Gâteau à la broche

Its president describes it as having been founded in 1998, before being officially registered on 22 July 1999 at the sub-prefecture of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, and published in the Journal officiel on the following 14 August. It was initially called the Confrérie du Gâteau à la Broche d'Arreau — its headquarters were then located at the Arreau town hall — before taking its current name and establishing itself in Pailhac, in the vallée d'Aure. Its stated aim is to promote and foster appreciation of the gâteau à la broche as an authentic product of the Hautes-Pyrénées, made from natural ingredients, through demonstrations and tastings at fairs, markets, and all kinds of events.

It comprises around fifteen permanent members, joined by friends during major events; it says it welcomes new members of all ages, provided they are bons vivants. It bakes gâteaux à la broche for weddings, celebrations, and festival committees, gives demonstrations at fairs and exhibitions, and visits schools to pass on its know-how. In March 2023, at the Salon du Vin et de la Gastronomie de Morlaàs, its volunteers took turns to create the world's largest gâteau à la broche — 2.56 metres tall and weighing 90 kg, officially certified by a bailiff. ‘Our brotherhood has existed since 1999; our objective is to promote the Gâteau à la Broche and perpetuate its original recipe,’ summarised its president Joseph Loste at the time.

In summer, it offers a free tasting of freshly prepared batter almost every Thursday morning, from 7:00 to 13:00, in the courtyard of the château de Ségur in Arreau. Every year in July, it takes pride of place at the fête du gâteau à la broche, a highlight of the cultural and gastronomic traditions of the vallées d'Aure et du Louron: the brotherhood bakes around thirty cakes there — including a giant cake measuring around 1.80 m and weighing 37 to 40 kg — and welcomes producers, rather than resellers, of cheese, honey, armagnac, or confit, in a festive atmosphere enlivened by bandas. The cake can also be found year-round in the valley's shops. The brotherhood also travels to numerous events, both in France and abroad.

In Artalens-Souin, at the foot of the Hautacam in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Les Gâteaux de Pierrot make and sell wood-fired gâteaux à la broche, alongside other regional specialities. The gâteau à la broche remains the house's signature piece; visitors can also find plain, caramel, or blueberry tourtes des Pyrénées, as well as local products such as rillettes de truite des Pyrénées.

The business sells directly from its workshop-boutique at the foot of the Hautacam, and also runs a stall at the markets of Argelès-Gazost on Tuesday mornings and Lourdes on Saturday mornings, where baking demonstrations are held.

In Saint-Lary-Soulan, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, the Maison du Gâteau à la Broche welcomes visitors every day and introduces them to the craft of making this ancestral cake. It is one of the places where you can watch the traditional preparation of gâteau à la broche, baked layer upon layer before an open fire.