The story goes that in the 16th century a wine maker poured —by accident— grape juice into a barrel that already contained Cognac. Few years later he needed the barrel and was agreeably surprised by the concoction et voilà! Pineau was born. There is Pineau rouge and Pineau blanc, I prefer Pineau blanc. It is a wonderful aperitif, though I didn’t spent enough time in the Charentes region to find out how popular it still is today.
Neither we got enough time to taste the escargots à la Charentaise. What we got to taste were delicious local oysters: the oysters Papin-Poget. These oysters are exactly the way I like them meaty but not too “fatty” —pas trop grasse— rich in liquid and a balanced taste.
I am quickly transiting through Paris before I head South to my homeland. I had very good Egg Benedict & salmon for lunch at the Tourville and tonight it was molto fun to watch the Rugby game on T.V — even though the French team got crushed by the All Blacks (NZ). Below a few pictures of Angoulême, the French capitol of Comic Books and the epitome of “Douce France” or Sweet France!
