Although the region is not famous for fancy gastronomic specialties, it is proud of its rustic, honest and simple fare based on top-quality ingredients.
To start off a meal, a glass of chilled Pineau des Charentes is a must.  A fortified wine produced in the same area as cognac, it was created by accident in the 16th century when a local grower inadvertently added wine to a barrel that held leftover cognac.

Treasures from the Sea.   Blessed with an abundance of water--both fresh and salt--the region offers superior fish to delight visitors’ tastebuds: oysters, mussels, clams, scallops and soft-shelled crabs make tasty appetizers while sole, turbot, eel, cuttlefish and carp are served as main courses, stuffed or cooked in wine-based sauces.  Around La Rochelle, mouclade (mussels cooked in white wine and served in a cream sauce) is a favorite.

Those who prefer meat dishes will appreciate the jambon du Poitou (ham), roasted chevreau (young goat) and salt-marsh-fed lamb.  The superb quality of vegetables grown in Charentes is a definite plus in preparing the farci, the local version of pot-au-feu (boiled dinner).  Poultry specialties include poule-au-pot (chicken stew), Poitou goose served with chestnuts, duck accompanied with green peas or conserved in its own fat for confit de canard.

The Closest Thing to Cheesecake. 

In Poitou-Charentes, the cheese course is very often part of dessert, as local varieties are types of cottage cheese that can be eaten with sugar, such as Caillebote d’Aunis, a crustless sheep-milk cheese.  Goat milk is used to make Jonchée Niortaise as well as Chabichou, which is definitely on the stronger side.  Melon from Charente is served for desert, sometimes followed by tourteau du Poitou––a cheese-based pie that is the closest thing to the American cheesecake––or clafoutis, in which fruit (usually dark cherries) are baked in a sweet cream.  Confections include nougatines de Poitiers, chocolate truffles with cognac from Angouleme and the angelica-based candy from Niort.

The World’s Finest Brandy. 

Famous for centuries, Cognac is the perfect finale to any meal.  It is a distillation of white wine produced by vineyards that radiate out from the city of Cognac.  The different categories of label indicate the length of time they have spent maturing in oak casks (from five to forty years, or more for very special bottles).