Bordeaux cuisine is comprised of ingredients from both land and sea. Situated on the Atlantic coast with the Gironde Estuary, Dordogne, and Garonne rivers running through the region, oysters, mussels, and a variety of seafood are widely enjoyed.
Aquitaine caviar is another luxurious aquatic specialty of Bordeaux cuisine. The local delicacy was discovered on the Gironde Estuary thanks to a Romanov who escaped from Russia in the 1920s. He showed the locals the sturgeon they’d been fishing for centuries contained this prized gourmet specialty.
Join CellarTours on a luxurious private Wine Tour of Bordeaux’s wine regions. Visit beautiful wine estates with charming, friendly hosts and learn all about the complex and fascinating history of Bordeaux and its wines. Intersperse the wine-sipping with promenades in the vineyards, tours of Bordeaux’s golden triangle, and St Emilion with local art historians, a boat ride in the striking Arcachon basin.
Land-Based Ingredients
Historically, Bordeaux always received exotic spices as a port city. With French colonies throughout the world, ships would return from destinations in the West Indies, Africa, and Americas with spices new to the region. Ingredients like saffron, peppers, and vanilla arrived in Bordeaux by way of trade. Today’s CAPC modern art museum once served as a storehouse to stock these trading supplies, as well as chocolate, coffee, capers, tobacco, and cotton.
Meat eaters also have something to look forward to in Bordeaux cuisine. Several Bordelaise dishes feature chicken, duck, lamb, and beef. Boeuf de Bazas is one of the most prized breeds in the Gironde. Look out for the rib-eye steak prepared as entrecĂŽte Ă la Bordelaise.
CĂšpes de Bordeaux and Blaye white asparagus are not to be missed for produce. CĂšpes are rich, and meaty mushrooms usually forage when the grape harvest is complete. They thrive in the French region’s maritime climate and pine forests. At the same time, the region’s white asparagus grows in the humus-rich soils of the Blaye region on the right bank of Bordeaux. These black sandy soils give white asparagus a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture for which they’re widely adored.
Prominent in the Gironde Estuary, lamprey is a type of fish that resembles an eel. During the Middle Ages, they were reserved only for the tables of kings and queens. Today, lamprey Ă la Bordelaise is enjoyed mainly by the locals. To prepare the dish, the lamprey are hung by their heads, their tails are cut off, and their draining blood is collected, as it’s an essential ingredient for this Bordelaise specialty. Next, a stew is made with the lamprey meat, blood, red wine, potatoes, leeks, onions, and shallots; plus, a shot of Cognac or Armagnac might be added for more flavor. Finally, lamprey Ă la Bordelaise is served with crusty bread to soak up the sauce and is best enjoyed with a glass of local red Bordeaux.
With such a wide array of wines to discover, Bordeaux is bound to have noteworthy cheeses, too. Here are a few must-try cheeses from the region.
Tomes des Bordeaux â also known as Herbillette; this pasteurized goat’s milk cheese was first made in the Loire. The wheels are then transferred to Bordeaux, coated in various herbs and spices, then aged in the caves of affineur Jean d’Alos.
Etorki â Made with sheep’s milk from French Basque country near the Pyrenees, known for its earthy aromas and caramelized flavors.
Dunes blanches are small cream puffs dusted in powdered sugar. In 2007, Pascal Lucas first created the recipe in Cap Ferret and named them after the sand-dunes of the Arcachon Basin. Visit his patisserie, Chez Pascal Dunes Blanches, to taste the authentic recipe.
Macarons de Saint-Ămilion
Invented in 1620 by the Les Ursulines nuns who settled in Saint-Ămilion, these macarons are made with just three ingredients â egg whites, confectioner’s sugar, and almond flour. Macarons de Saint-Ămilion are one of the oldest sweet specialties of Bordeaux cuisine.
Author
Nicole Dickerson
WSET certified international wine writer passionate about rare varieties and cellar hand experience in both hemispheres.
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