The tastes of l’Eglantière

Did you know that France is the most visited country in the world? For over 20 years in a row, tourists from around the world are picking France above all other countries for their vacations. If you visited France before, you’ll probably understand why. There’s magnificent nature, amazing cities, history, culture, architecture, art, music, you name it. There is literally something for everybody. But what attracts probably the most visitors to France is something we call “joie de vivre”. The joy of life, fuelled by some of the world’s best food and wines.

The flavours of Hautes-Pyrénées

Even only an introduction to the French cuisine would require us to write an encyclopedia rather than a blog post. So let’s focus instead on what’s surrounding our naturist domain l’Eglantière. Located at the foot of the Pyrenean mountains, close to the Spanish border, our department is a real treasure when it comes to gastronomy. One of our crown jewels is the porc noir de Bigorre, the Black Gascon pig. Unlike most other pigs, this breed is allowed to wander freely in meadows and is fed on acorns and grain, which gives a very distinctive taste to the meat.

The mountain slopes are also the perfect to breed sheep. Typical is the Baréges-Gavarnie, which is fresh meat from the sheep that are born, raised, and slaughtered in this region. And then there is the famous duck meat, that arrives on your plate in many different forms. Canard a l’orange (in orange juice), civet de canard (stew), magret de canard (duck breast), confit de canard (slow roasted), or in the very typical Salade Landaise. Only to name a few.

There’s more than just meat

Although meat is an important ingredient of the local cuisine, there is much more to taste in the region. Different types of garlic are used to stimulate your taste buds, there are the handpicked beans from Tarbes, the sweet melons from Gers, and the tasty walnuts from Périgord. The Toulouse region is known for the cultivation of violets, which are not only used as decoration for your plate but also to add a subtle taste to honey, mustard, and vinegar.

All this deliciousness has to be accompanied by a matching drink, and when in France… The south west is known to have some of the best wines in the country. What are we saying? Best wines in the world! The Madiran and the Tannat may ring a bell, and there are plenty of others to try and enjoy. A glass of Armagnac, the typical local brandy, is the perfect conclusion to this culinary delight.

Dining at l’Eglantière

We kept the best news for the end: You don’t even have to put on clothes to participate in our “joie de vivre”. Most of the above-mentioned delicacies can be enjoyed in our campsite restaurant. Several times per week you have the chance to share the experience with the other guests during our communal dinners. Some days we’ll focus on the local specialties, other days we cross the border (did someone say paella?), or we have a good old-fashioned barbecue. Good food, good wines, good company, live music, that’s what a vacation in France is really about.