impetus of three mountain farmers, and it was completed in 2003: the AOC Barèges-Gavarnie covers the canton of Luz-Saint-Sauveur and an enclave of Cauterets. It is awarded to ewes aged 2 to 6 years and to castrated males having estivated at least twice. In winter, the animals are fed on hay, with an annual production of 900 to 1,000 sheep, tasting it is a real privilege of the Pyrenees.

The black pig of Bigorre or Gascony

This native breed almost disappeared: completely unsuited to intensive breeding conditions, the black pig went into decline after the Second World War. It must be said that what this fine-legged, brown-coated animal loves most of all is to graze freely in the meadows and undergrowth, in search of acorns, chestnuts, roots and cereals. A programme to save the breed was set up in the 1980s and breeders set out to preserve them in their original natural environment. Today, it is one of the jewels of the local gastronomy. A flagship product, Bigorre black ham is unique and exceptional, both in terms of its taste and its sophisticated production methods: it is matured at the foot of the Pyrenees, covered with a soft salt from the Adour Basin salt pans, which gives it a subtle aroma and a special colour. After a period of cold rest, it is naturally cured for a minimum of 18 to 24 months. With black pork, it is a rainbow of flavours that awaits you. Since 2015, the AOC Jambon Noir de Bigorre and the AOC Porc Noir de Bigorre are the hoped-for start of a future recognition as PDO by the European Union.

The Gascon hen

It can pride itself on having been the favourite of King Henry IV who established it as a star of great history with his famous Sunday hen in the pot! With the industrialization of breeding, it almost disappeared but this was without counting on its defenders who, since 2003, have fought to preserve it. Since 2013, it is even marketed in the department under the name "Volaille noire d'Astarac-Bigorre". The method of breeding is done over time, at least 5 to 6 months for a chicken and a hen, 6 months for a virgin rooster and 8 months for a capon, to offer a quality of meat that regales all gastronomes. Its flesh of a pinkish white and finely marbled, gives it a characteristic taste and its firm meat which holds well to the bone and adapts to all the preparations.

The famous fario and rainbow trout love the torrents of the Gaves and from these clear, lively and pure waters, they get all the advantages! Exceptional trout, with tender and delicate flesh, with a taste that is both fine and pronounced, they can be found throughout the territory. These noble fish, stocky and powerful, populate the summits and lakes of the mountains but also the rivers... and the menus of the best restaurants!

The brook trout, also called the Pyrenean salmon, was introduced in the 1930s. Its morphology resembles that of the trout and the fishing federation has launched a restoration plan so that the salmonids populate the territory again.

A pure ewe's milk cheese from the Pyrenees

Five litres of sheep's milk are needed to obtain one kilo of this pressed cheese, whose refined taste is due to the special salting process. The maturing period varies and determines its fruity, typical or mild aroma. It is a must in the markets of the department.

The Pyrenean greuil

This white cheese is made from sheep's whey which, once collected during the cheese-making process, is boiled at 95 °C. At this temperature, a white film forms on top of it, the famous greuil. Patiently collected, it is then drained with a cloth and generously beaten in order to obtain a creamy flavour. It is a speciality that can be eaten without hunger, as if one were drinking whey!

The Pyrenean chestnut

As soon as the first cold weather arrives, you will find many vendors selling roasted chestnuts in the streets: it must be said that the department has a long tradition with this real autumn treasure, which fell somewhat into oblivion some thirty years ago. Enthusiasts have fought to rehabilitate the chestnut industry: the chestnut has regained its place in the Pyrenean foothills and on the most gourmet tables.

The carrot of Asté

Its beautiful orange colour and its sweet taste have made the days of the sandy and light soil of the small village of Asté. From this golden age, a festival remains which, for more than 20 years, has put the famous vegetable at the centre of all the attention: the Caroutade! Still cultivated but in a more confidential manner, it is the essential ingredient in local recipes.

The Tarbais Bean

With its pearly colour, its thin skin and its incomparable softness, the Tarbais bean is the pure product of excellence... but also of the department's low clay soils. It is these soils that ensure its low starch content, a characteristic that makes it light and easily digestible. It was the first bean to obtain a Label Rouge and this little ivory bean is one of the prides of Bigorre. Originating from a Mexican ancestor, it was brought back by Christopher Columbus and planted in the Tarbes plain in 1712. Today, it is the basis of many unavoidable recipes. Its delicacy and smoothness make it the finest of beans.

The sweet onion of Trébons

Don't expect it to make you cry: this onion is so soft and sweet that it can be eaten raw, with salt. On the alluvial soils of Trébons, a village located a few kilometers from Bagnères-de-Bigorre, it flourishes in a microclimate closely linked to the Haut Adour. Oblong in shape, it looks like a cattail of 15 to 20 cm and is distinguished by its tender flesh without any acidity. Its manual and artisanal production earned it the "Trébons Confiance" quality charter.

The berlingots of Cauterets

Specialized in the care of respiratory diseases, Cauterets was famous for its waters with a sulphur taste that had to be drunk. An effective treatment but quite bad for the taste buds. To get rid of the bitterness, the Cauterésiens had the delicate idea of offering a sweet: the berlingot was launched. Stretched and shaped into a stick, it is then cut into small pyramids with shimmering colours that vary according to the flavours. Blackcurrant, caramel, strawberry, raspberry, coffee... to find out which one is your favourite, the best thing is to taste them all!

Honey from the Pyrenees

From the Vallée des Gaves to the plains via Luz-Saint-Sauveur, there are so many varieties that we should almost talk about the honeys of the Pyrenees. The best known is the famous mountain honey, harvested in June at an altitude of between 700 and 1,100 metres. It has a pronounced flavour thanks to the varied flora where fruit and flowers blend together in a strong perfume.

Madiran dates back to the 1st century BC. In 1948, it was the first appellation in France to impose quality control by issuing a label after analysis and tasting: today, the decree requires that 60% to 80% of the property be planted with Tannat to obtain the Madiran PDO qualification. Annual production is around 60,000 hectolitres. This red wine is singular. Powerful, full-bodied, colourful, rich in tannins and suitable for ageing, it reaches its full potential after 4 to 8 years. The tannat gives it a vigorous character and from the heart of the range, intense and fruity, to the top of the range, powerful and elegant, passing through the exceptional vintages, you will appreciate all the nuances that make the glory of this beautiful wine of the land.

The other AOC, dry or sweet white, Pacherenc-du-Vic-Bilh, is produced in the same area as Madiran but only covers 3,000 hectares of vineyards. Its original and very old name comes from the Gascon Bi de Bits Pacherads or wine of vine in stilts, stakes in row (pachet in rène, in Gascon). Pacherenc is produced from small and large manseng grapes but sometimes also from courbu or arrufiac. Lively and fruity, it reveals aromas of citrus fruits, lemon and pineapple. For the sweet wines, the over-ripe grapes are hand-picked, in successive sortings, on sunny hillsides from the end of October to 31 December (Pacherenc de la Saint-Sylvestre).

It is rare enough to be worth the detour: do not hesitate to go to Ancizan, this small village in the Aure valley, home of the only cider in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Made according to a traditional method, this 100% apple alcohol is worth a visit to its cellar and the specialities it contains.