The Romans once enjoyed the European oysters that proliferated in their time in the Marennes-Oléron basin. With production neighboring 40,000 tons a year, Marennes-Oléron is Europe's leader in the field.
The oysters derive their distinctive flavor from the small basins in which they are allowed to mature and acquire their geographically specific taste and their characteristically green color by dint of boat-shaped microorganisms, the blue navicula.

Certified quality is duly indicated by red labels, and there exist different vintages («crus») in accordance with how long the oysters remained in the basins: a month for the "fine", two months for the "special". There are fewer of the latter and they achieve greater fullness. As for the «pousses» (shoots); they are kept in the basins for four to eight months.

In Oléron they are traditionally eaten raw with white-wine-flavored small sausages; in Charente they are savored along with «grillons» (pork sausages).

More Information on Oleron [+]

Melons

Ripe in August, the small and sweet cantaloupes are halved and filled with Pineau des Charentes. It was in the 1970s, between Thouars and Loudun, that melon growing in Haut-Poitou got underway in earnest. The Haut-Poitou area is France's third largest melon-producing region, and the melons sold under the label "Les Maîtres du melon du Haut-Poitou" account for some 15% of overall production.

Farci poitevin

Over the centuries, this herb pâté was basically a pauper's culinary pittance. Garden herbs were added to leftover meat and fresh vegetables. In our times, every family would seem to possess its own recipe, and yet the same vegetables — sorrel, leeks, cabbage, lettuce, spinach — are customarily used along with eggs; onions, parsley and pork are added on. It should nonetheless be noted that in days gone by, cooking procedures were already various.

Potatoes

Alcmaria, Starlette, Roseval, Charlotte and Amandine are the five appetizing early potato varieties originating in the isle of Ré. They recently became the first to be awarded an AOC formally attesting to their origin. The cumulative secret of their succulence resides in the temperate, sun-drenched climate, the fertile soil, stringent production regulations, and a wide range of varieties in terms of the soil available.