French food and drink

In a place with so much diversity, there are many different foods and traditions. The palette of flavours grows a little wider every step of the way, from local home-grown products to traditional recipes and dishes by renowned creative chefs.

The products of Languedoc-Roussillon come from an area stretching from the coast to the mountains. At the seaside, shellfish platters heaped with oysters, mussels and clams delight the taste buds. So do the countless Mediterranean fish sought-after for their flavour, including tuna, bream and sea bass.

Vines are everywhere

Vines are everywhere in the region where growing wine grapes is a passion and a tradition. Languedoc wines are the largest contributor to France which still leads the world in wine production. A huge variety of reds, whites and roses are found everywhere you travel in the Languedoc. It seems impossible to drive for more than a few yards without seeing a vineyard, a cave co-operative, or just a small producer selling his own wine from a garage next door to his house.

Wine is often drunk with lunch and dinner throughout the region, with good local wines costing less than lemonade or Coca Cola. Go into any supermarket and you’ll find a good selection of well regarded local wines for around 3 or 4 euros a bottle. But part of the joy of discovering the Languedoc wines is to see where they come from and how they are made.

To give you an idea of the scale of wine production, there are over 50,000 wine growers producing on over 400,000 acres. Some of the more famous brands include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.

It is normal to taste a wine before buying in Languedoc. Wine tasting in Languedoc is a relaxed affair. Unlike other areas, there is normally no charge and no-one is upset if you don’t buy.