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First of all, go to the market of Narbonne , one of the most beautiful market halls in France, an olive stone’s throw from the Robine. The market dates back to 1905, in a style reminiscent of Baltard. The specialties, however, are really local! If you had only three products to choose from, they would have to be Lucque olives for the aperitif, and, as a main dish, either the bourride, an eel stew with garlic croutons, or the roasted cargolade of snails.
Before you leave the market, on your way to look for other ingredients, have lunch in one of the four cafés - Chez Bébelle - where the owner, Gilles Belzon, a former rugby player, directly orders the meat you are going to relish from one of the butchers in the market hall.

Lucques olives

Head northwards to Bize-Minervois . The Lucques olive, oblong, firm and crunchy, is the queen of olives, and Bize is her kingdom.
L’Oulibo , an olive-growers’ cooperative, organises courses where you can learn all about cultivating olives.

If you feel like pressing your own olive oil, it can be done from November 1st to mid-January. Before that, you will have to buy a crate of olives weighing over 350 kg (about 770lb), at the market on Wednesday or directly at the cooperative. You can also watch malaxation and pressing, but be warned: your oil will be delivered to you in a cask!
You can choose a more modest option, on one of the open days during the last fortnight in December, when you can exchange 10 kg (about 22lb) of olives for a litre of olive oil from the mill.

Fresh eels for the bourride

The eels are fished from March to November, in the Bages-Sigean lagoon, where you can buy them from an authentic fisherman, Patrice Bronori. You will find him every day from 10.30 to 11.30 a.m., close to the port on the road that runs along the lagoon, near the restaurant Le Portanel.

Cargolade of petits gris snails

Collecting the snails is not all that complicated. On nights with light rainfall, you will see them strolling along slender fennel or rosemary stalks… But you will need to start preparation three days before B-day, when they are roasted on the barbecue. The secret is to put the snails on an exclusive diet of thyme.

* Lucques: olives

** Bourride: eels specialty

* Cargolade: snails specialty

Address book:

Taste the lucques:

L'Oulibo produces high quality oil from Lucque olives, the finest local produce available. Taste and purchase green Luques de Bize olives, tapenade (paste made from capers, olives, garlic and anchovies) and extra virgin olive oil.
Pruning olive trees: young trees (March 6th) / mature trees (March 13th) / old trees (March 20th)
Treatment and fertilization of olive trees (May 22nd and 29th, morning only).
Grafting demonstration (May 24th, morning): free
Free guided visits from July to August.

L'Oulibo
Coopérative de Bize-Minervois / Hameau de Cazebac - 11120 Bize-Minervois
Tél. : (0033) (0)4 68 41 88 88

Enjoy a cargolade of petits gris:

A host of eel dishes is available here - stewed bourride style, or cooked with garlic, all from the Bages lagoon. Petits gris snails also make an occasional appearance, as a barbecue roasted cargolade or as ravioli.

Menus 18 or 24 € (£14 or £18).
Monday to Sunday: 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Restaurant Le Portanel
Pas Portanel - 11100 Bages
Tel. : (0033) (0)4 68 42 81 66

The life of the Narbonne market halls

 

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