la piperadere (15th of august)
where teams participate to a contest of the best "piperade": local dish based on onions, tomatoes, piments, ham..and to local animation.
and at the end of the day, a diner for everyone in the main public square, where you will eat those piperade dishes , with the local wine, while the bandas (street orchestras) will play and have everyone sing and dance
Written Aug 17, 2005
Address: around town
In ferme la motte:
you can buy excellent duck preserves (like paté, foie gras, confit) and other regional delicacies.
more interesting however, the farmers can explain to you how thy feed the ducks and how they prepare those preserves;
Written Aug 17, 2005
Address: ferme la motte
waters in Salies are very, but very salty!
in the beginning of the 20 th century, Salies was a famous Spa.and the spa building itself was sort of a mauresque architecture, as the fashion was.
it has been restorated a few years ago, and now you can enjoy an "animated swimming pool" or can ask for all sorts of individual treatments (bath, muds, ..etc)
Written Aug 17, 2005
Address: thermes de salies
The Bearn is a productive and fruitful region with many regional specialities.
The diet is generally a healthy one - the coast provides fresh fish & seafoods, the inland pastures deliver a plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables, meat and game.
Around the town of Espelette there has developed an important industry from the culture of the Piment d'Espelette.
This long, thin red pepper, (much sweeter and less "hot" than we expected) is said to have been brought from Mexico by one of the men who had sailed with Christopher Columbus to South America in the days when Pays Basque was part of Spain.
As you travel around the area after harvesting the peppers can be seen hanging outside farmhouses to dry from the under the eaves, and on the front of the houses. There is a shop in St Jean de Luz - Pierre Orieza - which specialises in Basque products. One September the whole of the front of the shop was covered by drying peppers.
Peppers feature in many local dishes, most famously in the regional speciality "Piperade" which any vegetarian will be pleased to see on a menu - main ingredients are - piment peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onions - optional eggs - and olive oil.
Our best Piperade - with ham, or en croute (on toast) was one lunch time at Hotel Espellet in Larceveau Arros Cibits - NE of St Jean de Pied de Port -
We have also had - over a number of visits - excellent Garbure at the "Fandango" in Salies de Bearn. Garbure is a hearty vegetable soup and is more readily available in the autumn/ winter months. The roots vegetable and cabbage are boiled with garlic in a ham stock.
- and the best Gateaux Basque ever - at Hotel de Bearn in Soumoulou.
Updated May 6, 2008
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