Tasty fruit and vegetables

Orchards and gardens grow gorgeous fruits, vegetables and herbs all along the plain.

Céret cherries

Céret cherries

The first of the season, the cherries of Céret are known as the most colourful and softest cherries in France. They are the focus of festivals and markets in the village of Céret in Pyrénées-Orientales.

The strawberry from Nîmes or “Gariguette”

First open ground fruit of the year in France, the strawberry from Nîmes comes out in spring, around March 15, and can be found until June. The variety on offer is the Gariguette, easily recognisable with its elongated and elegant shape. Gorged with sunshine, it has slight acidity, much to the delight of connoisseurs who constantly seek unusual flavours. The open ground cultivation gives the fruit its terroir-related typicity: early maturity, sweetness-acidity balance.

Sweet onions of Languedoc

Cévennes sweet onions are grown on the terraces of the southern slopes of the Cévennes hills. The onions are satiny and round in appearance and have a soft texture that melts in the mouth, with a delicate flavour. These exceptional pickling onions can be eaten raw in a salad but are also used in cooking. Lézignan onions have been cultivated since at least the 17th century on the light, rugged earth of Lézignan-la-Cèbe (in the Oc language, ‘ceba’ means onion). They are white, quite large, some weighing up to 1 kg, and are either cooked or used as a condiment.

The Cevennes chestnut

Wild or cultivated, “the bread tree” has forged both Cevenol identity and landscapes; it owes its name to the fact that for a long time it remained the prime source of food for the region. Nowadays, the Olargues (Hérault) chestnut, or that of the Cévennes represents around 650,000 tonnes, i.e. 6 % of the national market. Traditionally used to make soup or roasted on a wood fire in pierced chestnut skillets, the chestnut can also be eaten dried, boiled, grilled, puréed, made into jam, as flour or bread.

Sand Potatoes, a new jewel made in Camargue

Grown in Camargue, in sandy soils from ancient dune ridges, the sand potato has a host of culinary and technical qualities. Along the banks of the Petit Rhône and on the lands of the Natural Regional Park of Camargue, a dozen or so producers are growing this potato using organic or integrated farming techniques. Good for the environment but also for our taste buds, this small jewel from the sands can be enjoyed in salads with a touch of olive oil and a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel, or served with the famous Collioure anchovies.

Camargue rice

Sown from April to May, on the wet or dry lands of Camargue, this rice comes in many different varieties, with a host of opportunities to taste it. Round rice is soft and tender for desserts, medium rice is ideal for paellas or risotto, long rice for summer salads and extra long rice to accompany meat sauces and grilled fish from the Gulf of Lion.

Information: www.rizdecamargue.com

Asparagus

As the vegetable that announces the arrival of spring, the asparagus from the region has gained an enviable reputation throughout Europe with more than 20,000 tons exported Vallée du Rhône each year. The ‘sand asparagus’ is produced in the Petite Camargue, the Rhône Valley and the plains of Beaucaire (Gard). Every year at the beginning of May there is an asparagus festival in Aimargues.