Bulls in the Camargue

A few weeks ago we spent a few days in the Camargue area of France. During our visit a neighboring village (Vauvert) was having a breakfast in the field where the bulls are kept. Hmmm. OK. I had the impression that the bulls were on one side of the fence and we would be on the other but that wasn't the case. The villagers often dress up in old time clothes and pull out the old wagons and ride into the fenced in area. Quite a unique breakfast. I ventured over near the bulls, safely on the other side of a horse and buggy.

The signs on the windows in the main street are warnings that the bulls will be coming. We were given instructions by a local who said that you just have to lay down if one is chasing you. Glad that I didn't have the opportunity to test the theory.

The Gardianne (bull fighters) round up a few of the bulls and then have a run through the village. We missed the bull run and didn't attend any bull fights but for those (like me) who dislike the the idea of slaughtering a bull in the ring, this is a bit different. The bulls are the heroes in the Camargue, with statues in many village squares. One village statue was showing a favorite bull chasing a fighter over a wall. There is no killing of the bulls as they are known throughout the region for decades. Instead as the video above shows, the goal is to remove rings from the horns of the bull.

A very popular meal in the area is Gardianne de taureau, which is a bull stew. It looked something like a daube except the sauce was made from the bull's blood so it had a particular consistency not unlike boudin out of the casing.