Jambon Noir de bigorre, HPTE_Raphaël Khann
Olives Lucques du Languedoc, C.Deschamps
Le Roquefort, CRT Occitanie_Dominique VIET
L'Abricot du Roussillon, C.Deschamps
The local gastronomy alone is enough reason to spend your holiday in Occitania. In our region, good things to eat and conviviality are part of a culture we all share. Excellence gives a flavour to everyday life. And meals with family or friends are real festive occasions.
Get ready for a treat because in Occitania there is a long and solid gastronomic tradition. It is based on exceptional local skills and noble specialities: foie gras, black truffle, Roquefort cheese and, on the Mediterranean Sea, Bouzigues oysters, Lucques olives in Languedoc, Camargue rice and Collioure anchovies.
There are so many examples! Occitania has over 250 products with certified quality (PDO, Red Label, PGI, AB for organic farming): from Quercy lamb to Nîmes strawberries via Pélardon cheese from Cévennes…
Marché de Cahors, CDT Lot_P.Soissons
It is easy to find the noble specialities from Occitania at the well-stocked markets flourishing in our towns and villages.
You can taste them in our countless regional festivals as well as at our generous restaurants (with the Logis de France, Restaurateur de France or Cuisineries de France labels).
Regional gastronomy reaches its zenith with the help of our Michelin-starred chefs, young, daring talents or remarkable personalities, such as Gilles Goujon in Fontjoncouse in the Aude region and Michel Sarran in Toulouse.
Halles de Narbonne, Laurie Biral / Ville de Narbonne
Did you know?
Occitania is the number 1 region in France for wine-making and for the number of hectares with organic vineyards. It is also the number 2 for fruit production.
Unique specialities such as cassoulet from Castelnaudary, Carcassonne or Toulouse add to the culinary charms of Occitania. In the mountains: garbure soup and millas cakes in the Pyrenees, aligot cheese in Aubrac, with both areas sharing the tradition of the spit cake.
The Mediterranean coast will bring sunshine to your taste buds with cod brandade from Nîmes, cargolada (snails) or gardiane de taureau (rancher's stew). And of course, everyone should try tielle stew from Sète and crème catalane (the region's crème brûlée)!
Le cassoulet, CRT Occitanie_Dominique VIET
Did you know?
André Daguin, a chef who had worked in Occitania in the Gers region, invented the magret de canard (filet of duck breast) in 1965. Since then this dish that is cooked like a steak has been part of the French cultural tradition.
Our region produces wines of a very high quality. The Mediterranean coast, from the Nîmes region to Roussillon, is a real wine champion with some fifty wine designations (Languedoc, Corbières, Côtes du Roussillon, etc.), shared between the Gard, Hérault, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales regions.
The Gers, Lot, Tarn and Aveyron regions help make Occitania a great destination for wine lovers with Armagnac and Côtes de Gascogne, Cahors and Gaillac wines, among others.
Dégustation de vin à Narbonne, Grand Narbonne Tourisme_J.Belondrade
Foie gras du Sud-Ouest, CRT Occitanie_Dominique VIET
Foie gras from south-west France is an essential speciality with a subtle flavour that is internationally unique. Occitania is its home: especially thanks to the Gers region, the number 1 French department producing traditional foie gras .
And yet the art of foie gras is a tradition shared by most areas of Occitania: Lot, Aveyron, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Ariège, Aude…
Directly from the producer, in restaurants and in winter foie gras markets: there are many ways to enjoy the noblest regional speciality made with respect for animals.
Regional Committee for Tourism and Leisure Occitanie
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