Issue No. 25

The gastronomy of Gascony
Food is a big part of what makes a visit to
the Gers so special with specialities including
foie gras, duck dishes, that seriously
delicious apple pie that’s specific to the
region which I mentioned earlier, Armagnac
and wines.
Weekly village markets are a wonderful
introduction to the gastronomy of the area.
Try the Thursday morning market at Éauze
or the lovely covered market in Mirande on
Monday mornings, which is equally lively.
But the big one is at Samatan. I’m not sure
you’ll ever find another market where one
minute a nun is telling you how delicious her
honey is and making clicking noises with her
tongue to emphasise it’s special qualities and
the next minute you’re caught up in a
massive crowd waiting for a whistle to blow
which is the signal to run through the doors
of an enormous building to buy from local
producers selling duck and geese at the
carcasses market. It’s not for the fainthearted
but it’s authentic and it’s the way
things have been done here for years. The
market opened in 1373.
The town also has a quirky foie gras
museum, only for those who are true fans as
there are stuffed animals on show.
Samatan tourism: tourism-saves.com
There are bistros, cafés and restaurants in
every town and farmhouse restaurants
dotted throughout the countryside.
When you go to the Gers, prepare to be
surprised, to be irresistibly tempted by the
gastronomy, fed and watered like royals and
to fall head over heels for this secret and
totally enchanting part of France which the
locals call God’s country…