The départment of the Basses-Pyrénées in the far southwestern corner of France is significant to the traveler for a variety of reasons. It is composed of two highly picturesque elements. One is the smiling province of Béarn, the homeland of the good king Henri IV. The oilier is a part of the unique Basque country which covers an atmospheric stretch of hills and coastline in both France and Spain. A peculiar limpid light hovers over these lavender hills most of the year. It is the landscape painter's dream. There are country auberges in these whitewashed villages which will warm the heart of the humblest visitor, and there are palaces in Biarritz which measure up to the requirements of royalty. There is a fascination about the Basque people, their language, their games, dances, and poetry, which sets them apart. This is the land for the skilled hunter and the trout fisherman. Best of all, it is the home of good food and wine and of discriminating gourmets who enjoy both. The thing to remember about this fortunate corner of France is that its Culinary tradition is genuinely high. Its cooking is one of the noblest in France, on a peak with only a few other chosen provinces, Périgord and La Bresse, for example. Almost everyone here is a gourmet according to his means, and a Basque farmer is just as particular about his fare as a titled ebâtelain in Pau.
This high tradition springs from rich resources. it may sound trite to call this province a “treasury of line food” something tells me I've used the phrase before but it's true. From high in the mountain streams, trout, salmon, plump crayfish, and a particularly fine variety of eel furnish a fish course of subtlety and distinction. From St. Jeandc-Luz the fishermen venture forth into the bay to bring salt-water fish directly to the Basque table. Much of the eatch is conventional, but you can enjoy some rarities, particularly the delicious rouge* de rocbe. If you are piseatorially unprejudiced, you may like the Basque cbipirones, or cuttlefish. These unpersonable creatures let loose their ink when in danger, thus obscuring the water and escaping larger fish. They don't escape the fisherman. though. If the fish aren't too seductive to gaze upon, they are delicious to eat, especially when stuffed in the Basque manner. Anchovies are caught in legions. Most of these go directly to the canneries, and once they went almost entirely to Italy. You will also find oysters and shrimp to lend charm to your hors-d'oeuvre or to make a noble meal in themselves.
For your meat course there is a fine, savory lamb in the Béarn. Needless to say. they insist on cooking it well embedded with cloves of garlic. The wonderful smoked ham of Bayonne has been a national glory for decades. There is a strong tradition about confus here, and they put up geese, ducks. turkeys, quail, and pigeon in (heir own far. A plump quail, nesting in a crock under his own delieate fat is something to reckon with! Furthermore, one finds superb foie grot in the region, so delieate and aromatic that it almost belongs on the same pinnacle of perfection as that of Périgord and Alsace. The poultry is good, too. It would have to be to justify that Béarnais classic, poule au pot, made famous by the good Henry of Navarre.
Finally, the Béarn is noted for its wild game. It is one of the great hunting areas of France, and very fashionable. Fox hunting in the country around Pan is a legend, and the hunt has always been followed by distinguished French and British sportsmen. Needless to say, they scorn the unsavory fox as food, but they hunt wild hare with fine gastronomic aftermaths. There is also a picturesque and highly edible mountain goat called the hard, This crag-clinging and elusive animal poses a stern problem to the hunter, and it is more of a distinction to shoot than to eat him. The keen instinct of the izard warns him of the approach of an enemy, and he has usually bounded from rock to rock and on out of sight before (the hunter's musket is raised. The marksman who bags one must have nerves and sinews of steel, and the eyes of a lynx, as well. The mountain goat makes a delicious dish, but he occupies a scant place in gastronomic lore just because so few hunters can down him. So don't be surprised if you don't find hard on the menu! Wild boar on the forested lower slopes is easier prey, and there is a luscious range of game birds. So your game course will not be neglected. And for a fungus to keep pace, the wooded Pyrenean hills yield mushrooms, cépes, and that waned treasure, the morille.
To top it all, the Béarn is a country of surprising and delicious local wines. They do not travel as well as some and no longer venture to foreign lands as they did back in the sixteenth century. But if their fame is largely local, their quality is rare. The most noble growth is Jurançon, a fragrant amber nectar grown near Pau. which defies my best superlatives, but I'll try. It is heady, ardent, invigorating, and unforgettable. There is also a red Jurançon which has some of the charm of a good Côtes-du-Rhône. (The name Jurançon is confusing, since it recalls the Jura in Franchc-Comté, which has no connection at all.)
In the Vic-Bilh area of the Béarn they produce a solid and heavily perfumed wine from a combination of grapes Sémillon, Sauvignon, Ruffiac, Marsenc, and Courbu which is most palatable. The wine called Portet seemed especially good.
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