Fruits and Vegetables
Let's go! Let's start light and dietetic, but so good. The fruits and vegetables of the Alpilles are renowned far beyond the borders of the region. It must be said that the climate is ideal and that the farmers here have a very particular know-how. The large farms rub shoulders with the small ones, and the diversity of the soils allows the farmers to offer a wide range of products. Apples, pears, tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, apricots... are consumed in all the establishments and are distributed on all the local stalls, practically directly. The surplus is exported to other departments where they make the reputation of the Alpilles and the Camargue. In the Alpilles alone, there are no less than 1,600 hectares, 415 of which are under greenhouse, dedicated to vegetable production. For fruit trees, the surface area amounts to nearly 5,000 hectares of cultivated land that produces exceptional products every year.
Meat
The Camargue bull
Of course, when one thinks of Camargue, one thinks of bulls, and of this meat of character, tasty and firm, which can be tasted in different ways. Since 1996, the meat of the bulls of Camargue benefits from an A.O.C., a guarantee of quality, both sanitary and gustatory. The farms grouped under this designation must meet very strict standards: the animals must have spent at least six months in wetlands, without external food, have large spaces and be free to move. It is interesting to note that this D.O.C. is the first one awarded to red meat.
For the preparation, the chefs do not lack original ideas, but it would be unimaginable to visit the Camargue without tasting the famous Gardiane. Here again, recipes and tricks are plentiful, so much so that you will not have the impression of eating the same dish from one establishment to another. All you have to do is try them to make up your own mind, but the road will be long.
The lamb of the Alpilles
If the Camargue has its bulls, the Alpilles has its lambs. With its totally different taste, lighter, but no less tasty, connoisseurs prepare lamb grilled, roasted, braised or even stuffed. This exceptional meat can be enjoyed at any stage of cooking and can be perfectly combined with a wide range of ingredients, which allows for a great deal of latitude in its preparation. And beware of counterfeit products, because La Crau lamb is produced in a very limited geographical area delimited by the communes of Arles and Tarascon to the west, Graveson and Eyragues to the north, Pelissanne to the east and Fos-sur-Mer to the south. In 2020, an I.G.P. (Protected Geographical Indication) classification was set up to recognize the qualities of La Crau lamb. The I.G.P. charter stipulates in particular that the animals, in addition to numerous dietary constraints, must have been born, raised and slaughtered at the breeder's home. A meat to be damned.
The game
Hunting, whether in the Alpilles or in the Camargue, is an ancestral activity. In the past, game was abundant in these regions. Game with fur, in the hilly landscapes of the Alpilles, with feathers, in the large wetlands of the Camargue... If, generally speaking, game is rarer today, it remains quite present in nature and, as a result, at the tables of the region. In the Alpilles, in particular, wild boars are proliferating. Their population is constantly increasing, unlike the small game. Moreover, many establishments offer wild boar on their menu, in stew, in stew, roasted. And, at home, it is also excellent on the barbecue, although it is advisable to tenderize it before cooking. The meat of the wild boar is a firm meat, with a strong taste that goes very well with perfumed and spicy sauces.
The delicatessen
It is in Arles that you must go to talk about charcuterie. Of course, you will find many excellent producers all over the Alpilles and the Camargue, but the flagship product in this category is the Arles sausage. It is a sausage whose specificity is to be manufactured in major part from lean beef. We also add lean pork, as well as the fat of this animal, salt and spices. The beef replaced the donkey meat, present in the original recipe of this preparation imported in Arles in 1655 by the butcher Godard. Only a few craftsmen continue to make the Arles sausage today, perpetuating a centuries-old tradition. Among these defenders of the gastronomic heritage, we find the Genin house, in Arles and the Alazard and Roux pork butchery, in Tarascon. But the fame of this sausage goes far beyond our region.
Cheeses
No good meal without cheese. And it's a good thing because even if the region is not the champion of cheese production, it still has some famous ones.
Tomme d'Arles
A local specialty par excellence, this soft cheese is made from sheep's milk. It can be eaten fresh or dried; it goes divinely with raw salads. Of course, it can also be eaten with a piece of farmhouse bread or even as is, just for the sake of it. The production of the tomme d'Arles is quite low, since there are only about twenty producers who make barely one to two tons per year. It can therefore be found mainly in markets, stores, cheese shops and stalls in the region. It is excellent with a local wine.
The goat cheese
How can you not associate Provence and goat cheese? We have seen it in so many films and advertisements that this small cheese, very often round, deserves to be on the flag with the four gules pals on a golden background which flies on all the Provencal buildings. Goat cheese can be enjoyed at different stages of maturation: fresh, dry, creamy, but also in many preparations: macerated in olive oil, plain, with herbs, pepper, berries ... rarely a food will have adopted such a gourmet strategy.
Among the stars of cheeses, we find the famous tomme de Provence with raw milk. It is a soft cheese with a bloomy rind that would be made in the same way since the Neolithic period, according to some archaeologists. It's hard to beat tradition. Many small local producers serve local grocery stores and cheese shops.
Fish and shellfish
Let's not kid ourselves, the fish production of the Alpilles is close to zero, except for a few trout and carp caught locally, and for good reason, the fish are not very comfortable in the hills. The Camargue, on the other hand, with its access to the Mediterranean, offers well stocked stalls of fresh sea fish, but not only. Indeed, there is also a significant shellfish farming activity between Grau-du-Roi and Port-Saint-Louis, with a great speciality: telline, collected with a rake trawl. This small bivalve shellfish is delicious as an aperitif, as parsley or as a garnish in a risotto or spaghetti dish. But seaside restaurateurs are not short of imagination to constantly invent new recipes. Telline is not the only shellfish produced in the region. There are also mussels, oysters and even crayfish.
Wines
A wonderful meal is even more enjoyable when accompanied by a good wine. The region produces some excellent wines, thanks to its Mediterranean climate and the Mistral wind that sweeps away the miasmas that are harmful to the vines. As far as wine is concerned, both the Alpilles and the Camargue can compete.
A.O.C. wines of Baux-de-Provence
The vineyards of the A.O.C. des Baux-de-Provence cover an area of 350 hectares, or eight communes. Today, 85% of them are cultivated organically. These are wines of character. The reds have vegetal or fruity notes with a predominance of black fruits, depending on the terroir. They need to age for five or six years before reaching their full potential.
The rosés, on the other hand, are best consumed young and have fruity notes. The whites, finally, are rather dry and come from white Grenache grapes: Clairette, but also Sauvignon.
Wines of the Camargue
If, in the Camargue, the vineyard tends to withdraw to the benefit of the rice fields, the region still retains some beautiful domains where traditional and noble grape varieties are cultivated. The local producers have chosen organic and qualitative agriculture and produce easy to drink wines with fruity aromas, behind which one can recognize marine scents.
Other alcohols
Wine is not the only alcohol produced in the region. Indeed, you can also taste the beer of the gardians. A surprising beer, made from rice and not from hops. It is available in red, white and black, with flavors of caramel, almonds or licorice.
We cannot fail to mention the famous Frigolet liqueur, made in Châteaurenard for 150 years. It is famous all over the world for its taste, but also for the mystery that surrounds its composition based on about thirty different plants.
Gourmandises
The Alpilles and the Camargue are full of small producers, craftsmen and shopkeepers who have made sweetness and greed their credo.
Honey : Thyme, lavender, rosemary, there is no lack of flavors on the stalls of the beekeepers installed in the region. Many of them even offer tours of their farms and direct sales of honey, as well as by-products.
Chocolate : Whether in the Camargue or in the Alpilles, you can let yourself be guided by the marvelous smells coming out of their stores. In Saint-Rémy, do not hesitate to push the door of the chocolate maker Joël Durand who will make you discover an incredible variety of chocolate sweets. You will find many other passionate artisans throughout the pages of this guide or during your wanderings.
The oreillettes : A typically Provencal dessert, generally associated with Christmas, you will find them practically all year long in the bakeries of the territory. At tea time, with their dusting of powdered sugar, they are a real treat.
Fougasse: Another must-try dish in Provence that is best enjoyed as an aperitif, although there are no rules. The fougasse can be plain, with black olives, with bacon, with onions... it is always so delicious. In fact, they exist in many regions, but the fougasse of Provence with its little olive oil aftertaste is one of our favorites.
