Taureau de Camargue AOP. The Best Beef in France.
from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
(Madame)
‘Taureau de Camargue’
Photograph
courtesy of Gérard Meyer
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferdinand23/54388435786/
The Taureau de
Camargue or Race de Biòu
Camarguais (Raço di Biòu in the Provençale language) was the first breed of French cattle to be
awarded an AOC,
now an AOP, for the unquestionably excellent and consistent quality of
their meat. When the Taureau de Camargue is on the menu, you will have
an opportunity to enjoy some of the best steaks or roasts that France can
offer; in the winter fabulous stews will be on the menu.
The Camargue where
the cattle are raised is a working nature reserve and part of the Delta of the
Rhone River on France’s Mediterranean coast; it is partly in Provence,
Alpes-Côte d’Azur; and partly in Occitanie.
The
Gardiens
Photograph
courtesy of yves P
www.flickr.com/photos/ypou34/7569136082/
The Taureau de
Camargue AOP are completely free range and looked after by real French
cowboys (called gardiens)
who also look after the Camargue’s wild white horses. The breed has black and
dark brown bulls and cows that are descended from the great Spanish fighting
bulls; however, they are physically much smaller and are now considered an
entirely separate species.
Wild
horses of the Camargue
Photograph
courtesy of Barry.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beejd1044/34729434332/
Your first bite will tell you that the texture and taste of their Taureau
is different, and there are reasons for that. To hold their AOP, the
animals must be antibiotic and growth hormone-free, and 90% of their food must
come from natural grazing.
The
Taureau de Camargue on French menus:
Carpaccio de
Taureau, Parmesan, Cebette et Câpres – A Carpaccio of Taureau de
Camargue prepared with Parmesan cheese, spring onions and capers. While the Taureaux
de Camargue are semi-wild, this will be a delicate serving of the flavorful
Taureau beef, very thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil—a light and
authentic taste of the Camargue region.
The AOP olive
oils of Provence and Occitanie are famous and the olive oil used for this dish will be one of the three
that grow with a few miles of the Camargue:
The Vallée des Baux-de-Provence AOP, the Aix-en-Provence AOP or
the Nîmes AOP.
Côte de
Taureau de Camargue Grillée au Thym, Sauté de Pomme de Terre à la
Ciboule – A rib roast of Camargue beef, grilled with thyme and served with potatoes fried with scallions
(green onions). Most French rib roasts have four ribs and will weigh three
kilos or more, so you will be served slices. To choose how you prefer the meat
cooked and to order meat cooked to the doneness you prefer click here.
Pavé de Taureau de Camargue
A Taureau de Camargue rump steak.
Photograph courtesy of patrick
janicek
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/16897832010/
Entrecôte de
Taureau de Camargue, Sauce Béarnaise, Pommes de Terre Rate au Four,
Légumes du Moment –
An entrecôte steak, a US or UK ribeye. An entrecote, in France, is nearly always grilled, and
here it is served with Sauce Béarnaise. Accompanying the steak are baked ratte
potatoes, one of France’s most popular potatoes, along with the freshest
vegetables.
Sauce Béarnaise: Sauce Béarnaise (pronounced bay-are-naiz)
is a superstar. On steaks, chicken, salmon, vegetables or poached eggs, Sauce
Béarnaise has been popular for almost 200 years.
The sauce is a
“child” of Sauce
Hollandaise. In the
1830s, the chef and restaurateur Jean-Louis Françoise-Collinet took the recipe
for Sauce Hollandaise, omitted the lemon juice and added white wine
vinegar, échalotes, shallots; cerfeuil, chervil, and estragon, tarragon and made Sauce Béarnaise. It’s the
tarragon and white wine vinegar that supply the tang that makes us Sauce Béarnaise
devotees. The same chef Collinet, in the same restaurant, Pavillon Henry
IV, 20 km (12.5 miles) from Paris, in 1837, created soufflé potatoes. The story
of soufflé potatoes will need a separate post.
Ratte potatoes: This is a small French potato, also called the Asparge
Potato. It is not a new variety in France but a born-again potato. This potato
originally came from Denmark and went out of fashion for a few years. The Ratte
was reintroduced and is again much appreciated for its taste and smooth,
slightly buttery texture and its name will be on many menus.
In French, ratte does
mean a rat or possibly a mouse; however, that just refers to its uncooked form.
With a bit of imagination, these potatoes may resemble a crouching mouse or
rat. This potato’s fame is in the taste, not the name.
Now, to decide whether the
English translation of a ratte should be a mouse or a rat, read Umberto
Eco’s book, A Mouse or a Rat: Translation as Negotiation.
Ratte
potatoes
Photograph
courtesy of Ashley Basil
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28438417@N08/35866747031/
Gardiane de Taureau
et son Riz de Camargue – A
slow-simmered, traditional stew from the Camargue region. This is the hearty,
memorable dish prepared by the Gardians (Camargue cowboys), similar to a
Provençal daube, but made exclusively with Taureau de Camargue beef,
braised in red wine and herbs and served with the highly rated Camargue rice and for more about the
foods grown and served on the Camargue click
here).
The Gardians are the French
cowboys of the Camargue. Their primary role is to
manage and tend to the semi-feral herds of both Camargue cattle (taureaux)
and horses. (The herds are known as
manades). The Gardian is typically a paid employee of the manadier
(the herd owner), who profits from the sale of the cattle (used in the
acrobaticcourses camarguaises and for meat) and the horses (used for
work and tourism).
Pièce
de Filet de Taureau de Camargue AOP Sauce au Vin Rouge,
Purée de Pomme de Terre à l’Huile d’Olive – A tender fillet steak from the Taureau de Camargue prepared
with a red wine sauce and served with pureed potatoes flavored with olive oil.
The Course Camarguaise
Among the Camargue’s most cherished traditions is the Course Camarguaise,
a unique acrobatic competition featuring the Taureau de Camargue cattle,
most often the cows. This event is emphatically not a bullfight; it is an
athletic competition where the raseteurs (competitors) attempt to
retrieve tassels from the bull’s horns. The cattle are”
professionals” and the gardians (cowboys) take great care to ensure
they are never harmed or wounded.
A
Course Camarguaise
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hern42/3930446271/
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Connected
posts:
AOC and AOP on France’s
Foods and Wine labels? Why is the AOC becoming an AOP?
Daube – A Traditional Provencal
Stew. Now on Menus all Over France.
Entrecôte. Ordering a Perfect
Entrecote Steak in France.
Estragon – Tarragon. Tarragon, the
herb, in French Cuisine.
Filet Mignon on French Menus and
Filet de Bœuf in French Cuisine.
French Olive Oils. Enjoying France’s Best
Olive Oils.
Ordering a Steak in
France, Cooked the Way you Like it.
Parmesan, the Italian
Parmigiano-Reggiano is an Important Ingredient in French Cuisine.
The Camargue, France. The Land, its
People, and its Own Unique Cuisine.
————————
Behind
the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
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