Haricot Tarbais: The King of French Beans

Haricot Tarbais: The King of French Beans | Food Tour de FranceHaricot Tarbais — the extraordinary white bean of the Hautes-Pyrénées and one of the finest ingredients in the whole of southwest French cooking — has a story that starts in Peru, crosses the Pyrenees in the sixteenth century, nearly disappears entirely in the 1950s and comes back stronger than before. Today's Food Tour de France episode starts in Lannemezan — right in the heart of haricot tarbais country — and tells the full story of the bean that cassoulet was made for. Large, white, with an exceptionally thin skin and a flesh that is melting, soft and completely without the floury texture that puts people off lesser beans. The only variety authorised for the Label Rouge is the Alaric seed line, selected from 24 varieties sourced from farms across the Hautes-Pyrénées in the 1990s. One bean. Carefully selected. Tightly controlled. Which is the French way of protecting something worth protecting.The episode covers the full history of the haricot tarbais — from its origins in Peru to its arrival in the Tarbes plain at the beginning of the eighteenth century, through the agricultural revolution of the 1950s that nearly wiped it out entirely, to the 1986 revival that led to the Red Label in 1997 and the PGI in 2000. We cover the growing process — sown in mid-spring, climbing its nets through summer, harvested entirely by hand from late August through November — and the extraordinary level of care that goes into protecting the seed grain over winter, including freezing at minus 35 degrees to kill any insects before the following year's planting. The patience and the precision that goes into producing a single haricot tarbais tells you everything about why it tastes the way it does.The haricot tarbais is the bean of the great dishes of the southwest — cassoulet, garbure, and alongside Pauillac lamb in one of the finest regional pairings in all of French cooking. The Food Tour de France is a daily series running alongside the 2026 Tour de France on Fabulously Delicious — one episode for every stage start and finish. Go back and find the Carcassonne cassoulet episode to hear the full story of the dish this bean was made for, and the Pau garbure episode to hear how the tarbais works in the other great slow-cooked stew of the southwest. Search Fabulously Delicious on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for the full series.As Fabulously Delicious steps into its sixth year, one thing is clearer than ever: five years of French food culture has taught Andrew that the subject is genuinely inexhaustible. My book Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide to the World’s Most Delicious City is your ultimate companion. This is a new 2026 update for the book and you’ll find hand-picked recommendations for the best boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, cafés, and restaurants that truly capture the flavor of Paris. You can order it online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ For those who want to take things further, why not come cook with me here in Montmorillon, in the heart of France’s Vienne region? Combine hands-on French cooking classes with exploring charming markets, tasting regional specialties, and soaking up the slow, beautiful pace of French countryside life. Find all the details at ⁠⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠⁠You can help keep the show thriving by becoming a paid subscriber on substack where you'll also get fabulous extra content. Every contribution makes a huge difference. Join here at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠Merci beaucoup!⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website ⁠⁠⁠⁠#FrenchFoodPodcast #FabulouslyDelicious #foodpodcast #HaricotTarbais #FrenchFood #FoodTourDeFrance #TourDeFrance2026