Monday, December 26th, 2011
RICE FARM
Domaine de Bouchaud
ARLES
13200 Arles
04 90 97 00 31
www.domainedebouchaud.fr
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
As the healthy eating barometer is about to rise any day now, spare a thought for the red rice of the Camargue – deliciously nutty in taste, chewy in texture, satisfyingly filling and, hurray, wholesome. Just outside Arles, the Domaine de Bouchaud is a good place to find out more about this strange grain which was popular in the 1600s, then pretty much forgotten until the 1950s.
Visit in April/May and you’ll see the rice being planted in flat, flooded fields; come in late September/early October when the harvest is on; or drop by any time to pick up a bag of the best and chat with Sylvie Aillaud (above) or her partner, rice farmer Stephan Bonistalli. A kilo (€4) should last for months.
The estate itself is as interesting as its rice. The seat of the Comtes de Bouchaud de Bussy from the 17th century, it was left to the Benedictine order in 1974 – so 15 monks are attached to the priory right beside the shop. But the estate farm has been managed by generations of Bonistallis – one of the many Italian families who settled between Arles and the sea in the 1920s, bringing with them expertise which helped the Camargue to become the star rice-growing area in France.
Vines and wheat are cultivated as well as three kinds of rice: long-grained white, round white and red, the local hero. I like it best prepared like a risotto – but whichever way you cook it, allow 30-40 minutes or your teeth may never be the same again.
