But why was this seemingly banal dessert, planned for Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping’s lunch, withdrawn at the last moment?

Emmanuel Macron and Xi Jinping had lunch at Etape du berger, a high-altitude restaurant at the Col du Tourmalet. MaxxPPP and Anthony Espinosa (illustration)

After a first day spent in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron took his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to the Pyrenees where a lunch was planned at the Col de Tourmalet, this Tuesday, May 7.

On the second day of Xi Jinping's official visit to France, Emmanuel Macron took the Chinese president to the Pyrenees, to the region where he spent his childhood vacations, near the Col du Tourmalet in the Hautes-Pyrénées.

A more "personal getaway"supposed to allow a more direct dialogue between the two heads of state on thorny subjects such as the war in Ukraine and trade disagreements between China and Europe.

A 100% Pyrenean menu

On the menu of the lunch which took place at the Etape du berger, a high-altitude restaurant run by the starred chef and friend of the French President, Éric Abadie, were planned 100% Pyrenean dishes.

As a starter, a garbure, the traditional local soup. Then confit lamb shoulder, with Bigorre Black Pork ham available to cut, accompanied by Tarbais beans and porcini heads, followed by a platter of Pyrenees cheeses and a blueberry pie for dessert.

A symbol considered inappropriate

However, it is not this dessert that should have been served to Xi Jinping, reveal our colleagues from La Dépêche.&amp ;nbsp;The chef had initially planned to serve a pastry composed of an almond biscuit and praline paste, called "le russe". This cake from Oloron-Sainte-Marie takes its name from the recipe which, according to legend, came from Crimea. Its appearance covered in icing sugar also recalls the snowy plains of Russia.

The pastry called “le Russe” was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie in Béarn. WIKICOMMONS

Given the current diplomatic context, the choice of this dessert and the symbol it takes on was not considered "opportune&quot ; by the Elysée, who preferred to replace it with a blueberry tart. Just as good, and more consensual.