Chicken risotto with porcini mushrooms, monkfish, duck leg. No, no, it's not about the menu for your holiday marathon but rather what the Vendée Globe skippers' plate will contain! Of the 40 competitors who left Sables d'Olonne on November 10, 39 purchased freeze-dried, dehydrated and sterilized meals from Lyophilise & Co, at La Base, in Lorient. Created in 2010, it revolutionized the diet of skippers and other adventurers. “Fifteen years ago, there were only two manufacturers and France, three brands present on the market,” says the founder, Ariane Pehrson. You only have to look at the references offered in his store to see how far he has come. “The skippers only ate freeze-dried food to optimize the weight of the boat, always the same thing but the body gets tired. There was an obsession with technique but food is also essential.” Ariane Pehrson brought in brands from all over the world and the skippers signed up.
Aligot, best-seller from Lyophilise & Co
Today, very few skippers are content to carry freeze-dried food. “In the Vendée Globe, it must be every other meal like for Damien Seguin for example. Charlie Dalin, is one third freeze-dried, one third dehydrated and one third sterilized,” explains the business manager. Some come to do their shopping themselves, others leave it to a nutritionist, who analyzes the compositions to decide what will be best for the athlete. “In the deep south, they tend to have rations of 800 to 100 calories; 450 is not enough. Tabbouleh, pasta salads, are more for hot areas,” explains Ariane Pehrson. In three months at sea, the skippers will be able to eat a variety of foods and the best-seller at Lyophilise & Co is aligot, “it’s crazy, it’s very successful, they love it”, assures the founder from Lyophilise & Co. Among the recipes very popular with skippers, we find sterilized dishes such as cod brandade, chili and pulled pork, duck legs with salardaise potatoes. “These are typically dishes that they will enjoy for the holidays because it’s a bit heavy, he doesn’t eat that on a daily basis.”
Food and pleasure have taken an important place in the search for performance. Also, the skippers not only take on board freeze-dried or dehydrated products but also jars prepared by chefs. Samantha Davies, skipper of Initiative Cœur, 13th in the ranking, reserved a pot-au-feu made by a friend as well as “a beer that I really like, made in a brewery near my home in Brittany,” explains she said in a press release. Some even carry freeze-dried parmesan! The skippers even treat themselves to some little snacks on board. Violette Dorange, the youngest in the Vendée Globe, indulged in pure butter waste with dark chocolate chips, all freeze-dried, “chocolate mousse also comes up on all the races, freeze-dried fruit also works well” , slips Ariane Pehrson. Skippers who are very careful about the compositions of the dishes and with varied diets, “there are vegetarians, lactose-free, gluten-free diets, everything is possible,” assures the business manager. Something to enjoy on December 25, so happy holidays and bon appetit to the skippers of the Vendée Globe, especially to the 17 Lorientais!
