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    "Haricot Tarbais" beans - Tarbes (Hautes Pyrénées) Chasselas grapes - Moissac (Tarn et Garonne) Chasselas grapes - Moissac (Tarn et Garonne) Chasselas grapes - Moissac (Tarn et Garonne) Moissac (Tarn et Garonne) Quercy melon (Lot) Lauzerte (Tarn et Garonne) Périgord walnuts - Martel (Lot) Périgord walnuts - Dordogne Valley (Lot) Périgord walnuts - Martel (Lot) Market - Martel (Lot) Toulouse violets - Toulouse (Haute Garonne) Toulouse violets - Toulouse (Haute Garonne)

    Fruit, vegetables and flowers

    A pearl among crops: such is the Haricot Tarbais, a key ingredient of the legendary cassoulet toulousain (lien vers page cassoulet / sous-rubrique recettes de Terroir / rubrique produits et spécialités / tourisme et gastronomie). Lots of other gems, fruits this time, adorn the tables of Occitania / Pyrenees-Mediterranean, laden for long lazy lunches in the shade of wisterias. These include Quercy melons, Chasselas grapes and Toulouse violets.

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      Haricots Tarbais

      Legend has it that these beans were brought back from America by Christopher Colombus and first planted by the Bishop of Tarbes in his garden in around 1712 …
      Heir to a long history, the Haricot Tarbais is a wonder of nature, with its pearly husk, delicate skin, starchy sobriety and incomparable softness when cooked. This variety is typical of Hautes Pyrénées and is cultivated around Tarbes, on top of nets stretched across the fields. It is picked exclusively by hand.
      Haricots Tarbais have held a Label Rouge quality mark since 1997 and have enjoyed IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) status since 2000.

      More information

      Chasselas grapes

      The outstanding Chasselas de Moissac grape was the first fresh fruit in France to be awarded Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status.
      This white grape is cultivated on the hillsides around Moissac, a Great Tourist Site. When you bite into it, this translucent and extremely delicate fruit, inside which the seeds are just starting to form, release a sweet juice of exquisite freshness which tastes of flowers and honey. With a perfectionism bordering on a work of art, the bunches are carefully cut away one by one with grape shears by the Chasselas grape pickers. Chasselas has been contributing to Moissac’s fame since the 19th century and to Tarn et Garonne’s reputation as the leading fruit-producing département of France.
      Chasselas de Moissac has held AOC status since 1971, and has earned Moissac official recognition as a Site Remarquable du Goût.

      Visits and tours

      • Chasselas de Moissac : Chasselas growers: from Moissac Tourist Office you can get a copy of the Carnet de Découverte which lists Chasselas AOC growers and includes details of visits to producers, vineyard walks, cookery classes, etc.
        Contact : Moissac Tourist Office
        Tel. +33 (0)5 63 04 01 85  http://tourisme.moissac.fr

      Quercy melons

      In Occitania / Pyrenees-Mediterranean, melon growing has been a tradition since the 18th century, both in Gers, where the Lectoure melon is particularly popular, and in Quercy.
      Here, the appropriately-named Quercy melon stands out from the rest. The fragrance of its dense and sweet flesh, which tastes of honey, suffuses market stalls from June onwards. Ripening under the burning sun, the Quercy melon is lovingly cultivated in ground beds on the clay-limestone hillsides that run between Montauban and Cahors with Lauzerte in between. It is picked at dawn, when its extraordinary concentration of aromas is at its highest.
      Quercy melons have enjoyed IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) status since 2004.

      More information

      Greengages

      This delicious fruit has a green skin tinged with gold and is shrouded in a protective veil (the ‘bloom’). Its flesh is firm and juicy, with a delicate, slightly acid taste.
      Cultivating the greengage – the little empress who reigns over the départements of Tarn et Garonne and Lot – is a labour-intensive business requiring a great deal of sophisticated know-how. Grown in orchards seldom larger than one hectare, the greengage reaches maturity in late July and is harvested by hand, one fruit at a time, in accordance with tradition.
      The greengage has held a Label Rouge quality mark since 1998.

      Don’t miss

      • Carennac plum market (Lot) 1st Monday in August  
        Contact : Carennac Tourist Office
        Tel. +33 (0)5 65 10 97 01.

      Périgord walnuts

      The walnut tree is to the banks of the Dordogne what the olive tree is to Provence: an unmistakable symbol, part of the heritage of the landscape.
      The walnut tree has also been a source of wealth since the 10th century, when peasant farmers used to pay their debts in bushels of walnuts. In the Dordogne valley, a Great Tourist Site, walnut trees form a soft, leafy cushion between the river and its cliffs. Standing in neat rows, they are part of the Noix du Périgord AOC that includes parts of the départements of Dordogne, Corrèze and Charente.
      Marbot, Corne, Grandjean and Franquette are the four varieties that share this AOC, in their early, dried or shelled forms. Walnuts are also a delicacy from which oil and liqueurs are produced.
      The Périgord walnut has held AOC status since 2002.

      Visits and tours

      • The Route de la Noix (Lot) : this itinerary for car drivers takes in a number of restaurants, walnut farms, oil mills, distilleries and local markets. Route descriptions are available from the Tourist Offices at Souillac, Martel, Bretenoux and Saint Céré.

      Don’t miss

      • La Fête de la Noix at Thégra (Lot) : The last Sunday in October
        Contact : Maison du Tourisme, Rocamadour
        Tel. +33 (0)5 65 33 22 00.

      Toulouse violets

      The Toulouse violet (Viola tolosa) is not just a romantic symbol of the capital of Occitania.
      It is also the inspiration behind many gourmet and culinary creations, as is apparent at La Maison de la Violette, a barge moored on the Canal du Midi in the heart of Toulouse. On board you can learn all about the history and every possible incarnation of the flower that has been cultivated around Toulouse since the 19th century, where it is famed for its subtle and tender fragrance. 
      It also finds its way into many fine foods, such as violet honey, crystallised violet flowers, violet mustard and violet vinegar, which is ideal for seasoning salads and giving them a distinctive taste. Needless to say, traditional candied violets, which are made by dipping the flowers in sugar, are still to be found here.

      Visits and tours

      • La Péniche de La Maison de la Violette – Toulouse (a barge moored on the Canal du Midi, close to Matabiau railway station)
        Tel. +33 (0)5 61 99 01 30  
        www.lamaisondelaviolette.fr
       
      Project co-financed by the European Union. Europe is partnering Midi-Pyrénées with the European Regional Development Fund.