National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
France’s primeur potatoes
Officially the world’s priciest potato, La Bonnotte is the pride of Île de Noirmoutier, a French island known for its salt marshes. But is it worth the money? Words: Carolyn Boyd
Potatoes don’t usually come with much fanfare, but on the Île de Noirmoutier, off the Atlantic coast of France, the spuds are special. Thanks to the island’s gentle microclimate and soil fertilised by seaweed, the ‘primeur’ (first crop), harvested between mid-march and the end of July, is eagerly welcomed by locals, visitors and chefs. When I arrive at L’étier restaurant, near the island’s main town of Noirmoutier-en-île, chef Patrice Millasseau has prepared a feast of potato dishes. There’s smooth mashed potato, deep-fried pommes dauphines, his signature potato stuffed with snail in herb butter, and even a glass of his potato milkshake flavoured with the island’s saffron. Every creation has the sweet, nutty flavour of the potatoes at its base, and each one is delicious.
Each of the island’s potato varieties is harvested at a different time during the season; they include La Sirtéma, with its golden, papery skin and sweet, floury flesh, and La Lady Christl — long, golden and very versatile. “I make lots of recipes with the island’s potatoes because they have a texture you don’t find elsewhere,” says Patrice. When I tuck in to a potato cake made with La Sirtéma, I’m astonished at how light it is. “More patissiers should use it instead of flour,” says Patrice.
However, it’s La Bonnotte that has the best reputation. “It tastes of the terroir, which means it has a hint of the sea,” says Patrice.
All across the island, La Bonnotte’s arrival is considered a reason for celebration. Its harvest period starts in early May and lasts just two or three weeks. The whole thing is kicked off by the Fête de la Bonnotte, a daylong celebration, where visitors can join the harvest, follow a bike trail around the island’s salt marshes and whitewashed villages and then, in the evening, take part in the festival feast, held in the courtyard of the Noirmoutier agriculture co-operative building. “It’s like you see in Asterix books,” says Jessica Tessier, the co-operative’s president. “We put out long tables, where everyone eats the potatoes with local sardines. We drink wine, people play accordions and everyone sings sea shanties.”
Unlike other potatoes, which grow from the seed potato then separate in the soil, La Bonnotte stay connected by a stalk, meaning they must be hand-picked. “When mechanisation started in the 1960s, the islanders abandoned production,” says Jessica. But in 1995, to mark the co-operative’s 25th anniversary, it was brought back and the nation enthused. “The co-operative sent a 3kg basket of Bonnotte potatoes to the Drouot auction house in Paris,” says Jessica. “It sold for 15,000 francs [£1,500 at the time] and became known as the world’s most expensive.” While they don’t fetch this at Noirmoutieren-île’s market, they’re still pricey at €5 per kilo, as only 100 tons are produced (2% of the island’s potato harvest).
During my stay, I work my way through the island’s other potato varieties, but reluctantly accept I’m a few days late for any Bonnottes.
But when I visit the market on my penultimate day, I spot a stall selling La Bonnotte by the box. I tell the vendor that I thought they were out of season. “These are the last ones,” he says. I take them back to the gite to cook. Nothing fancy is required. Steamed and served with butter and salt, they’re worth every cent. GETTING STARTED: Visit in early May, when you’ll find the potatoes on local menus and can experience the Fête de la Bonnotte.
Pumpkins, Italy
Grown from April to August, zucca (pumpkin) can be found in shops, restaurants and stalls throughout autumn. A symbol of harvest season, they’re edible in their entirety, from the flowers and leaves to seeds and pulp, and feature in pastas, jams, cakes and more. The most prized can be found in the city of Mantua, in Lombardy’s fertile south east, and the Veneto region — these include the green marina di chioggia and the peaked cappello del prete (‘priest’s hat’), with orange flesh. In Mantua, try tortelli di zucca alla mantovana, ravioli di zucca or pumpkin soup. And there are several festivals, including Zucca Folk, in Pastrengo, east of Lake Garda (1-5 September 2022), and the Festa della Zucca in Venzone, a medieval-walled town in northeast Italy (22-23 October). SB
Garlic, Isle of Wight, UK
Garlic is a relative newcomer to the British food scene — it was only from the 1950s onwards that it became common in UK kitchens. Yet recent research suggests Brits eat an average of half a clove a day. It was introduced to the Isle of Wight by French soldiers during the Second World War, with the island’s soil and climate suiting it perfectly. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the island’s Garlic Festival (garlicfestival.co.uk). Held every August, it features music, performance art, a fun fair, chefs’ stage and the famous garlic marquee. The event is run in conjunction with the neighbouring Garlic Farm (thegarlicfarm.co.uk), which sells everything from garlic pickle to seed garlic, and hosts garlicky events year-round. RS
White asparagus, Italy
A herald of spring, white asparagus is softer, sweeter and pricier than its green counterpart. Edible from stem to tip, it’s grown with labourintensive attention: hidden under carefully replenished mounds of soil, it’s deprived of sunlight so it doesn’t photosynthesise, rendering the tender spears a ghostly pale white when they’re unearthed between April and June.
It’s traditionally served as a standalone dish, steamed or gently boiled in an emulsion of water, butter, lemon juice and salt, with the slightly less tender bases made into a velvety soup or a puree to accompany a meaty main. Although grown in abundance in Germany and Austria, Italy’s northern border regions are this vegetable’s heartland; an area along the Brenta River in the Vicenza province, with sandy, lightly calcareous soil, is Italy’s designated white asparagus zone, with numerous dedicated festivals in and around the town of Bassano del Grappa. The spears are also often served on 13 June, the feast day of Saint Anthony, who was said to have introduced white asparagus to Veneto. SB