Oloron is the capital of the Russe and Artigarrede is the historic monument. You can find them anywhere in the region that has pastry masters.
Oloron-Sainte-Marie is truly bursting with pastry treasures. After having tasted the rousquille d’Oloron, make way for the Russe d’Oloron. The russe, a well-known pastry in Aquitaine, as well as in Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers, actually originated in Oloron. In 1925, Adrien Artigarrede, a Béarn native, returned from his tour of France as a pastry chef.
Living in Oloron, the young pastry chef then worked on his savoir-faire and the method necessary for making the russe. A delicate cake made from almonds, hazelnuts, praline meringue and cream, the russe popularised the Artigarrede company which claims to be the sole manufacturer of this cake. The exotic name simply comes from the icing sugar that covers it and that is reminiscent of the snow-covered plains of Russia.
