AI-generated illustration
Label Rouge — PGI — Centre-Val de Loire
In the heart of Berry, emerald grains that carry the ancient flavour of the land.
Pulse from Centre-Val de Loire, PGI (IGP) since 1998.
AI-generated illustration
According to local tradition, the cultivation of Lentilles vertes du Berry began in 1945, when Jules Gaudinat, owner of the Domaine de Chenevières, sowed a 25 kg bag of Lentilles vertes du Puy seeds across a 200 m² plot; by 1950, some thirty farmers were concentrated around the village of Avail. For its part, the PGI specification dates the crop's true boom to the 1950s, under the impetus of Paul Dufour, who developed the first weed-control programme tailored to lentils and trained producers in the area — cultivation then expanded across the entire Champagne Berrichonne, reaching 7,200 hectares in 1983, or 79% of French lentil production. Label Rouge was obtained in March 1996, and PGI status in July 1998, establishing this pulse as a symbol of the Berry terroir.
AI-generated illustration
Berry, with its clay-limestone soils — rendzinas and brown calcareous soils of the Jurassic plateau of the Champagne berrichonne — and its temperate climate marked by high temperatures at the end of the growing cycle, creates the ideal conditions for growing green lentils. These healthy, loose soils, well endowed with organic matter and offering moderate water reserves, foster uniform ripening and give these lentils their consistent colour and size. Irrigation is prohibited by the specification: trials conducted by the Association des Lentilles vertes du Berry showed that adding water was neither necessary nor beneficial to the quality of the product.
AI-generated illustration
In 1994, the producers of Berry joined together within the Compagnie Interprofessionnelle du Berry pour la Lentille (CIBÈLE), a collective operating with 45 producers across 780 hectares by 2017 and today bringing together more than 50 farmers. Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon became the administrative heart of this sector. Lentilles vertes du Berry are part of an age-old Berrichon culinary tradition: as early as 1972, chef Alain Nonnet, Maître Cuisinier de France at the restaurant La Cognette in Issoudun, popularised crème de lentilles du Berry, which became a culinary benchmark cited even in the Larousse de la cuisine régionale. The Confrérie des Fins Mangeux d'Lentilles vertes du Berry and an annual lentil festival in Vatan, in the Indre, have perpetuated this tradition since 1993.
Appearance
Dark green grains, more or less marbled with blue. Uniform grading: diameter 4–6 mm, thickness 2–2.5 mm.
Aroma
Subtle, herbaceous, lightly earthy — freshness of grain.
Taste
Mild, consistent flavour, with a characteristic taste of chestnut. Thin, tender skin, soft kernel.
Texture
Melts when cooked, with a thin skin that does not disintegrate. The grain remains whole after cooking, holding its shape well on the plate.
Lentilles vertes du Berry are produced exclusively from the ANICIA variety, certified by the GNIS and the only variety permitted by the PGI specification. They are marketed in consumer sales units (cloth, plastic, net, bag, card sleeve, from 250 g to 1 kg), in 5 to 50 kg sacks, or in big-bags for external packers and the processing industry.
Carried out between 1 March and 30 April, at a density of 200 to 300 plants/m².
AI-generated illustration
Lentilles vertes du Berry pair wonderfully with all regional cuisines — in soups, stews, and vegetable terrines. A natural ingredient in petit-salé, they also feature in soups, purées, or even ground into flour for recipes such as crêpes, blinis, or cakes. They make a magnificent accompaniment to white meats (volaille berrichonne). In contemporary dining, they are reinvented as a delicate purée or in a chilled summer salad, lifted by a drizzle of olive or walnut oil. Wine pairings: light red wines (Touraine Cabernet Franc), dry white wines (Loire Sauvignon).
Since: 1996
Area covered: Indre, Cher (49 communes)
Key requirements: Exclusive ANICIA variety, no irrigation, big-bag packaging carried out within the area
Since: 1998
Area covered: Indre, Cher (49 communes)
Key requirements: Same perimeter, European protection of the designation
Trade organisation
Brotherhood
Hotel-restaurant
Get listed and reach more lovers of regional produce.
Request a listingTrade organisation
CIBÈLE presents itself as a branch of the AXEREAL group, recognised for over 30 years as a major player in environmentally friendly farming. The interprofessional organisation brings together more than 50 farmers producing green lentils, across a protected designation area (PGI (IGP)) in Champagne Berrichonne. It has a sorting facility that ensures the product complies with the specifications.
| Address | N151, 36100 Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon, France |
| 02 54 21 90 50 | |
| cibele@lentilleduberry.com | |
| lentilleduberry.com | |
| Visits | No — Administrative body |
|
Part of the production is certified organic, since 2019. |
