Food and wine: flavours of land and sea

Glistening oysters labelled “Huîtres de Vendée Atlantique”, luscious langoustines, barbecued sardines of Saint Gilles Croix de Vie and freshly-caught tuna and sea-bass – the variety of the Vendée’s seafood is unparalleled. Plump mussels figure on menus everywhere – particularly around L’Aiguillon Bay, where stout stakes planted in the shallows hold thousands of the shiny, blue-black shellfish. The produce of the land, too, is every bit as good. Salt-meadow lamb, home-bred beef, and the famous ducks and chickens of Challans are found alongside the freshest of vegetables in the many food markets. Gourmets await the flavoursome early potatoes of Noirmoutier – particularly the island’s famous “Bonnottes”, in May, served with its unrefined salt. Traditionalists savour the blunt-nosed white haricot beans known as mogettes, cooked to meltingly soft perfection and served alongside grilled slices of jambon de Vendée.

Vendeans are rightly proud of their brioches: sweetened with sugar and flavoured with au de vie or orange flower water, they are served as a dessert or for breakfast. And don’t forget to try gâches (oval and similar to brioches but with a heavier texture) and flan maraîchin (a delicious egg custard dessert).

The Vendée has a wine-making tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Four wine-growing areas – Brem, Mareuil, Pissotte, Vix and Chantonnay – produce excellent reds, whites and rosés, marketed under the “Fiefs Vendéens” label. On February 2011, they received the national AOC label.

Other local specialities include Troussepinette, an apéritif made from blackthorn shoots, and Kamok, an alcoholic liqueur made from roasted Arabica coffee beans.