Aveyron specialities Top 10 local food marathons

As is often the case in the countryside, the recipes are those of the family, each with its own well-kept secret! Here, we’ve preserved the good sense of the peasantry in a cuisine that’s generous and convivial, but also refined. At our tables or on our market stalls, you won’t want to leave without tasting these specialities!

For savoury pleasures

Farçous are a kind of doughnut, a savory specialty of the Aveyron region. Made with breadcrumbs, chard and herbs, they can include bacon or sausage meat, and are fried in oil.

#1 The farçou

A small doughnut made from breadcrumbs and garnished with “greens” (chard ribs, parsley, other seasonal herbs), farçou is a simple classic of our cuisine. It can be enjoyed hot, just fried in the pan (with very little oil!), or cold at a picnic. Some even add sausage meat. Are you a veggie or a pig?

On some of our markets, night markets, butchers and caterers

#2 The tripou

Made from stuffed veal belly, tripou is first and foremost a festive must-have! The ultimate experience: enjoying it in the early hours of the morning, with your belly firmly attached, at our village festivals. And if you don’t like tripous, which isn’t part of the “oux” plural rule, don’t worry, we’ll serve you cheese soup!

At our butchers and caterers or at village festivals

#3 Aligot with a big Aaaah!

Aligot is the ultimate convivial dish, shared on large tables and cooked with family and friends. Watching it being made is a spectacle in itself, and it takes a lot of skill to get the texture just right, because “an aligot is either a good aligot or a bad aligot”! Enjoy it with fresh sausage or a good Aubrac pavé!

Do you know the history of aligot?

Originally, aligot was a mixture of bread and fresh tome cheese made by the monks of Aubrac. They fed it to pilgrims who asked for something – alici in Latin – to eat, and thus the word “aligot” was born. The tradition continued with the buronniers, who made it their staple dish. After a poor harvest, they came up with the idea of replacing bread with mashed potatoes. The mythical Aveyron recipe was born!

Taste it at some of our markets, night markets and restaurants.

#4 Dry or fresh sausage

A staple of picnics and aperitifs with friends, “dry” sausages are more or less to your taste. The only requirement is that you make at least one round trip, otherwise it’s not worth it! And when it comes to barbecuing, fresh sausages are preferable to thin chipolatas, because they’re so soft and chubby!

#5 Aubrac meat

Emblematic of the plateau, the Aubrac breed is the fruit of traditional breeding in harmony with nature. It produces tender, flavorful meat with a rich, authentic taste, revealing the delicate aromas of the fresh herbs it consumes in the pastures. It is said to be “marbled” like that of another breed, the Charolaise, with which we crossbreed to obtain an exceptional meat, the Fleur d’Aubrac.

Estofinade, from the Occitan estofinado, is a traditional Aveyron dish made with dried cod or stockfish, potatoes, eggs and oil. It's a speciality of the Lot Valley in particular, because when the river was navigable, boatmen brought the stockfisch (a Dutch fish speciality) needed to make it from Bordeaux.

#6 The Estofinade

A speciality of the Lot Valley, it’s a bit like the local brandade de morue, with the addition of hard-boiled eggs to the cod-purée mix. The recipe is thought to have been brought back by the Dutch in the days when the Lot was navigable on our territory and river trade flourished.

On some of our markets, night markets and in our restaurants

#7 Our beloved cheeses

Goats prefer the steep slopes of the Lot Valley, while cows thrive in the pastures along the Lot and Dourdou rivers. Around May 25, some of the Aubrac herds make the Transhumance to the Aubrac plateau, a colorful, bell-ringing spectacle not to be missed! In the drier parts of the Causse Comtal, Lacaune ewes tend the garrigues and provide large quantities of milk for the production of Roquefort cheese.

At some of our markets and producers

What raw-milk cheeses can we find on our shelves?
- Goat: Cabécous du Fel, Le Coubisou
- Cow: Cantal young or old, Laguiole, Thérondels, Écir…
- Ewe: Tomme d’Estaing, Roquefort and Bleu des Causses, Pérail

Goat's cabécous, sheep's and cow's tome, Laguiole, Cantal... Aveyron cheeses can be tasted on our farms and at our markets.

All our producers

Do you know the label? Made in Aveyron

The brand promotes the know-how of Aveyron companies and their emblematic products, guaranteeing you a 100% local purchase. To date, nearly 420 companies have been awarded the label for over 3,000 products. The largest number of companies with the label are concentrated in the agri-food sector, but they are now expanding into wood, furniture, construction and public works, mechanical engineering, textiles, leather and publishing, all claiming “Made in Aveyron” quality.

More of a sweet tooth?

The gâteau à la broche is a sweet artisanal speciality from Aveyron.

Fouace is a sweet specialty from Aveyron, often flavored with orange blossom. In Espalion, the fouace from Maison Fanguin is renowned for its artisanal production, but it can also be found on our markets, and each artisan baker has his or her own recipe.

Fouace and échaudés, two sweet specialties from Aveyron

#8 Spit-roasted cake

The basic recipe for the dough is the same as for pound cake, with equal parts of fresh butter, flour and sugar, which is already an indication of its deliciousness! The tricky part is getting the knack for it, and the equipment to bake it. The semi-liquid dough is slowly poured onto a cone attached to a rotating spit, which is kept close to a heating grid traditionally filled with embers. It’s a painstaking task, but one that delights gourmets and adds beauty to any festive table. From Christmas to weddings and communions, whatever the occasion!

On our markets, in our bakeries

#9 The fouace

Shaped like a ball or a crown, the fouace has a supple texture, halfway between a cake and a brioche. In a way, it’s every local child’s Proust’s madeleine. Patience is required before the dough “grows”, then browns in the oven, and is finally sprinkled with the local glaze. The icing on the cake is the addition of orange blossom to flavour it, unless “you’re not too keen on it”. There again, each to his own!

On our markets, in our bakeries

#10 The scalded

Scaladés are a typical Aveyron cookie, ideal for picnics or snacks. Triangular in shape, they owe their name to their first baking, when they are scalded in hot water before being browned in egg yolk and then placed in the oven to crisp up the top. The result is a soft, slightly sweet dough, which you can recognize by its pronounced aniseed flavour – so appreciate the spice!