A spool-shaped pastry the size of a cork, filled with minced lamb, lemon zest, suet and brown sugar. The sweet and savoury combination startles on first bite, and it is served warm as a starter.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
The recipe is credited to the Indian cook travelling with Lord Clive, the Governor of Bengal, who wintered at the Château de Larzac near Pézenas in 1766. Whatever the truth of that story, the pastry sits somewhere between a keema filling and a British mince pie, and the sweet-savoury lamb has no parallel anywhere else in French charcuterie. Pézenas now produces around 250,000 of them a year and the exact proportions remain a closely held trade secret among the town's makers. Montpellier stocks them at market charcutiers and delicatessens, but the town forty minutes west is where they are made.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Join us on this fantastic food tour to taste and learn everything you've ever wanted to know about French gastronomy. Savory and sweet specialities...
Day trip · 4 - 4.5 hours
Discover St-Emilion on a guided village tour, followed by a guided visit and tasting of 3-4 wines with a French aperitif platter at a Grand Cru...
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Discover Southern Beaujolais on a wine tour from Lyon which will show the highlights of this beautiful region. Learn about the history and wine...
Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Dairy
Halles Castellane is Montpellier's iron-and-glass central market on Rue de la Loge, 25 stalls of cheese, oysters and produce a minute from the Comédie.
TipSeveral stalls shuck Bouzigues oysters to eat on the spot with a glass of Picpoul; go before noon for the full spread.
Halles Laissac packs 24 traders under a rebuilt rotunda on Place Alexandre Laissac in Montpellier, oyster and tielle counters pouring wine into the evening.
TipThursday is the night to come, when the halles run until 23:00 and the central tables turn into one long apéro.
Not on this list, but among the highest we score in this city. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
More cities are in research. Want petit pâté de pézenas covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
