Local delicacies | Pau Pyrénées Tourisme

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Let’s talk gastronomy and taste buds! We love to share, and Béarn has always been a generous, gourmet land of fertile farmland. Quality local produce and gourmet recipes: in Béarn, the pleasures of the table are not to be trifled with! There’s plenty to cook up… Follow us to the land of gourmets and gourmands!

1. Duck, pig, lamb Tradition and quality

Free-range duck: we love the foie gras, but also the gizzards, breast, tenderloin, thighs, confit sleeves and “gratons”, those little leftovers that end up in pâté. As for the carcass, we make stock!
Porc noir de Bigorre: traditionally reared in the wild, this is an exceptional meat product. In addition to the well-known charcuterie, it’s also used to make andouilles… A must-taste!
Pyrenean lamb: raised in estives on our high-altitude grasslands, this is the product of the transhumance tradition perpetuated by Béarn’s shepherds.

Les Halles de Pau

2. Salmon and fish Fishing for delicacies

Wild salmon is caught in the Pau and Oloron rivers. In Pau, Jean-Marc Casteigt, a master sausage-maker, works the salmon down to the last scale, making the most of the product, especially the skins, like real leather.

The Gaves also supplies us with fine trout and pike… to the delight of anglers and gourmets alike.

Enjoy

All activities

Let's give Saint Germain en L'Haye back its Béarnaise sauce!

And yes, there’s no AOC or AOP for this deceptive sauce. Legend has it that it was invented in 1834 by Collinet, cook at the Pavillon Henri IV in Saint Germain en Laye. Although it’s an excellent accompaniment to meat, it’s only Béarnaise in name. Whether it’s a tribute to King Henri V or to the chef’s homeland remains a mystery.

3. Cheeses Ossau Iraty and summer cheeses

Béarn (along with the Basque country) is home to Ossau Iraty, THE ewe’s milk cheese! But each valley has its own cheese. You’ll love tasting our summer cheeses, with their delicate herbaceous flavor.

4. Corn bean and peach Roussane

The Tarbais bean, also known as haricot-maïs, is from Béarn and is delicious in garbures.

As for fruit, the Roussanne peach is a pure product of our hillsides, typical of Monein. Its beautiful orange-yellow color, flecked with red, hides a fragrant, very juicy flesh. Almost extinct in the 20th century, it is now being revived by passionate growers.

AOP and AOC

While AOC is a French label, PDO is a European one. Both recognize and protect a product, the result of a terroir and local know-how.

Short circuit

If you’d like to buy directly from a farmer or winegrower, you can do so here. Alternatively, the Carreau des Halles is open daily to local producers.

Gourmet pass

The gourmet pass will give you a great overview of Béarn gastronomy. Whether you have a small appetite or a large appetite, like the “casse-croute caviste”, it’s the perfect opportunity to taste quality products.

Around Pau

Take the time to stroll around Pau and meet the farmers, winegrowers and producers of Béarn.

5. Sweet tooths Desserts and pastries

Pastis bourrit: an ancestral recipe from Béarn (in Gascon, pastis means “cake” and bourrit means “leaven”). We recommend Pastis d’Amélie, sold at Les Halles, with its distinctive shape, spongy texture and large sugar tears.
Le Russe: a dream of a cake, light and gourmand, with praline cream and meringue, a reminder of Crimea, where the almonds used to come from. Address: Artigarrède
Le Chapeau d’Artagnan: a tribute to the musketeers, with a scoop of prune ice cream on a nougatine and topped with a plume of chantilly, evocative and delicious, to be eaten on the terrace of Maison Constanti…
Jams and Coucougnettes by Françis Miot, France’s best jam-maker (two titles) and three-time world champion.

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Les Coucougnettes De Francis Miot 2 Pau Pyrenees Tourisme Paul Louis

Poule Au Pot A Laroin Le Comptoir Des Sens

Garbure Pau Bearn Pau Pyrenees Tourisme Rotated

6. Bearn recipes Local

Henri IV’s famous poule au pot: a beautiful poultry cooked in broth with vegetables, a classic of Béarn gastronomy!
La garbure: a Béarnaise soup for the hungry with Tarbais beans, a heel of black pork ham, duck confit and vegetables simmered for at least 4 hours… A meal in itself!
Pigeon: traditionally eaten in salmis, a kind of ragout, but gourmets appreciate it with truffles.

Taking the timeEnjoy Pau and the surrounding area.