When Sorghum Invites Itself at the Table of a Starred Restaurant

At the Saint-Crescent restaurant, at the heart of Occitanie (in France), two-star Chef Lionel Giraud gives pride of place to sorghum. As a native of Narbonne, the chef sources the products for his dishes exclusively from his region. Yet proximity is not the only quality of sorghum that has made him include it into his menus.

Tasting Sorghum in a Starred Restaurant to Honour Nature

Lionel Giraud’s table at the Maison Saint-Crescent is a highly-valued culinary stop-over. Its double-starred Chef Lionel Giraud offers a menu aimed at delighting one’s taste buds and honouring nature.

“I am inspired by what our region offers us; I adjust my menus according to the seasons; I challenge myself permanently on the way in which I can adjust a product in its entirety so that I don’t waste any of its ingredients, and I bring it forward gastronomically and culturally, so that people can appreciate it for what it is”, he explains.

It is in that spirit that sorghum has been recently included in the menus of the Maison Saint-Crescent. In the eyes of the restaurant’s Chef, sorghum has assets that fit the philosophy of the restaurant. Environmentally, its profile is better than that of wheat, to which it provides an interesting alternative: “sorghum uses less natural resources and it is more authentic”. Added to that are its good nutritional value and wide range of uses: “sorghum is interesting in terms of taste, texture, and the diversity of its potential uses: flour, soufflés, porridges, etc. There is a whole array of ways one can cook it, depending on one’s inspiration”.

In his customised menus, Lionel Giraud serves no less than twenty-one courses. Sorghum is included in them under the “grasses” category, as eight distinct dishes that vary regularly. The dishes also provide an opportunity for the customers to learn more about this unique grain plant, as at the Maison Saint-Crescent, knowledge is shared at the same time with the dish being served: “each dish is accompanied by explanations that highlight the product”, the Chef says. A chance for sorghum to gain more visibility.
 

*Sorghum burnet and “Sallèles-d’Aude” juniper

Visit the site