Flavors of Gâtinais 60 recipes and encounters over the seasons

Published by xavier on 20 November 202320 November 2023

France

Introduction

Nicknamed the Land of a Thousand Clays and Sandstone, the Parc du Gâtinais français has been working since 1999 to preserve this rural territory, with landscapes contrasted by forests, agricultural lands, sandstone outcrops and valleys criss-crossed by rivers, some sixty kilometers south of Paris. All these elements have favored the development of gastronomic riches, among which are mixed Gâtinais honey, watercress, quinoa, saffron, or poultry of the Gâtinaise breed. The book Saveurs du Gâtinais thus focuses on offering 60 creative recipes that highlight local productions over the seasons, enhanced by creations by local craftsmen of table art. It also showcases 10 farmers who are passionate about their profession through their portraits. Transversal, this book aims to be a kaleidoscope of emotions to touch the hearts of the readers and invite them to discover an extraordinary space where the issues of nature conservation are paramount. Between a beautiful book in its format and sharing life experience in its form, the book Saveurs du Gâtinais invites the reader to discover a thousand and one emotions over the seasons.

Presentation of the project

Within the framework of its missions to promote local productions, in particular through the development and animation of the brand Values Parc, the Parc wished to create a recipe book highlighting the products, producers, craftsmen and landscapes of French Gâtinais. The aim of this project is to promote the Park’s gastronomic riches, not only locally, but also at regional and national levels, in order to increase the visibility and attractiveness of the Park and its producers beyond its perimeter. This book also represents the symbol of local consumption promoted by the Parc du Gâtinais français, that is to say always encourage consumption in short circuits, give readers the desire to regain the taste of seasonal products and do it yourself, thanks to recipes that are accessible to all. Saveurs du Gâtinais is the first project of this type led by the Park, and allows to complete and expand its communication strategy, already focused on media such as press, documentation and social networks. To carry out this project, the Park collaborated with two local authors, Cindy Geraldo, a resident of Saint-Sauveur-sur-École, who had converted to cooking, and Anne Bourgeois, author of several books, as well as with Éditions des Écrans.

Content of the book: The purpose of the book is to explore the territory of the Parc du Gâtinais français, through portraits of producers engaged in the brand Values Parc, illustrated by photographs, staged recipes, and invitations to the walk with photographs of the territory. The book Saveurs du Gâtinais allows the reader to discover an extraordinary territory where the stakes of preserving a local, diversified and nature-friendly agriculture are essential, while allowing them to create easy recipes to cook from seasonal products.

Thus, the book contains: – 10 portraits of producers engaged in the brand Values Parc; – 60 recipes based on French Gâtinais products. Craftsmen of table art in the Park are also promoted through the photographs of the staging of the recipes: knives, ceramics, wooden objects and glassware thus sublimate the recipes of the work. The book is 260 pages long, and is book-like, with a cardboard cover and certified paper. The recipes are organized according to the seasons. The project has been implemented through three phases:

To carry out this project and create a book in the image of the French Gâtinais, the Parc contributed to the costs of creating the book (drawing up the portraits, creating and writing the recipes, photographs, layout, graphic design). The creation of the content is carried out in partnership between the authors, the publisher and the Park. The Park has carried out research into local family and traditional recipes, editorial and proofreading of content, and networking with local producers.

Dissemination of the book The objective of the project is to produce approximately 1800 copies of the book, which will be distributed as of October 13. The book benefits from the multi-network distribution system of Editions des Ecrans, in first and second level bookshops, in Ile-de-France and at national level.

Acquisition of copies by the Parc The Parc purchased 400 copies of the work. These books will be available for consultation at the Maison du Parc, will be offered to the general public at Park events (prizes for quiz winners, for example), to the producers and artisans who participated in the work, as well as to the elected representatives and partners of the Park.

Here, LEADER made it possible to carry out the project by granting a grant, and no other grant can finance this type of project. Without LEADER support, the Park would not have been able to carry out and finance this project on its own.

The emblematic character of the project

The local development strategy of the French Gâtinais LAG aims to enhance the rural identity of the territory to make it a driver of social cohesion and well-being. The LAG encourages actions that make it possible to raise awareness and understanding of the region’s iconic productions, as well as trades and know-how, the vernacular building and traditional materials, customs, history and all that characterizes the local heritage. The iconic feature of a recipe book made from local products is its ability to capture the culinary essence of a specific region. The book Saveurs du Gâtinais allows readers to discover the Gâtinais countryside through recipes and portraits of local producers while valuing traditional dishes and local landscapes in an attractive way. To create this book, a work of family and traditional recipes was carried out upstream to give a more personal touch both tasty and culturally significant. Saveurs du Gâtinais is a tool to raise awareness about the consumption of local products: through simple and healthy recipes, requiring few materials and accessible ingredients, the book invites consumers to reconnect their food with seasonal products, to discover the productions of the Gâtinais and encourages them to take the time to cook and share a friendly meal. In this way, it is able to respond to the challenge of redeveloping healthy, local and high-quality food, while at the same time promoting the profession of farmer. This project can be transferred to other LAGs, each Region, each Country has its own recipes, cooking techniques, its own emblematic productions and thus local ingredients. Local and regional recipes are often passed down from generation to generation. By documenting them in a book, we help preserve these precious culinary traditions for future generations. Focusing on local ingredients also encourages readers to support producers and farmers in a region and encourages readers to discover or rediscover a region.

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