Also called the lingot, the Vendée mogette is a dried haricot bean with a fragile, thin skin. Brought back from South America by explorers in the 16th century, it used to be eaten at all meals as it had the advantage of being nourishing while not at all expensive. Also, as with all dried pulses, the Vendée mogette has many health benefits, being high in fibre, minerals and oligo-elements.
Vendée mogette can be eaten as it is, with a knob of butter, or with Vendée ham or leg of lamb. The inhabitants of the region also like "grillée de mogette", when a slice of bread is rubbed with garlic, buttered then covered with piping hot mogette beans!
There are many festivals celebrating the mogette: on 14 August at Poiré-sur-Vie, in September at Brouzils, and in October at La Ferrière.