Food & Tradition

In the Charente, a meal often begins with Pineau des Charentes, the aperitif made from grape must and young Cognac, alongside a Charentais melon from the south of the Pays Royannais. Both are considered regional classics.

The main course often brings mouclade to the table: mussels grown on poles in the Bay of L'Aiguillon, served in a sauce of butter, egg yolk, white wine and cream. Alongside these come cagouilles, small grey snails cooked in a spiced broth, as well as gratons and grillons, relatives of rillettes made from meat slow-cooked in its own fat and seasoned with salt from the Île de Ré.

Cognac itself is served after the meal as a digestif, usually alongside coffee. As the close to a long meal, it's firmly established in France. Served earlier, a 40 percent spirit would only get in the way of a meal's finer flavours.

Does a digestif actually aid digestion? After a heavy meal, a glass of Cognac brings a sense of relief. Studies, however, have found that alcohol actually slows gastric emptying. So the pleasant feeling after the spirit is really relaxation, not faster digestion.

What food pairs well with Cognac itself? For dessert, many choose a younger Cognac alongside dark chocolate or nuts, while an older XO is often enjoyed alone with coffee. There's no fixed rule here; what matters is whether the spirit brings warmth or freshness to the plate.

The great houses in Cognac and Jarnac lead visitors through their chais, and it's there that the eye falls on the black-stained walls left behind by the fungus. In this way, the darkness of the warehouse becomes part of the town's very character.