Eat traditional Bordeaux and Gironde recipes in Bordeaux

You cannot visit Bordeaux without tasting its traditional gastronomy. Between specialties and gourmet recipes from the southwest, Gironde and Bordeaux take the senses on a journey to another time. Mushrooms, meat or fish, discover the typical characteristics of the region through addresses that highlight Bordeaux gastronomy. With your forks, your taste buds will delight.

Opening photo: Zakaria EL BAZI Unsplash

What to eat typically from Bordeaux?

Starters, main courses or desserts, you can create an entire menu with typical Bordeaux recipes. To whet your appetite, here are some specialties that you absolutely must try:

Bordeaux-style porcini mushrooms

Obviously made from large brown/brown mushrooms that can be picked from the end of September. The slight nutty taste is revealed when they are pan-fried, a flavor that goes very well with the buttered parsley. Quick and tasty, this typically Bordeaux recipe can be enjoyed alone, or accompanied by a meat dish.

Lamprey à la Bordelaise

This is not the most elegant recipe since you have to bleed the live fish. That said, it's a staple of Southwestern cuisine that requires red wine to simmer the lamprey for several days. Caught between February and March in the Garonne, the fish recipe can be flavored with cloves, garlic and spices.

Grilled shad

This is a typical Bordeaux recipe cooked in spring when barbecues and planchas are out. Grilled on vine shoots, shad caught in Gironde is accompanied by a green sauce made from chives, parsley and chervil, and is most often enjoyed with a glass of red wine.

Entrecôte and its Bordeaux sauce

Meat eaters will delight in this beautiful piece of meat grilled on a bed of burning embers. This technique comes from an ancient tradition according to which winegrowers used wood from old barrels to cook meat. Accompanied by a shallot sauce cooked in red wine, it is delicious and flavored by the fat of the marrow bones.

The crepinette

We get closer to sausage with this typically Bordeaux recipe, but in the form of a small ball of minced meat enclosed in a strainer. Most often cooked during the end-of-year celebrations, crepinette is a delicacy that can be flavored with truffle, parsley or armagnac . The bravest will be able to taste the real traditional recipe where the meat is mixed with Bordeaux oysters , accompanied by a glass of white wine.

Rack of lamb from Pauillac

The confit meat melts in the mouth, a real treat cooked with a bouquet garni and seasonal vegetables. The lamb in the recipe is now raised and certified Label Rouge, which was not the case at the time when the sheep ate at the foot of the vines. This anecdote is at the origin of Pauillac lamb, a high-end product to be enjoyed without moderation.

Canelé and its gourmet coffee

Who doesn’t know the famous Bordeaux canelé? This delicious sweet recipe cooked with milk, egg, rum and vanilla is a must for dessert or as a snack, accompanied by coffee. It is also regularly the centerpiece of a gourmet coffee with its well-balanced flavors.

The mias or the millas

This dessert with the texture of flan has quite a history. Made in the 16th century from millet flour, it was transformed over the years into corn flour. At the time, mias was eaten sweet or savory to accompany dishes. The recipe has evolved to become a real treat, in which rum is an essential ingredient.

Where to eat typical Bordeaux recipes?

Capital of wine, Bordeaux is also the city of gastronomy. From the aperitif with the lillet to the dessert with the canelé, you will enjoy it. To find the right places to book, nothing could be simpler. All you have to do is stroll through the city center districts such as the Saint-Augustin district, the Bastide or the Chartrons district to spot the gourmet menus of the restaurants. Good Bordeaux cuisine, simple and typical of the region, is often cooked in friendly places such as brasseries, inns or bistro-type cafes. Locals come together to share a good meal in a warm and family atmosphere. On vacation or passing through, don't hesitate to stop by these restaurants in Gironde to taste typical Bordeaux recipes.

Your mouth is probably watering and you are right. The Gironde and particularly Bordeaux are destinations where you can enjoy good regional dishes, based on recipes from the southwest. Take your taste buds on a journey, taste the traditions.

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