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Welcome to Limousin's official Tourism website - Specialties
The French have had it right for a long time! In 1672, Molière wrote : "It's good food and not fine words that keeps me alive". Our mouth-watering specialties are based on centuries of respect for high quality produce and simple, often original recipes.
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Don't miss this typically Limousin cherry dessert : it is a moist cake speckled with a local variety of black cherries which should never be pitted, since the pits give the batter its unique taste.
The recipe for this butter and hazelnut cake is a well-kept secret, only known by the 31 pastry chefs of the Le Creusois Association. The original recipe is said to have been found in a monastery in Crocq, Creuse. It is a moist and tasty dessert, often served with a crème anglaise.
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Energy for tired pilgrims
Massepains are a Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat specialty. They are little golden biscuits that are either oval or round. They are made with almond slices, egg white, sugar and flour. The original recipe is said to have come from the south, via the Santiago de Compostela route.
Saint Yrieix : the madeleine town
These small shell-shaped cakes originated in the Lorraine region, in the north east of France. They started being produced in Saint-Yrieix in the middle of the 19th century. Legend has it that madeleines first appeared on the Santiago de Compostela Route, where a young maiden named Madeleine offered them to pilgrims.
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Mique is an inexpensive, nourishing dish from rural Corrèze. It looks a lot like a round loaf of bread. It is slowly cooked in broth and served with vegetables and meat or fried in butter for breakfast and served with jam.
A galétou is a type of buckwheat pancake which can be served plain, with honey or with grillons (pâté). In Corrèze, it is called a tourtou. It used to be considered as a meal for the poor, but is now often served as an appetizer.
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This delicious Correzian dish is made by mixing grated raw potatoes, cooked mashed potatoes, sorrel, buckwheat, garlic and parsley. The batter is rolled into balls and boiled. (you know they are ready when they float to the surface).
Pâté de pomme de terre is a Limousin institution! It is a type of pasty filled with potato, sour cream, bacon, sausage meat, and parsley. It can also be made without meat.
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The word « potée » refers to a dish containing both meat and vegetables cooked in broth. The Limousin version is made with smoked bacon, salted pork, cabbage, leeks, turnips, carrots and potatoes. It is a healthy, tasty dish with little cholesterol and lots of vitamins.
A few other specialties from Limousin include : Réortes from Aixe (golden crown-shaped loafs of bread), Craquelins from Châlus (a round reddish specialty made with cumin) , Canoles from Rochechouart and Saint-Junien (a thin sweet slice of dry dough) , macaroons from Bessines-sur-Gartempe and Le Dorat, Uzerche meringues…