Plus que de nouvelles recettes, vous apprendrez l'art de combiner les saveurs... Des stages salués unanimement par les medias : Libération, Le Monde, Le Nouvel Obs, Saveurs, TF1 , FR 3, M 6 ... Vous apprendrez à utiliser et assembler les épices (Patrick a fait plus de 50 fois le tour du Monde) .    

HOW THE MARCO POLO AND ALI BABA SPICE COURSES ARE ORGANISED ?

First of all you get aquainted with 40 spices. We see, touch,smell and taste spice by spice.

We learn where to buy them. And how to store them to conserve the flavours. It’s especially useful for basil and coriander which are seasonal herbs and don’t taste anything when sold dry in supermarkets.

Then it's hands on! We make simple salads with a few spices. We balance the flavours and then taste and talk about the results. At the end of the afternoon we prepare a "party" meal with at least a dozen spices. Partners who are not course students will now join us for aperitif… With spices of course!

"Ali Baba" is the logical continuation from the "Marco Polo" with 40 other spices.

HOW THE VASCO DE GAMA AND MAGELLAN COURSES ARE ORGANISED ?

Vasco de Gama takes 2 days, combining Marco Polo and Ali Baba. That is 80 spices over 2 days. It starts midday Saturday and finishes on Sunday afternoon. You sleep in a gite in the Aulas area.

Magellan takes 3 days from Thursaday evening to Sunday evening. You sleep in a gite in the Aulas area. The course is 50/50 spices and touring the area. You study spices and visit the local sites. Picking spices, buying spices, tasting the Languedoc wines, exploring Montpellier or Roquefort and dining on seafood or bouillabaisse at Bouzigues.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A PRESENT TO FRIENDS OR RELATIONS ?

1. You send an e mail or letter with the name and address or mail of your friend or relation and the course you have choozen (M'P' V'G' or MAG')

2. If possible you set a potential date.

3. You send a cheque for the course fee to Association Miam Miam , Aulas, 30120 le Vigan, France

4. When we receive your cheque we then send an invitation to your friend or relation.

5. The invitation is valid six month . They can change the date if they wish to do so provided they notice it 15 days before the expected date.

v Accomodation, meals and drinks are included (see details on line)

WHERE IS AULAS ?

A 1 hour drive from Montpellier and one and a half hours from Nimes

WHICH COUNTRIES AND TYPES OF CUISINE USE THE SPICES YOU WILL STUDY ?

In fact, we go around the world. In Europe the best cuisines are Italian, Greek, and French. In taste, in sophistication and also in spices.

We spend some time on European countries, particularly Italy with all it’s spices, basil, oregano, olive oil, garlic, lemon, sage, and rosemary.

Provencial cooking is closely linked to Italy but less elaborate.

African cooking is no great interest with the possible exception of North Africa ( the Maghreb) i.e. Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco – is very interesting particularly Morocco. It's diverse and sophisticated and is the kingdom of cumin, caraway, coriander, saffron, cinnamon, paprika, olive oil, garlic and lemon.

In the middle east we have turkish cuisine, similar to Greek with the exception of some herbs and spices, and also the Lebanese – 40 centuries of civilisation and experience. So, when you discover Tahina and Sumac, which go so well with the mezze you become a fanatic!

In Asia we look at Indian, Thai and Chinese cooking.

Do not confuse North India influenced by the Moghols – ( long and sophisticated marinades, yoghurts always with a lot of spices, biryani’s, the tandoor cooking of chicken tikka and nan bread) –

with Southern India ( vegetarian, very hot, rather fat with palm oil and coconut milk). Madras curries for example. In south India rice replaces bread and lentilles replace meat. India is an exceptional country for spices: on the 1.8 million tons produced worldwide every year, 1.6 million tons come from India, mostly Kerala.

Thai cuisine is very inventive. It borrows the chinese wok, the indian spices, and with it’s unique climate and the advantage of never being colonised it has developed a personalised national cuisine which is inventive tasty and healthy.

Vietnamese cuisine is interesting, it's an enhancement of Chinese (1000 years of chinese domination leaves traces) with more aromatic herbs. Dill, basil, lemongrass, coriander and mint.

Further east is China, a cuisine which was already sophisticated 4000 years ago when Paris London or Roma were just villages.

In the north is Peking cuisine, primitive and dominated by garlic, spring onions and chives, ginger ans sesame oil. It is a very "filling" style of cooking which was designed to get the people through hard winters. Not much rice due to the climate, but wheat, noodles and cabbage.

Korean cooking is very similar with a lot of garlic and fermented pepper paste.

In south of China is Cantonese cooking which use steaming techniques or sweet and sour wok recipes with a few spices and sauces served separatly.

In the west Sichuan cooking is hot, and adapted at the climate in the continental mountains. It is based on oil and hot peppers, balck vinegar, black pepper, ginger and garlic. It burns your taste buds!

Finally we have Shanghaï cooking – The most sophisticated. To begin with there is often a marinade of soy sauce, rice wine and spices which is steamed in a wok and subsequently reduced.

Japanese cooking uses a very healthy and aesthetic cuisine.

DO YOU ORGANISE THEMED COURSES ?

Yes – to order. You choose the theme and the product when you book. Because we are in the south of France we are often asked about mediterranean and provencal cuisine. Bouillabaisse (eaten with grilled garlic croutons and not with rouille or grated cheese). Bourride “Sete style” in which garlic, olive oil, thyme, fennel and bay leaves are the main spices. Brandade de Nimes with it’s garlic. French or Italian fish soup. Mushrooms (cepes girolles etc) and truffles when we can get them. Stuffed cabbage (the trick is the stock and the lemon vinegar). Snails aioli and tapenade.

CAN YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF SPICE RECIPES ?

This question is not simple because the range is so wide.

The recipes develop during the students discussions. Here are some examples from themed courses.

Salads recipes: every possible type of salad.

Slimming recipes: light salad dressings, wok or parcel cooking (fumll of spices of course)…

Bread recipes: with tomato and parmesan, anchovies and garlic, olives and rosemary, with seven cereals, with dried fruits and orange blossom water…

Fish recipes: salmon or eel marinated or smoked, sweedish style, anchovies italian style, tuna steak with herbs, squid in a thai salad, sea bass moroccan style, bouillabaisse, bourride…

Italian recipes: risotto and the real italain pasta sauces (it takes three hours to simmer a good tomato sauce)…

Barbecue recipes: chicken marinated lebanese style and grilled, satay sauce for djakarta kebabs, Korean marinade for grilled meat bulgobi…

Maroccan recipes: built arround fish and vegetable salads.

Lebanese recipes: built around taboule, which does not contain semolina and "mezzes"

Wok recipes: chicken and coconut curry with ginger, lemongrass. And many other chinese and thai recipes.

Indian recipes: prawn biryani, chicken tikka, lambs madras, nans, indian tea, lassi.

Note: indian cooking is sophisticated and takes time, you can easily spend a couple of hours on it!

CAN WE THROUGH YOU ?

1. Reserve a room in Aulas. The answer is yes!

2. Organise an extended stay in the region – Yes, and we can suggest ideas and itineraries.

3. You can also look at the tourist office internet sites for Nimes and Montpellier.

HOW DO WE GET TO AULAS ?

Aulas is near Le Vigan 65 km north Montpellier and 85 km from Nimes.

Via Montpellier: by the TGV station (3 hours from Paris) or by Montpellier airport. Then north through Ganges and Le Vigan.

Via Nimes: take the Nimes ouest exit from A9 and then through Quissac, Ganges and le Vigan.

If you are coming from Nimes or Montpellier take the bypass through Le Vigan rather than going though the town center.

About 2 km after the town go right at the roundabout. Bear left at the Intermarche supermarket on the D 48 towards Mont Aigoual.

After 1 km there is a sign for Aulas which is in the valley ( 6 km from Le Vigan).

In Aulas park in the square next to the town hall and the post office. Opposite the post office there is a green entrance gate. You have arrived!

WHEN DO THE COURSES TAKE PLACE ?

50 weeks of the year – Christmas and New year we are closed. It is advisable to give us 3 or 4 weeks notice in the high season (july/ august)

HOW TO MAKE A RESERVATION ?

Contact us by email info@stage-cuisine.com or telephone 0033 4 67 81 75 74

Then you pay for your course and we reserve your dates and book you a room if required.

Have you not found an answer to a question ?

Please contact us info @stage-cuisine.com

Patrick T du Cros

Association Miam Miam pour découvrir 80 épices en cuisine

Un cadeau original personnalisé et gourmand

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Association Miam Miam

Aulas 30 120 le Vigan

04 67 81 75 74