Poitou, Berry

The names of these two provinces are synonymous with simple and satisfying-foods and wines. Both have superb raw materials. Cattle, sheep, and pigs are excellent in flavor, and poultry of every description is raised—especially ducks for their foie gras. All sorts of other foods are available, from shellfish to goat’s milk, but the rustic dishes of these provinces suffer from comparison with the elegant cuisine of the neighboring Île-de-France and Touraine.

Poitou is famous for its vegetables, especially onions, cauliflowers, and green cabbages. Most of its best specialities are vegetable dishes, particularly a hash of vegetables to which bacon, cream, and eggs are added. Poitevine dishes like this one are ordinarily cooked at a low heat for a long time. Its meat and fish dishes, aside from ordinary stews, frighten off strangers, for much use is made of those parts of the animal euphemistically referred to as “variety meats” in this country. More often than not the dishes also include the head as well as a few tails and ears.