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PGI — Languedoc-Roussillon
Veau des Pyrénées Catalanes: tender meat, delicate flavour, reared on Franco-Spanish mountain pastures.
Beef from Languedoc-Roussillon, PGI (IGP) since 2016.
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Vedella dels Pirineus Catalans — ‘Vedell des Pyrénées Catalanes’ in French — is among the very first cross-border PGIs to involve France, shared between the mountainous part of Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude on the French side and the southern slopes of Spanish Catalonia. Across these Pyrenean mountain terroirs, livestock farmers on both sides of the border uphold traditional, extensive outdoor cattle farming, with part of the herds taken up to high mountain pastures for summer grazing — a complementarity between livestock farming and agriculture that has shaped the Pyrenean pastoral economy for several centuries. This dual heritage — French and Spanish — makes Vedella a quality certification jointly recognised by both countries, a testament to a pastoral territory that the political border has never truly divided.
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The PGI, recognised by the European regulation of 30 March 2016, protects veal born to mothers of hardy mountain breeds — Brune des Pyrénées, Aubrac or Gasconne, sometimes crossed with Charolais, Limousin or Blond d'Aquitaine sires —, fed on pasture grass and mother's milk, then fattened after weaning up to a maximum of twelve months, with slaughter most often taking place between eight and twelve months. The traditional, extensive method of rearing — outdoors, grass feeding then supplemented with dehydrated fodder and crushed cereals and pulses after weaning, and the ascent to summer pastures for part of the herds — shapes the characteristic tenderness of this meat.
Appearance
Carcass ranging from pink to bright red depending on the animal's maturity, fine-grained meat, light and well-distributed white fat
Aroma
Light and herbaceous, with subtle alpine nuances
Taste
Delicate and refined flavour, slightly rustic, with no excess bitterness or strong taste
Texture
Very tender, short and tight fibres, remarkably melt-in-the-mouth when cooked
outdoors, in the mothers' pastures, natural suckling for the first four months
part of the herds is taken to Pyrenean mountain pastures during the summer
pasture grass and mother's milk until weaning, then dehydrated fodder and a mixture of crushed cereals and pulses
fattening after weaning up to a maximum of 12 months, slaughter most often between 8 and 12 months
graded carcasses, minimum weight of 160 kg
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Vedella dels Pirineus Catalans lends itself to all preparations where the tenderness and delicacy of the meat take centre stage. Oven-roasted fillet, served pink, reveals the alpine sweetness of this exceptional meat. Chops quickly seared in a pan, two minutes on each side, are simply accompanied by fleur de sel and a drizzle of Pyrenean olive oil.
Catalan tradition also prizes escudella — Catalan pot-au-feu — in which the veal brings softness and melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. Osso-bucco à la catalane, prepared with tomatoes, saffron and Lucques olives, is another great regional classic.
Wine pairing: a red Collioure or Côtes du Roussillon Villages, with silky tannins that respect the delicacy of the meat.
Since: 2016
Area covered: Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude (FR) + southern slopes of Catalonia (ES)
Key requirements: Purebred or crossbred hardy mountain breeds, extensive outdoor rearing, fattening after weaning up to a maximum of 12 months
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