Charente, a culinary treasure to discover and enjoy

Food lovers, gourmets, and bon vivants, welcome to the land of culinary delights and indulgence. From aperitifs to desserts, your taste buds will revel in local products crafted according to time-honored traditions, with unique expertise preserved and passed down through generations. Grab your cutlery, let the tasting begin!

Charente and its meats

Cooked, raw, marinated or braised, Charentaise beef is a delight to enjoy with:

• The cagouille or luma, also known as the snail , the "little grey" has become the emblem of the Charente region with its Charente-style recipe stuffed with butter, garlic and sausage meat.
• Chalais veal is fed exclusively on whole milk from its mother, an ancestral tradition that offers meat that melts in your mouth, fine and tender.
• The Barbezieux chicken is one of the oldest poultry breeds, with its beautiful black feathers. Its fine and delicate flesh delights lovers of white meat.
• Foie gras is also a meat produced in Charente, made from local farms with respect for animal welfare.
• Organic aurochs meat, produced in Nanteuil-en-Vallée by a passionate producer who also makes cured meats, charcuterie, and prepared dishes. This product isn't typical of the Charente region, but it's still delicious.

Charente and its drinks

Get ready to raise a glass, the Charente region is renowned for its drinks, starting with cognac of course!

• Cognac, an iconic brandy known for its complex aromas and refined taste. Produced from six delimited crus (regions), it is perfect to accompany dessert or as a digestif.
• Pineau des Charentes, a liqueur wine which benefits from the VLAOC (Vin de Liqueur d'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) appellation, can be enjoyed in white or rosé.
• The Charente country wines with the IGP label offer white, red or rosé wines perfect for an aperitif or to accompany a good Charente meal.
• The Charentais brûlot, a traditional recipe which consists of heating cold coffee with cognac, before setting it on fire.

Charente and its cheeses

Served after the main course and just before dessert, cheese is an essential part of a Charente meal. On the cheese board, you will find:

• La Taupinette or Taupinière, a small dome made with raw goat's milk with a soft and light texture
• Le Manslois, a fresh cheese made from cow's milk from the Charente region, sometimes flavored with herbs or pepper

Local and independent producers also create personalized recipes, such as trou charentais or tomme charentaise.

Charente and its fruits

Enjoy local produce from the markets all year round. Depending on the season, you'll find:

• The Charentais melon, or cantaloupe melon, has orange, juicy, and sweet flesh. Delicious as a starter and even as a dessert, it can be enjoyed throughout the summer, from July to September.
• Charente walnuts are harvested when fully ripe, starting in September. Whether you prefer walnut kernels, walnut oil, or fresh walnuts, find your favorite products in Charente.
• Black truffles, harvested between December and March near Angoulême, can be found at Christmas markets, much to the delight of gourmets. The best truffle market remains that of Jarnac, held every year in early December.
• The Duchesse d'Angoulême pear is a large, round fruit with sweet, melting flesh, perfect for jam, pastries or compote.

Charente and its sweet products

Save room for dessert; there are a few sweet treats to enjoy without moderation:

• The Charentaise galette, a soft cake typical of the region. Flavored with candied angelica, it is made from butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
• Cornuelle is a specialty of Villebois-Lavalette, a small cake with various shapes and flavors of anise and lemon.
• The Marguerite d'Angoulême is a true chocolate confection created in homage to Marguerite de Valois-Angoulême. Beautiful to look at and delicious to savor, it can be found in pastry shops and chocolate shops, such as the famous Duceau chocolate shop in Angoulême.

The tasting is over!

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