Fête de la Mogette de Vendée

The mogette: the white bean at the heart of Vendée's identity

The mogette — from the Vendée patois for white bean — is much more than a simple legume. It is a symbol of regional identity, a foundational ingredient of Vendée cuisine and an agricultural product that tells the story of a people and a territory. Cultivated in Vendée since the 16th century, after the introduction of beans to Europe by Spanish conquistadors returning from the New World, the mogette quickly established itself as the staple vegetable of the Vendée bocage, feeding generations of peasant families.

The Vendée white bean, called mogette, is particularly prized for its thin skin, its melting flesh and its slightly buttery taste. It is distinguished from other white beans by its small size, its uniform ivory color and its creamy texture after cooking. The traditional variety, the Vendée lingot bean, is grown in open fields on the light soils of the bocage, the Marais Poitevin and the Pays de Retz. Vendée is one of the leading producers of dried white beans in France, with several thousand tons harvested each year.

The mogette in Vendée cuisine

In Vendée, the mogette is at the heart of many traditional recipes that form the backbone of local gastronomy. The most emblematic is of course mogette with ham, a simple and hearty dish where white beans are simmered for a long time with bacon, smoked ham and herbs before being served with country bread. This Sunday dish, associated in family memories with meals after mass, is the first gastronomic memory of many Vendéens.

The mogette is also suitable for multiple preparations: in a warm salad with shellfish or marinated sardines, in a creamy soup with fresh herbs, in a gratin baked with tomatoes and cheese, in a fricassee with leeks and cream, or in a contemporary version revisited by chefs of the new generation who are taking this simple product and turning it into surprising gastronomic creations.

The mogette naturally accompanies other emblematic products of the Vendée terroir: Vendée ham, Vendée brioche (to soak up the sauce), seafood from the coast, bocage cheeses, préfou (garlic and butter bread)... It is also the basic ingredient of Vendée cassoulet, a local version of the great Southwest dish adapted to the ingredients and culinary traditions of the region.

A festival rooted in the communes of the Vendée bocage

The Fête de la Mogette is organized in various producing communes of the department, mainly in the Vendée bocage and the Marais Poitevin. It takes the form of a festive day — or sometimes a weekend — that brings together producers, cooks, artisans and inhabitants around a program combining local market, cooking competitions, tastings, events and concerts.

The producers' market is the heart of the festival: dozens of exhibitors offer their fresh or dried mogettes, their artisanal preserves, their hams and charcuterie, their goat cheeses, their honeys and jams, their Fiefs Vendéens wines. Visitors can buy directly from farmers and discover the diversity of Vendée's local productions.

Culinary demonstrations allow you to watch the preparation of traditional mogette recipes, hosted by local chefs or cooks from the Vendée traditions association. The best mogette competition pits producers and amateur cooks against each other based on their recipes and the quality of their beans, in a good-natured and benevolent atmosphere.

The mogette, a product seeking official recognition

The mogette de Vendée does not yet have a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), but a process for recognition as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) has been underway for several years, supported by the department's producers and agricultural structures. This recognition would help to better promote the product, protect it against imitations and ensure its promotion at national and European levels.

Pending this official consecration, the Fête de la Mogette contributes each year to making this product known and recognized by the general public, to valuing the work of Vendée producers and to perpetuating the culinary traditions of an authentic and generous terroir.