Minerve is a medieval village located in Languedoc. Though beautiful and calm in the present, it was once the backdrop of a crusade against the Cathars.
A bloody battle resulted as the Cathars stood their ground against the siege. Simon de Montfort led the crusader army which set up four catapults to attack the village with. The Cathars ultimately surrendered to the attack in hopes of saving the remaining troops and villagers.
Despite this, 140 Cathar holy men, referred to as “Parfaits“, refused to surrender their faith. They were burnt at the stake. The village still sits above the River Cesse and relatively untouched by modern man.
Rich with history, culture, and wine, Minerve is perfect for walking the trails, eating fine cuisine, or having a wine tasting. I did all of the above.
**Thanks to many nights spent in heels on Austin, TX’s cobblestone-paved 6th street, I was able to survive walking through these trails in heeled booties. However, make it easier on yourself and wear shoes appropriate for the trek. Trust me, the outfit is not worth the discomfort.
That afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure and luck to try Relais Cahntovent’s 22 euro menu. (Four dishes, excluding drinks)
Between the two options available per course, I chose as follows:
*The presentation of these plates alone made me feel so fancy for ordering them and yet so unworthy of eating them, all at once.
An egg-stuffed brioche bun. The bread was sweet and fresh, making me want to eat more of the buns alone. The egg was runny, so if you’re more of an eggs-over-easy-person, I definitely recommend this.
My second dish was the trout with dijon mustard in the middle. A simple combination that packed the flavor. It had the right amount of everything, not too salty or bland. It was just really good.
My favorite part, hands-down: The chocolate fondant. It’s basically a molten chocolate cake. I still dream of it with its silky, warm chocolate filling and crushed graham cracker topping. Could I eat this every day? Yes. Should I? Yolo.After lunch, we made a stop at Domaine Canailles for a quick wine tasting. The woman who served us the wine is the wife of the man who makes it. My friend bought a bottle of it for less than 5 euros. Yup, wine that was made just miles away was about 5 US dollars…Same price as the cheap moscato I would buy in college.
