A week near Cognac

[MarkinHouston]

My wife "won" a silent auction for week's stay in a cottage near Cognac in 2007. I think we are going there in mid-May. It appears to be near the coast and at a mid-point between the Loire and Bordeaux. I am seeking knowledge regarding local products --influences from the Dordogne such as ducks, cheeses from the Loire, seafood from Brittainy, etc. For once we will stay where I can cook, so I hope to learn as much as I can to take advantage of nature's bounty. Is this too far north of Bordeaux for their excellents wines, or should I hope to see more Loire varietals? Thanks for all input.

[Ptipois]

Cognac is part of the Saintonge region, belonging to a cluster of small provinces (Aunis, Angoumois, Saintonge) gathered under the two départements of Charente and Charente-Maritime, nestled between the provinces of Aquitaine (Bordelais), Périgord, Poitou and Vendée. Aunis and Saintonge-Angoumois used to be part of the greater duchy of Poitou (which included Vendée), hence very strong cultural, linguistic and culinary similarities with Poitou and Vendée. But not with the Loire valley, Southwest or Brittany, which are different regions altogether. France is a culturally diverse country, and pointing a compass on Cognac and expecting "influences" from remote regions (Bretagne, Loire, the Southwest) doesn't do it. It doesn't work that way.

For cheeses, the great goat cheeses of Poitou come to mind, and Charentes produce some very creamy goat's milk or cow's milk cheeses on a semi-artisanal level (mottin charentais, and a camembert-like goat cheese that is very good).

Charentes are also a butter country, though this activity is by no means traditional and was only started in the late 19th century to compensate for the loss of the vineyard after the phylloxera plague. Charentes butter (Echiré, Surgères, La Viette) is very dense, very clean, very pure, but not very tasty. Very different from the tastier butters of Normandy and Brittany, but it sure explains the quality of the pastry, for instance the galette charentaise (a flat and round shortbread), which has a brother in Poitou, the broyé poitevin, and another one in Vendée, .the galette vendéenne.

Not being primarily a duck or goose region, it doesn't have a specialty of confits and foies gras, though those are produced there as they are produced in other regions of France. However the place thrives on pork products (white wine sausages eaten with oysters, gigouri which is a rustic pork stew, rillons which are large slow-roasted chunks of pork belly, etc.). Local people are also known for loving snails (cagouilles), in various preparations : boiled with spices and aromatics, stewed in a sauce, etc.

Wines are not remarkable though the region, particularly Aunis and Saintonge, is covered with vineyards. The medium-quality wine yielded by those grapes is almost entirely used to make cognac and pineau (grape must fortified with cognac). Pineau is made in Aunis and Saintonge and as far as the islands (Ré, Oléron). To find good wines you have to look for coteaux-vendéens and fiefs-vendéens up North (good whites), and red wines from Poitou to the Northeast. Of course there's Bordeaux and Périgord to the South and Southeast.

The great culinary glory of Aunis-Saintonge is its seafood, and of course oysters (Marennes-Oléron). Really no need to refer to Brittany, remote and unrelated. Waters are much colder in Brittany too so the species are different. Saintonge and Aunis coast are famous for céteaux (tiny Dover soles only available there), skates, shrimp (La Cotinière in Oléron is the first shrimp-fishing harbor in France), sea bass and meagre, Dover soles, Dublin bay prawns, mackerel and just every fish that is also caught off the Basque coast, owing to the mildness of the climate. They can be just grilled, cooked meunière with butter, or stewed with cognac, onions and tomatoes in the local fashion.

Out of sheer curiosity you might want to take a look at this map (scroll down a bit, stop at "carde 2"). it is a cultural map of greater Poitou, including Vendée (unnamed, the portion to the North bordering the sea); Aunis (with La Rochelle and the island of Ré); Angoumois (Angoumaes, with Angoulème), and Saintonge (Séntunjhe, with Saintes, Royan and Oléron). The names are in Poitou dialect, a subdivision of langue d'oil (Northern French).

Those regions have a mild climate, very sunny in the Summer, and are famous vacation places, especially near the sea. Their romanesque churches (11th-12th century) are celebrated and really lovely, and I advise that you visit a few of them: particularly Aulnay and Matha.

[bleudauvergne]

Wow, thanks Sophie for that excellent information. I very much enjoyed learning about Pineau which has a permanent place in our aperetif cabinet. It would definitely be worth your while to visit a vigneron that produces it, and taste it on site.

I do enjoy beurre Echiré's flavor, which is a bit different than other butters, due to the cultured cream in production. Clean, light, but also distinctive, albeit very subtle flavor. It is great for pastry, because it has a higher fat content than other butters. I would not use it to enrich a soup, though, there are other butters that would serve that purpose much more effectively.

[Ptipois]

Wow, thanks Sophie for that excellent information.  I very much enjoyed learning about Pineau which has a permanent place in our aperetif cabinet.  It would definitely be worth your while to visit a vigneron that produces it, and taste it on site.

I do enjoy beurre Echiré's flavor, which is a bit different than other butters, due to the cultured cream in production.  Clean, light, but also distinctive, albeit very subtle flavor.      It is great for pastry, because it has a higher fat content than other butters.  I would not use it to enrich a soup, though, there are other butters that would serve that purpose much more effectively.

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I do agree that Charentes butter is perfect for pastry, because of its dense texture and purity. Echiré does have a distinctive taste, though mild. To eat raw, I much prefer the more flavorful butters of Brittany and Normandy.

My favorite pineaus are made from red must, they are a bit more difficult to find. I like the pineaus of Oléron and Ré for their slightly iodated taste.

[MarkinHouston]

Thank you so much, Sophie. Your response is a veritable fountain of knowledge for what to expect during our stay. I am specially pleased to see the variety of seafood, and the website of our cottage mentions a neighboring producer of pineau. It appears that our location is midway betwen Cognac and Niort, so we shall be wellsituated for many day trips. Thanks again.

[John Talbott]

You might want to check out this thread that includes last year's trip from Bordeaux to Nantees through Niort.