A black and white cow grazing peacefully in a field of blossoming apple trees.
The postcard of the Pays d'Auge illustrates not only its green landscape but also its culinary specialties! On one side, the Norman cow, with its meat and dairy qualities, on the other, the apple, with its many solid and liquid variations.
The Pays d'Auge, a jewel of Norman gastronomy
Discovering a region also means exploring its cuisine.
Regional specialties reflect the diverse environment of the Pays d'Auge (vast pastures, forests, marshes, valleys, coastline) and the commitment to quality local produce and time-honored production methods. A word of
warning: by visiting the Pays d'Auge, you're entering a territory dedicated to the preservation of good food! Here, eating is a serious and... hearty affair!
Land side
A land of livestock farming, the Pays d'Auge is renowned for its quality beef and poultry. To accompany these dishes, butter and cream are often combined with pommeau, cider, and calvados in flavorful sauces.
An iconic product of the region, milk gives rise to numerous savory and sweet specialties. First and foremost, the basic ingredients of Norman cuisine: cream and butter. But also the legendary trio of PDO cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, and Pont-l'Évêque. And then there's milk jam and teurgoule (a traditional Norman rice pudding).
Whether captured by privateers or imported by an intendant of the Généralité to avert famine following a poor harvest, a cargo of rice landed in the port of Honfleur at the end of the 18th century. As the inhabitants of the Auge region were largely unfamiliar with this grain, still largely unknown in France at the time, they were advised to cook it with milk. This is how teurgoule was born, a rice pudding traditionally enjoyed hot, when the cinnamon releases its aroma, accompanied by fallue (a brioche) and cider.
Another source of wealth is the apple. apples , used in many desserts: tarts, bourdelot, baked apples… And hundreds of varieties of cider apples with which cider (AOP), pommeau (AOC), calvados (AOC), and cider vinegar are produced.
To taste these local products, go directly to the producers (visit to distilleries and cheese factories, Cider Route , Winery Route ) and to the markets in the region: Lisieux on Saturday morning, Pont-L'Évêque traditional market on Monday morning and old-fashioned market on Sunday in July-August, Dives-sur-Mer on Saturday morning, Trouville on Wednesday and Sunday, Cabourg on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings under the market halls, Honfleur traditional market on Saturday morning, organic market on Wednesday morning.
Festive gatherings centered around local produce:
- 1st weekend of May | AOC-AOP Festival | Cambremer
- May | Cheese Festival – Food, Wine and Spirits Fair | Pont-L'Évêque
- August | Cheese Fair | Livarot
- September | Autumn Flavors – Gastronomy and Local Produce Fair | Honfleur
- October | Cider Festival | Beuvron-en-Auge
Seaside
Scallops, sole, mackerel… fish and seafood are on the menus of coastal tables and fill the stalls of the fish markets in the fishing ports of Dives-sur-Mer, Trouville and Honfleur.
Festive gatherings centered around seafood:
- October | Shrimp Festival | Honfleur
- October | Scallop and Seafood Festival | Villers-sur-Mer
- December | Shellfish and Flavors Gathering | Trouville