MENDE, Heart of the Country
The Lozère, a land of mountains, is overflowing with regional specialties and typical local recipes.
On this page you'll find some examples of our products that are among the most popular with food lovers.
LOCAL PRODUCE:
Croquant de Mende, a centennial tradition
The confectioners of mende developed this unique crunchy treat over many decades, the secrettransmitted from generation to generation. A delicious biscuit enriched with almonds from the Gorges du Tarn and hazelnuts harvested in the hedgerows of La Margeride and the Lot Valley.
Exclusively manufactured in the city, Croquant de Mendecomes in varietys that are harder or softer under the knife, depending on the recipe. It keeps very well and can travel very far.
Cheese:The Lozère has five different AOC products to itself. Suffice to say that the expertise has a prominent place in the lives of farmers and that industrialisation is not totally appreciated. | ![]() ![]() |
Charcuterie (cured pork prooducts):Cured pork products - sausages, bacon, ham and so on, honour the expertise of our area and a multitude of products made from the noble hog, all as tasty and filling as each other. Here is a short list of some of the specialities of our country... Besides these products there are many, many many more! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
TYPICAL LOZERE RECIPES
Aligot (from Aubrac):
Prepare a purée with 1 kg of potatoes.
Add to the puree: 100g butter and 250g of fresh cream.
Season with salt, pepper and garlic.
Add 400 g of fresh tome (local cheese) to the mashed potatoes when warm, - cut into strips and stir in vigorously with a wooden spatula.
When the mixture is stringy on the spoon, the aligot is cooked.
Don't leave too long over the heat as the melted cheese effect is lost.
Pouteille (from La Canourgue):
Pouteille is a sort of stew of pigs trotters and beef cooked in a wine sauce.It was once made by every family on Sundays and holidays, who then took their pots to the local baker's oven to cook for several hours on low heat
Manouls:
A Lozerian speciality close to tripe, prepared from sheep intestines rather than beef or veal.
Ingredients: tripes and stomach of a sheep - salted pork pieces - ham bone - 1 onion finely chopped - carrot - white wine - cloves - bouquet garni - salt, pepper - sausage skin - kitchen twine.
Wash the tripe. If you don't like doing this, ask your butcher.
Cut discs of 6 cm radius in the rumen. Slice the belly and tripe. Turn them into small pieces, adding a little bit of salt pork to each. Add salt and pepper then mix well.
Place an equal amount of stuffing on each disc and fold the edges to sew or tie them
Meanwhile, prepare a pot whose bottom, lined with shredded carrots, sliced, the ham bone, onion stuck with cloves and the bouquet garni.
Having salted and peppered the place the tripe in the casserole, cover with white wine and water (half / half) and simmer gently for 7 hours watching the cooking.
Serve very hot.
Traditionally, manouls cooked slowly during the night and were enjoyed in the morning as a breakfast.
The name "manouls" means "little hands". This comes from the belly piece that is cut and which should be the size of a child's hand.
Truffade:Ingredients for 4 people: 1 kg potato - 150 g smoked bacon - 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped - 400 g of fresh tomme cheese - parsley. |
Sac d'Os (bag of bones):
Ingredients: 1 pork stomach - 1.5 kg of flat bones (ribs, sternum) with more or less meat on them according to taste - 0.5 kg of pork rinds - garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, coarse salt.
Optional: a pigtail - an ear - scrag end of neck - cloves.
Scrape the pork belly (interior and exterior). Clean it with vinegar and onion.
Stuff the belly with bones and diced rind. Add garlic, salt and pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Mix all ingredients.
Sew the belly and rub with coarse salt over the entire surface of the stomach.
Let dry in a cool place (ventilated if possible) for 2/3 days and let stand 2 to 4 days before cooking or freezing. Desalt the bag of bones for 48 hours before cooking. Wrap a the belly in a cloth for cooking over low heat (3 to 4 hours in water). Place vegetables in the pan as with a a pot au feu.
Serve hot with the accompaniment of your choice.
Coupétado:
Ingredients for 4:1/3 litre of milk - 3 eggs - 4 slices of bread - 8 cubes of sugar - 8 ripe prunes- 20 odd raisins - vanilla.
Place prunes and raisins in bottom of a dish.
Cover with slices of dry bread, reserving two centimeters at the top. Beat milk with eggs, sugar and vanilla, then, when the cream is well blended, pour over the slices by packing with a fork. All the bread must be soaked!
Put in the oven (gas mark 5, 180-200 °), for just under an hour.
The Coupétado is readyonce it is well risen and golden brown to perfection.
Serve warm or cold, topped with caramel, dandelion jelly, jam or whipped cream... yum