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Languedoc-Roussillon
A small spool of golden, sweet-and-savoury pastry that travelled across the Indies, England, and two centuries before settling on the counters of the patissiers of Pézenas.
Traditional dish from Languedoc-Roussillon.
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Local legend traces the origins of the petit pâté back to 1768: Lord Robert Clive, former Governor of Bengal, was staying for several months near Pézenas at the Château de Larzac, with his friend the Marquis de la Bégude. His Indian cook is said to have devised a bite inspired by Indian naan and keema as well as English mince pies — shortcrust pastry encasing a sweet-and-savoury meat filling. The dish was served for the first time at the Ancien Logis des Trois Pigeons, where a commemorative plaque still recalls the event. Before leaving town, Lord Clive reportedly presented the recipe to his hosts in gratitude for their hospitality.
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The Indian cook is said to have entrusted the recipe to several guests and to a Pézenas pastry maker, who then helped it spread across Languedoc. The artisans of Pézenas keep its secret to this day: the authentic recipe is held in safekeeping with a local notary and is passed down with the patisseries' goodwill, from generation to generation. To protect this heritage from the risks of theft or export beyond the town, the Amis de Pézenas founded the Très Noble et Très Gourmande Confrérie du petit pâté de Pézenas in October 1991, which convenes every year on Ascension Thursday; in 2009, its members registered the recipe with the INPI.
Research conducted by the Centre national des arts culinaires (CNAC) at the end of the 20th century paints a more complex picture than Lord Clive's legend: sweetened meat pies already existed in the 17th century, but their association with Pézenas appears to have developed later. The first regional mention of a "pâté de mouton sucré", in 1890, presented it as a speciality of Béziers; it was not until 1928 that Austin de Croze published a recipe under the name of "petit pâté de Pézenas", which he then gave as an alias for that of Béziers. Today, both towns claim their own tradition, but the recipes have diverged: that of Pézenas is made with lamb, sweet-and-savoury, and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, whilst that of Béziers, more conventionally savoury, is prepared with pork.
Appearance
Small truncated cylinder the size of a cotton reel, sealed with a fluted pastry lid and glazed with egg.
Aroma
Sweet, spicy scent (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom) released when slicing through the golden crust.
Taste
Assertive sweet-and-savoury balance, surprising for a bake with the shape of a savoury pie — the lamb filling is lifted by brown sugar, lemon zest, and spices, with the shortcrust pastry remaining crisp.
Texture
Golden, crisp crust with a tender, juicy interior.
the benchmark recipe, made with lamb, sweet-and-savoury, and spiced.
the same filling, encased in puff pastry rather than spool-shaped shortcrust pastry.
a related yet distinct recipe made with pork and of a more classically savoury flavour, which both neighbouring towns claim in their own way.
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The petit pâté de Pézenas is enjoyed warm or cold, most often as a starter after a brief warming in the oven, readily accompanied by a green salad. Its sweet-and-spicy profile pairs well with a sweet white wine from Hérault, such as a Muscat de Frontignan, Mireval, or Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, or, for more freshness, with a dry white such as Picpoul de Pinet; red wine lovers sometimes prefer a Saint-Chinian or a Fitou.
No official quality mark: neither PDO (AOP), nor PGI (IGP), nor Label Rouge. The recipe is protected by the Très Noble et Très Gourmande Confrérie du petit pâté de Pézenas, founded in October 1991 by the Amis de Pézenas to "defend and champion the petit pâté de Pézenas". In 2009, its members registered the secret recipe with the Institut national de la propriété industrielle (INPI) to protect it from theft and export beyond the town — it remains held in safekeeping with a Pézenas notary and is handed down with the goodwill of local patisseries.
No producer is listed for this product yet.