What do we eat at the foot of the slopes?

Discovering traditional mountain cuisine !

You've had a coffee/toast at 7am to be on the slopes as soon as the ski lifts open. It's midday, you've been skiing all morning and you're literally starving ? Before you dive into a triangle sandwich and a tray of fries, discover the mountain specialties that are being cooked up in the mountain restaurants, the restaurants at the foot of the slopes and in the resort. Fortifying, hearty, comforting and super tasty dishes...

Let's eat!

Opening photo: Duck can be eaten with all kinds of sauces. Photo: © Jérôme Rommé; Adobe Stock

Mountain specialties of the Hautes-Pyrénées

The reputation of mountain gastronomy is well established. In the Pyrenees, the food is particularly good, as the culinary tradition is imbued with all the flavor of the marvels cultivated, raised, and processed by the region's producers.

• Confits: duck or goose, confit is a specialty that is cooked slowly and with love... We prepare the confit, then we keep it, until the moment to enjoy it with friends. Enjoy it with Tarbais beans, a real treat !

The delicious and famous garbure, a must-try during a stay in Béarn. Photo: © Fanfo; Adobe Stock

• Garbure is a soup made with vegetables (mainly cabbage, broad beans, potatoes) and Tarbais beans. Duck confit and country ham bones are simmered in it. When you have finished your plate, don't forget to make a "chabrot": pour some red wine onto your plate and... drink it elegantly!

• Spit Cake: an inimitable Gascon speciality, spit cake requires special expertise to make. The batter is poured into a conical mould, which is then placed on a spit. It flows and cooks in front of the fireplace, forming very graceful peaks. The beautiful amber colour is acquired in the last few minutes of cooking. It is an art and a magnificent culinary exercise to observe! And to taste, of course.

Spit Cake, Lesley Williamson

• The Black Pig of Bigorre can be cooked in all sauces and will delight your taste buds. Raised in the Pyrenean foothills, it is an animal with both fine and powerful meat. Its diet of grass, acorns, chestnuts and other delicacies of the undergrowth gives it a marbled flesh, melting in the mouth and with suave aromas. Taste this exceptional meat, accompanied by mushrooms or mashed potatoes with fine butter.
• Cheeses with character: with all this greenery, there's plenty to graze on. You can count on the cows, sheep and goats to offer you varied and creamy cheeses. Tomme de Barousse, which comes from the Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges valley, smells of the mountains and fresh air :)

A delicious selection from the La Souris Bleue cheese shop in Tarbes

Mountain specialties of Haute Garonne

• Cassoulet is a Toulouse specialty that perfectly suits the body's needs in these cold weather conditions. Fill up on calories with this fortifying dish that cooks for at least 4 hours. Goose confit, Toulouse sausage and tender pieces of pork complement this traditional dish with Tarbais white beans.

• Pyrenean Fondue, a revisited version of the classic fondue, is prepared with the best cheeses from the Pyrenees, such as Tomme, cow's milk or sheep's milk. Come and try this daring, but... delicious, twist!
• For a sweeter version, try apple crumble, a Southwestern dessert full of flavors and a crispy texture. Take a look: a thin pastry, crumpled between slices of candied apple, drizzled with caramelized sugar, and why not a little alcohol? To finish the meal in style...

Specialties of the Ariège mountains

• Bethmale is an Ariège cheese that happily replaces raclette cheese in the dish of the same name. You will taste this specialty in Ariège.
• Mongetado is cassoulet, Ariège style! Duck, pork, beans, onions and other vegetables... All good things that cook slowly until they become candied. All this to melt in your mouth and let you delight in their flavors.

The Toulouse Pyrenees Guide's good economic plan

Think caterer ! Think takeaway! Want to do the grand slam and not leave the slopes all day? The night before, choose a restaurant that offers takeaway. Stock up on cold delicacies, which you can devour at the top of the chairlift.

A lunch with the most beautiful view of the resort, at the top of the slopes, awaits you... And above all, above all, don't forget to pick up your trash if you picnic! The mountains are so beautiful... Of course, the cuisine and its specialties (especially mountain specialties) really have no borders. So, you can taste the dishes above in all the good restaurants in the Pyrenees.

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