Over the weekend de Pentecôte a few weeks back, we took a trip to see long-standing friends in Pamiers in the Ariège department, and then stopped in Dourgne in the Montagne Noire area of the Tarn department to see other long-standing friends.Both treated us to delicious meals, but there was a clear generational difference. The Pamiers pals, of our generation, naturally have taken on the current French cooking style: lighter starters, an emphasis on presentation rather than quantity, individual servings.
The above scallop carpaccio served with artichoke hearts, lettuce, herbs and edible flowers was a work of art and a treat for the palate.
Our friends in Dourgne are in their eighties. Formerly charcutiers, or pork butchers who also specialized in pâtés, sausages and ready-made dishes, they carry on a rapidly-dying tradition of huge Sunday lunches abounding with simple but entirely homemade dishes.
A meal with them is an experience in abundance, generosity, and the culinary habits of a bygone area. Whenever we eat there, my daughters start counting. "There are five starters! Four desserts!"
These were the starters they served this time -- and it was a relatively modest spread compared to some meals we have enjoyed with them:
This time we feasted on three main starters, not counting the olives thrown in for good measure: cold beet salad, a delicious pâté, and this tray of macédoine de légumes, hard-boiled eggs, and cold ham stuffed with the macédoine:
Now remember, I'm talking starters here. A meal with these friends is an experience in pacing oneself -- and of course, they feel we never really eat enough.
Two different French culinary worlds -- and one that will certainly disappear with time.
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