Local products
Good cooking depends on good products. And the Var region is ideal for agriculture, where low-productivity crops favor quality. Fruits, vegetables, oils, honey, here are some products of the Var:
The chestnut. The Var production (150 tons per year) is concentrated in the Massif des Maures in the communes of Collobrières, La Garde-Freinet, Les Mayons, Pignans and Gonfaron. But in fact, what is the difference between the chestnut and the marron? The chestnut's bug is divided and has two or three fruits; the chestnut's bug is not divided, and the fruit is unique. Of excellent gustatory quality, the chestnut is sold almost entirely in mouth fruits - fresh or roasted.
The fig. With more than 75% of the French production, the Var is the leading producer of figs in France. Grown in the Gapeau valley, in Solliès-Pont, this purple fig from the black bourjassote variety, whose production area covers almost the entire Var department, obtained the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) on March 27, 2006, then the appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) on December 22, 2011. Its registration was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The plum of Brignoles. The fame of this fruit dates back to the beginning of the 16th century, during a visit to Brignoles by François I, who greatly appreciated this small oblong fruit, with black skin and sweet orange-yellow flesh, of the perdrigon violet variety. Dried, the plums were placed in boxes and sold under the name of "brignolles" before becoming "pistoles" at the end of the 18th century, because of the resemblance with the coin of the same name. The trade of the dried plum of Brignoles disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century. It was only in 2003 that the municipality of Brignoles decided to revive the production of the tree and the fruit.
The chickpea of Rougiers. This yellowish edible seed owes its incomparable taste to the soil of the Poulagnié volcano.
Spices: thyme (also called farigoule), basil, parsley, rosemary, garlic, tarragon, chives, fennel, chervil, sage, juniper, wild thyme, savory...
The olive and its oil. The Var is the first French olive-growing department, as regards the number of olive trees, with seven hundred and seventy thousand olive trees, that is to say nearly 22% of the national plantation. 142 communes of the Var out of 153 produce olive oil! Many varieties of olives are grown in the Var. Some give off their perfumes when harvested green - green olive - and others when ripe - black olive. The belgentierise, the picholine, the lucques are used for table and confectionery, the aglandau, the bouteillan, the cayet roux, the cayon, the salonenque, the brun, the ribier are used for oil.
On October 26, 2006, the national committee of food products of the national institute of origin and quality voted the recognition of the AOC olive oil of Provence. The identification decree was published in the Journal officiel de la République française on March 17, 2007. The Var is part of its geographical area.
Honey
Annual production is close to 1,000 tons, produced by the 33,000 hives identified and swarmed in the department. The honeys produced in the Var have the protected geographical indication - PGI - "Miel de Provence". The varieties offered are lavender honey - red label - (the Var is the leader in France for the production of lavender honey), the honey of Provence par excellence since it is found only in this region, rosemary honey, heather honey, chestnut honey and the honey all flowers of Provence - also red label - to which the association of the various Provencal floral origins gives a rare gustatory richness.
The wines
The Var, renowned for its quality wines, has 4 appellations d'origine contrôlée - Côtes de Provence, Coteaux-varois-en-Provence, Bandol, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence - and 4 terroir denominations, Côtes de Provence Fréjus, Côtes de Provence La Londe, Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu and Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire. The Petit Futé refers to a fifth appellation with the rich terroir of Côtes-de-Provence Dracénie. The department also produces wines with protected geographical indications: IGP Var with the possibility of territorial mentions Argens - Coteaux du Verdon - Sainte-Beaume - IGP Mont Caume / IGP Maures.
Local specialties
The aiguo boulido
This soup, which traditionally opens the big Christmas dinner, is made from three or four cloves of garlic in a shirt, which are boiled for about ten minutes in salted water. When the fire is out, add thyme, bay leaves and lots of sage. After infusion, serve with toasted bread slices and a drizzle of olive oil.
Aioli
Thick sauce made of olive oil mixed with egg yolks and garlic puree, until it becomes a paste. It is also the name of a dish called "aïoli garni" which was originally served on Fridays in general and on Lent in particular. It is made with desalted cod fillets, potatoes, carrots, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, whelks, without forgetting the aioli, presented in its mortar.
Anchoïade
This sauce, a melting puree of anchovies and garlic, diluted with olive oil, is ideal with raw vegetable sticks, carrots, celery ribs, fennel, cauliflower bouquets.
The bouillabaisse
Initially a fisherman's dish, cooked on the beach when returning from fishing, in a large cauldron, and whatever its origin - many fishing towns claim the recipe - it has become the reference of Provencal gastronomy. It must be prepared with rock fish, necessary for the preparation of the bottom, in which the fish - scorpion fish, St. Pierre, gurnard, conger eel... -, which will be served whole or in pieces, will cook in large boils. Depending on the recipe, the fish may or may not be accompanied by potatoes, mussels, favouilles, rouille and slices of bread rubbed with garlic.
- The bourride
The cousin of the bouillabaisse is of Sète origin. The towns of Toulon and Saint-Raphaël have their own version of this soup prepared by mixing aïoli with the broth in which the fish has been boiled, preferably white fish, monkfish - the Sétoise version -, bass, pageot..
- Brouillade of truffles
This is an excellent way to enjoy fresh truffles from the Haut-Var. Simply slice the truffles - after having brushed them -, brown them with a knob of butter in a saucepan, until their fragrance perfumes your nostrils. Add the beaten eggs and turn gently over low heat until you obtain a smooth and creamy mixture.
Beef stew à la provençale
A beef dish that simmers gently for 4 to 5 hours, with onions, garlic, carrots, herbs, all moistened with a good and tannic red wine from Côtes-de-Provence. See recipe.
The caillette
This crépinette, a typical Provencal delicatessen prepared with minced meat, liver and pork fat and a mixture of green vegetables, parsley, laurel and Provencal herbs, varies according to the region and the village where it is made. It can be eaten straight out of the oven or cold.
The fougasse
Flat bread with holes, soft crumb and crust, made with a dough flavored with olive oil. Most bakeries often offer derivatives of this bread, with bacon, onions and anchovies.
Pistou soup
This soup - or main course - can be eaten hot or cold, preferably in summer, when the first beans are available.
Otherwise, it consists of potatoes, zucchini, diced, fresh beans, green beans, celery stalks, cooked in salted water, and accompanied by pasta - large macaroni - thrown in a few minutes before the end of cooking. The whole thing is mixed - off the heat - with pistou, a paste made with basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese - Gruyere or hard Edam - and possibly tomatoes.
Tapenade
A paste made from pitted black or green olives, garlic cloves, desalted anchovy fillets and capers, to be eaten on grilled croutons. Note that the tapenade does not take its name from the olive, but from the caper, tapeno in Provencal.
The Tropezian pie
This home-made dessert, created by Alexandre Micka in 1955 in his pastry shop on the Place de la Mairie in Saint-Tropez, is simply a brioche pastry filled with cream, the authentic recipe of which remains a secret.
The thirteen desserts
This tradition is respected throughout Provence and the French Riviera. Christmas Eve ends with the tasting of thirteen desserts, to honor the memory of Christ and his twelve apostles. The ceremonial begins with the four beggars, evoking the clothes of the four religious beggar orders - dried figs, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds -, and then come fougasse or oil pump, disguised fruits, white nougat and black nougat, candied fruits, raisins, fresh fruits, dates and fruit pastes.
