Meat, delicatessen, cured meats and dishes

Along with cheese and honey, charcuterie is the third pillar of mountain gastronomy, with its cured meats (especially mountain sausages), its quality meats and its recipes for rich winter dishes, to combat the cold... and enjoy sharing!

During the winter, there is still so little time, all the families " were playing the pig ", that is to say, they killed one or more pigs and made homemade charcuterie. 

The first day, we prepare the flange, with or without onions. Its preparation requires perfect knowledge of cooking ingredients in hot water. Cleaning the intestines is the most thankless task, but they will be useful for the next day. 

On the second day, everyone is busy preparing the pasta white and liver sausages fritters with finely chopped garlic. We salt the hams sausages, the " cansalade » (our Couserans bacon prepared with salted, peppered bacon and garlic).

It is a real team effort, often coordinated by the grandmothers of the family who practice the famous “ a visto de nas '(' at a rough guess " or "we by guessworke " !). 

De many delicatessen meats still cook these recipes passed down over time. Delicatessens also develop new recipes, such as deer sausage, a pure delight, or even some sausage with Espelette pepperYou can find Ariège charcuterie in all the local businesses, or at the weekly markets in the villages of Couserans.