The Region - Culture - Local Food
edible mushroom
wild strawberry
Tourtons
Honeycomb
The famous Saucisson
Cheese ripening in the cellar
Argousier berries
A mixture of wild flowers, berries and plants, the produce of local farmers and some creative cooking gently evolved over the centuries and ..... voila... a range of seriously delicious dishes totally unique to the region - a 'must' for food lovers to try out!
Stuff growing in the mountains
Mushroom picking is a national pass-time in France and on a sunny morning, the day after a big rainfall in Autumn, you will see the world and his dog out in the fields picking wild mushrooms! If you would like to learn about mushrooms and make your own wild mushroom risotto, then let us know when you make your reservation and we will organise a day out with a mushroom guide!
On a similar vein, the spring time here is superb for all the new spring greens, buds and shoots. Have a look at our Tickle your Taste Buds holiday at the end of May / beginning of June next year.
And if you come in the summer, wild strawberries and raspberries can be found in the woods everywhere.
And now ... an explanation of some the specialities the locals have created over the years...
Tourtons
Tourtons are small squares of fine pastry, filled with a potato, cheese and onion puree and fried. They are usually served as a starter with a green salad or as a main course with meat.
For tourton fans there are also apple tourtons and prune tourtons which are great for dessert!
‘Ravioles’ and ‘Oreilles D’Ane’
This is a traditional dish from the Valgaudemar valley. It’s name ’Orieles D’âne’ (Donkey Ears) comes from the main ingredient, wild spinach, which is collected when it’s size and shape resemble that of a donkey’s ear!
Ravioles are a cheese and potato mixture, rolled into little ‘quenelles’ (a bit like dumplings) and then either fried or baked.
Mountain honey
The differences in altitude, the 300 days of sunshine and the variety of different habitats; from gentle fields and hedgerows to steep mountain sides, give rise to hundreds of different species of flowers. The mountain honey reflects this diversity with delicious vigour.
The bee keepers produce rhododendron, clover and wild sage honey amongst others. You can find them under the label ‘miel de montagne ‘ (mountain honey)
‘Tarte’
This is a jam tart with a difference! The original tarts would have been made with fine pastry filled with prunes and could be either open or covered.
Today you can find blueberry, raspberry, apricot…… and many other fruits to indulge yourself with!
Cold hams and meat
On a traditional Champsaurian menu you will find a selection of raw hams accompanying your tourtons. These are all locally produced from animals reared in the mountains. The saucisson is particularly good.
Biscuits
Great for an afternoon snack, the ‘croquant des Ecrins’ is a speciality not to be missed. Try them with almonds, hazlenuts, chocolate…..
Dairy products
You can taste the rich pastures of the mountains in all the local dairy products. Try the cheese made from a mixture of three milks (goat, cow and sheep), the blue cheeses and the milk and cheese based desserts - of which there are plenty!
‘Argousier’ (Sea Buckthorn)
These small orange berries and their parent spiky shrub can be found on the mountain sides of the Champsaur valley. They are exceptionally rich in vitamins (vitamin C particularly but also A E and B) probably as a result of the strong sun and altitude. They contain 30 times more vitamin C than oranges.
Today you can taste argousier as a juice, a cordial, a jam or you can just pick them yourself off the shrubs. All totally organic and natural!
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