Mogettes (also mojhettes or mojettes) are the white beans of the Loire Valley — specifically the Vendée, Poitou, and western Loire regions — and they constitute the legume backbone of the Loire’s cuisine in the way that tarbais beans define Gascon cooking and flageolets define Parisian bistro tradition. The mogette is a medium-sized white bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) of the lingot or coco type, grown in the maritime-influenced soils of the Vendée and harvested in September. When fresh (demi-sec, available for a brief 2-3 week window), mogettes are plump, jade-green to cream, and cook in 25-30 minutes without soaking, producing a bean of extraordinary creaminess with a thin, almost undetectable skin. Dried mogettes require overnight soaking and 1.5-2 hours of gentle simmering. The canonical preparation — mogettes à la Charentaise or à la crème — begins with the soaked beans simmered from a cold start (never boiled from hot, which toughens the skins) with a bouquet garni, onion piqué, and a piece of salted pork belly. When tender, the beans are drained (reserving the cooking liquid), enriched with crème fraîche (150ml per 500g dried beans) and a generous knob of salted butter, finished with chopped flat-leaf parsley. The finished mogettes should be creamy, glossy, and slightly collapsed — each bean tender enough to crush between the tongue and palate. They serve as the filling for fouées, the accompaniment to grilled andouillette, and the base for salades de mogettes (cold, with vinaigrette, shallots, and parsley). During the mogette’s brief demi-sec season, the Foire aux Mogettes in Marennes draws thousands.
White lingot/coco beans from the Vendée-Loire. Demi-sec (fresh): cook 25-30 minutes, no soaking. Dried: overnight soak, 1.5-2 hours simmer from cold start. Simmer with bouquet garni, onion piqué, pork belly. Finish with crème fraîche and butter. Classic filling for fouées.
For the best mogettes, order demi-sec beans in September directly from Vendéen producers — they’re a completely different experience from dried. The cooking liquid, reduced, makes an excellent base for a bean velouté. A confit duck leg warmed in the finished mogettes creates an instant, magnificent one-dish meal. For the salad version, dress the warm beans immediately with vinaigrette — they absorb the dressing better while warm.
Boiling from a hot start (toughens skins). Salting the cooking water early (prevents beans from softening — add salt in the last 15 minutes). Not using the demi-sec when available (vastly superior to dried). Overcooking to a mushy paste (should be creamy but intact). Draining and discarding the cooking liquid (it’s rich, starchy, and useful for soups).
La Cuisine Tourangelle — Emile Couet; Les Légumes du Val de Loire