La Rochelle is considered one of the most interesting French regions from the gastronomic point of view. Over the years, it has managed to preserve the traditions of cooking interesting dishes, which were invented hundreds of years ago. Like in the Middle Ages, today the national menu is mainly based on sea fish and other seafood. Recipes of some dishes seem to be truly fantastic. For example, it is customary to bake sea bass in coarse salt, which turns into a hard shell during cooking. No additional spices or seasonings are added to the fish, it absorbs the optimal amount of salt in the cooking process and remains very juicy.
Also, local restaurants serve wonderful oysters, which are usually served hot. Seafood is used to prepare dozens of original dishes: they cook soups, stew them with vegetables, add to various salads or serve as separate dishes. Meat dishes are also present in the menu of regional restaurants. Especially popular with foreign guests are dishes from young goat meat.
Dairy products occupy an honorable place in regional gastronomy. In the vicinity of La Rochelle, there are several historic farms that produce wonderful cheeses, yogurts, and other dairy products. The real pride of the region is the goat milk cheese “Chabichou du Poitou” having a very piquant taste. The region has also preserved its old butter-making traditions. Here it is customary to make it here from the milk of Poitou-Charentes cows. The butter has a unique creamy taste, it is used to prepare many meat and fish dishes, as well as pastries and some desserts.
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