A creamy butter, with a slight taste of salt, due to its proximity to the sea... The reputation of Surgères butter goes well beyond the borders of our region. An essential part of local gastronomy, it is very popular as an aperitif, accompanied by a slice of bread, a dry white wine from the Charentais region and Marennes-Oléron oysters!
It is difficult to imagine it today, but the surroundings of Surgères have long been covered with vines. Vineyards and distilleries then made the city prosperous.
Unfortunately, in the 1880s, phylloxera destroyed the vineyards and a conversion to livestock farming quickly took place. In 1888, Mr. Eugène Biraud created the first dairy cooperative in Chaillé, northeast of Surgères, in a former distillery.
Farmers can thus transform their milk into butter and develop its marketing to Paris thanks to the rail link. Surgères butter remains the best-known “Charentes-Poitou” butter!
Where can you find Surgères butter?
For hygiene reasons, the Surgères dairy is not open to the public.
Butter can obviously be found at the Surgères market, which takes place three times a week, but also at Enilia school shop (National School of Dairy and Food Industries) where the butter is made by the students. It is also available in many shops and supermarkets in the region.
The opinion of the Local Counter
Explore the local farms during the gourmet farm visits available throughout the summer. You can also learn to make your own churned butter at a farm butter workshop in Benon , offered on various dates throughout the year!
Our cheeses and local products
So you will have understood, in Surgères, butter is king. But dairy products of all kinds are grown on farms and should be enjoyed without moderation, especially fresh and tasty cheeses! At the market and from our producers, you can find local goat cheeses, or jonchée, a fresh cow's cheese which owes its name to the streaks left by the rushes with which it is made. It is also possible to find creams, yogurts and other dairy products directly on the farm, such as at the Ferme du Bois des Moines, at the Vache Charentaise or at the La Houlette sheepfold.
