The craft
The Ariege is home to many craftsmen, always passionate and in love with their trade. In the Bethmale valley, clogs have a legend linked to a young shepherd and a woman in love... The clogs of Pascal Jusot (one of the last clog makers in France) are made of walnut, beech or birch wood. The realization of these traditional clogs of the Bethmale valley requires know-how and patience from the roughing to the dressing. Other craftsmen make traditional objects of quality according to the respect of materials and traditional techniques: the work of the horn and these famous combs ideal for the hair but also to brush the animals because it prevents any form of static electricity. Basketry, cutlery, taxidermy are typical examples that should not make us forget that these crafts can also be innovative. They represent a richness of our heritage based on diversity and authenticity. As for the creators, they represent a mosaic of diverse activities: glass blowers, ceramists, furniture designers, toy makers, wood turners, jeweler-designers, etc. They shape our aesthetic environment by creating elements of fashion or decoration.
Let's eat!
Nòu, the new brand of Ariège, created at the initiative of the chamber of agriculture, highlights producers and craftsmen who have adhered to this quality charter to benefit from this label.
We will start the shopping with a bottle of Hypocras or Sambuc and why not one of the many local beers of Bison or Saint-Girons. Of course, you can find sausages in all the regions of France but those of Ariège are characterized by their mode of manufacture because they are, most of the time, dried thanks to the quality of the air in mountain and the hygrometry. In the 19th century, in France, the term "dry sausage" was rarely used, but rather "Ariège sausage". We will not forget to bring back of course the liver sausage (dry or fresh) made famous thanks to the nursery rhyme of the merchant of Foix who sold liver in the city of Foix and who said my faith... a plate of pork-butchery often agrees with a plate of cheeses from which will resound the names of their valleys of manufacture, Bethmale, Moulis or other productions the Corre with the milk of cow, goat, ewe, or, why not, a mixture of the three! To make all these good things pass, we will enjoy a tasty wine of Ariège, Engravies, Lèze or Plantaurel. To finish with a sweet treat, the gourmets will choose an apple crumble from Mirepoix or blueberries from the bridges of the Olmes region, one of the many jams from Jougla, flakes from Ariège or some artisanal cookies. There will inevitably be room in your luggage for a few preserved dishes prepared by our craftsmen or gourmet chefs. Mounjetades (the Ariège cassoulet), Azinat and its rouzolle (a kind of garbure, but better), hams, pâtés, and why not foie gras..
