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AOC — PDO — Midi-Pyrénées
The only French garlic protected as a PDO (AOP)—a bulb with purple tunics, a white heart and generous cloves, carrying within it the thousand-year-old secret of the Garonne basin, where fertile soil and warm summers bring forth France's noblest spice.
Spice or condiment from Midi-Pyrénées, PDO (AOP) since 2017.
Garlic, native to the East, was probably introduced to the region through Roman colonisation during the first centuries. The earliest writings attesting to its presence at regional markets date back only to the mid-18th century, however: in Cadours, the fair on the fourth Wednesday of September—known as the 'Foire à l'ail'—was dedicated to it, and as early as 1919 a specific tariff governed the sale of garlic in sheaves at markets. Trade subsequently developed until the establishment of a weekly market specifically dedicated to purple garlic, which is still held in Cadours every Wednesday, from mid-July to mid-December.
The terroir of the production basin—106 communes straddling Haute-Garonne, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne—is characterised by clay-limestone soils with a high clay content (at least 30%), a climate under oceanic influence in winter and spring and Mediterranean in summer, and a peak in rainfall in the month of May that plays a decisive role in the size and purple colouration of the bulbs. Ail violet de Cadours undergoes no anti-sprouting treatment, making it a product preserved with '0% chemicals' but with a marketing period necessarily limited in time: the appellation can no longer be put into circulation after 31 March following the harvest.
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As early as the 1960s, the producers of Cadours formed a syndicat to defend and develop their purple garlic. The official certification process spanned nearly twenty years: initial steps with the INAO in 1998, confirmation of the product's distinctiveness by an expert committee in 2000, and definition of the eligible area in 2010. The AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée)—a purely national label—was obtained in 2015. The final step, European recognition, culminated in May 2017: the European Commission registered the name 'Ail Violet de Cadours' as a PDO by a regulation published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 13 June 2017.
The appellation's specification establishes strict criteria for varieties, cultivation, harvesting and traceability, approved by decree on 10 January 2020—yet the spirit remains that of Gascon farming tradition: growing exceptional garlic to serve a cuisine de terroir.
Ail violet de Cadours is the first—and to date the only—French garlic protected as a PDO. This makes it a rare and highly prized product, a status it shares with a handful of grand cru cheeses or prestigious wines, yet one that contrasts with the 'ordinary' image most French people have of garlic as an everyday, commonplace ingredient.
This official rarity is due to the scale of the sector: the syndicat brings together around 80 producers and 6 merchants, predominantly human-scale family farms, which on average devote only around 1.5 hectares to purple garlic. Furthermore, the specification caps the yield at a maximum of 9 tonnes per hectare—a necessarily modest production, reserved solely for producers committed to the appellation.
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The village of Cadours, around 40 km west of Toulouse, lends its name to the appellation, but the PDO area actually covers 106 communes at the confluence of three départements—24 in Haute-Garonne, 69 in Gers, 12 in Tarn-et-Garonne—across a rolling landscape where clay-limestone soils, developed on Oligo-Miocene molasse and rich in clay, ensure good available water capacity and natural slope drainage.
The climate, under oceanic influence in winter and spring, then Mediterranean in summer and autumn, is marked by a peak in rainfall in May and by the vent d'Autan (a warm, dry south-easterly wind, occurring mainly in summer and autumn). It is precisely this spring rainfall peak that, by meeting the plant's water needs during the bulb-formation stage, makes it possible to obtain bulbs of uniform size and pronounced purple colouration.
Ail violet de Cadours is intrinsically linked to Gascon and Occitan cuisine—cassoulet, goose daube, duck confit, rustic aïoli, and rural ratatouilles are all dishes where its lively flavour finds a natural home.
The Fête de l'Ail violet de Cadours has been organised every year since 1977, on the last weekend of August. On the programme: producers' and craft market, purple garlic exhibition, demonstrations, plaiting competitions, musical entertainment, a walking hike and a raffle. Moreover, the appellation's specification includes a dedicated competition covering the five-kilogram sack, the one-kilogram plait and the ten-kilogram sheaf.
Appearance
Bulb of regular round shape, size greater than or equal to 45 mm. White outer tunics, streaked with 'wine-lees' purple; clove skin beige streaked with purple, ivory to cream flesh when cut.
Aroma
Raw, distinctive and sustained garlic scent with intense sharpness on the nose.
Taste
Cooked, alliaceous aroma, slight sensation of pungency on the palate, good aromatic persistence, delicately sweet flavour.
Texture
Soft and tender once cooked; bulb firm to the touch, both across the cloves and at the root plate, when fresh.
The PDO is produced from two local varieties registered in the official catalogue: Germidour (1979) and Valdour (2005), selected from the local purple garlic population. This varietal type is characterised by large bulbs without a rigid flower stalk, a short dormancy combined with early emergence and bulb formation, dark green foliage, and anthocyanin streaks (pigments responsible for the purple colouration) on both the bulb and the cloves.
—no Allium crops for 3 years, previous maize and sorghum crops prohibited in the preceding year
—at maturity, when the ratio of bulb weight to foliage weight is greater than or equal to 1.8 (determined by sampling)
—carried out by hand with a knife on the farm, root plate trimmed flush (2.5 mm maximum)
—bulbs of size greater than or equal to 45 mm, hand-plaiting into bunches of at least 9 bulbs for the PDO
—capped at a maximum of 9 tonnes per hectare leaving the farm
variety registered in the official catalogue in 1979, at the origin of the local purple garlic selection.
more recent variety, registered in 2005, sharing the same varietal type (short dormancy, absence of a rigid flower stalk).
plait (minimum 9 bulbs), sheaf, bouquet, sack, tray, basket—all assembled by hand on the farm or at packaging, with only the tray and basket permitting sale by the unit.
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Since: 2015
Area covered: 106 communes of Haute-Garonne, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne
Key requirements: Germidour or Valdour varieties, planting from 15/10 to 15/12, size ≥ 45 mm, harvested at maturity (bulb/foliage ratio ≥ 1.8), yield ≤ 9 t/ha, hand-plaiting into bunches of at least 9 bulbs, no anti-sprouting treatment, full traceability (registers, identification system)
Since: 2017
Area covered: 106 communes of Haute-Garonne, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne
Key requirements: European registration of the appellation d'origine contrôlée, confirming the requirements of the national specification.
Reference: Homologation du cahier des charges par arrêté du 10/01/2020.
Cooperative
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Top Alliance, a 100% commercial subsidiary of the Alinéa cooperative, is one of the trading operators based in Beaumont-de-Lomagne cited in the product specification for the PGI (IGP) ‘Ail blanc de Lomagne’ among the main French garlic merchants active in the commune. Established in 1997 as an extension of the Alinéa cooperative (founded in 1960), the organisation handles the marketing of produce from 160 member growers to major retailers, wholesalers, the foodservice sector, industry, and export.
Rooted in the South-West garlic, onion, and shallot production basin, Top Alliance provides the link between the work of the growers and market requirements, with a stated environmental commitment since 2004.
The company's website highlights the marketing of three garlics bearing official quality marks: ail blanc de Lomagne (PGI), ail rose de Lautrec — of which it claims to be the leading French marketer with 1,400 tonnes annually, including 500 tonnes under Label Rouge — and ail violet de Cadours (PDO (AOP)).
| Address | Borde Vieille, 82500 Beaumont-de-Lomagne, France |
| +33 5 63 26 28 00 | |
| contact@topalliance.com | |
| topalliance.com | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2007. |
