Local Food Festivals in Roussillon, France
A Celebration of Local French Produce in Languedoc Rousillon
Oct 11, 2008
The French have always been patriotic purchases of French goods and suspicious of foreign imports, food miles are heavily frowned upon in France as much as anywhere else and there is a conscious effort to buy locally. But it’s more than that just a desire to support their own; it’s a deeper understanding of the culture, history and geography of the landscape itself that has ensured that local cuisine is truly local and unique.
The extraordinary variety of landscape across France directly supports and influences what each area produces. They are proud of their regional food traditions and have a blatant disregard for the new political boundaries - still referring to their regional cuisines in the old ways, Gascon, Béarnaise, Burgundian and so on, when the land was divided more by its climates and geographies than by state intervention. If you were looking at a map of France today in search of these old culinary regions they would prove hard to find, but sitting in a back street bistro in Perpignan, even with your eyes closed, the very food you are offered will tell you where you are:
A rich dark olive tapenade on French toast, mushrooms grilled in the herbs of the garrigue and stuffed with Perlardon goat’s cheese, a light and tangy lime and basil sorbet, all washed down with a fruity Banyuls?
You can only be in the Roussillon. Where the food is heavily influence by its Catalan history, and by what the warm sunny climate produces– olives, cherries, grapes, peaches, figs, honey, apples, almonds.
There is perhaps no better way to understand regional palettes and culinary history than to visit one of the many fetes and markets of the region which throughout the year celebrate the best of local produce.
To really savor the best of what this particular Roussillon terroir has to offer please consult the calendar below:
Fêtes et Marchés de Producteurs en Pyrénées Orientales (Fetes and Markets of Local Producers in the Pyrenees Orientales Region)
March: Bio Generation(Organic Conference) Perpignan (04 68 35 34 12)
March : Foire Aux Chevreaux (Goat Fair)Arles-Sur-Tech (04 68 39 25 05)
April : Fête de L’huile Olive (Olive Oil Fete) Argeles (04 68 95 34 58)
May: Fête de L’Artichaut (Artichoke Fete) Claira (04 68 51 27 50)
May: Fête de la Vigne et du Vin (Wine and Vine Fete) Regional (04 68 51 59 99)
May: Marche Aux Fromages Fermiers (Farmers Cheese Market) Thuir (06 09 05 50 31)
ETE/ SUMMER
June: Fête de la Cerise (Cherry Festival) Ceret (04 68 87 00 53)
June: Foire aux Fromages (Cheese Fair) Canet (04 68 05 50 31)
June : Fête des Vins du Roussillon (Roussillon Wine Fete) perpignan (04 68 51 59 99)
July : Fête de l’Abricot (Apricot Festival) Rivesaltes (04 68 64 04 04)
August: Fête de la Pêche (Peach Festival) Ille-sur-tet (04 68 84 02 62)
AUTOMNE/ AUTUMN
September : Fête de la Figue (Fig Festival) Banyuls sur Mer (06 14 01 71 15)
September : Fête du Miel et des Abeilles (Honey and Bee Fair) St Michel de Llotes (04 68 84 76 40)
October : Fête des Vendanges (Wine Harvest Festival) Banyuls Sur Mer (04 68 88 31 58)
October : Fête de la Patate (Potato Fete) Matermale (06 73 97 36 82)
October : Fête de la Pomme (Apple Festival) Fuilla (04 68 96 19 23)
HIVER/WINTER
November: Fête du Chardonnay (Chardonnay Wine Fair) Caudies de fenouilledes (04 68 59 90 61)
November : Journee Saveurs Authentiques (Traditional Flavours Festival) Rivesealtes (04 68 64 04 04)
December : Foire aux Gras (Goose Fat Fair)Prades (04 68 96 11 59)
December : Foire au Gras (Goose Fat Fair) Ceret (04 68 96 11 59)
December : Fête de L’Amande (Almond Festival) Rivesaltes (04 68 59 07 88)
February: Fête de la Truffe (Truffle Fair) Arles sur Tech (04 68 39 37 82)
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