Auvergne Gastronomy- Hearty Cuisine - Winter Warmers For Hikers And St Nectaire-The Best Of Cheeses

By JS Selfe

The Auvergne is a largely mountainous region in central France, part of the Massif Central. In summer the climate is hot and dry - ideal for walking, hiking and horse-riding, while winters are comparatively harsh - making ideal conditions for skiing. So the gastronomy of the region is geared to satisfying hearty appetites.

Auvergne Cuisine
Soupe de Noël is made by boiling chunks of stale crusty bread to salted water until the water has reduced, when pieces of St Nectaire cheese are added. The mixture is stirred until the cheese has melted, then thick crême fraiche is added just before serving. Truffade is a hearty dish made by cooking potato slices in duck fat before adding grated Cantal or St Nectaire cheese. Once the cheese is melted it is ready to eat. Aligot another hearty dish is creamed potato to which Cantal cheese is added. When the cheese has melted to the point where when the spoon is lifted from the pan the cheese forms stretchy strings it is ready to eat. Tripes and tripoux are delicious tripe and red wine dishes, while chou farci is cabbage stuffed with a delicious minced pork and breadcrumb stuffing. Coufidou is a wonderfully rich beef stew with an aromatic coriander seed sauce.

Auvergne cheeses such as Cantal, Salers, St Nectaire, Tôme d'Auvergne and Bleu d'Auvergne are renowned worldwide. However the gastronomy of the area is less well-known. St Nectaire, "the best of cheeses", won the Sun King's admiration when it was was introduced to the court of Louis IV the Maréchal de France Henry de Sennectère. It us usually enjoyed at the end of a meal, though it is also sometimes used in salads or in tarte au Saint-Nectaire, truffade and soupe de Noël (Christmas soup). Red wine is accompanies it well; perhaps a Bourgogne or Pomerol

The area of the St Nectaire AOC (appelation d'origine controlée) is one of the smallest in France, within the Puy de Dôme and the Cantal, the cheese taking it's distinctive flavour from the great diversity of wild flowers and aromatic herbs to be found in the Auvergne pastures. The traditional "St Nectaire Fermier" cheese is made from raw milk twice a day, after each milking. The young cheese is made in a mold of 21cm, (13cm for the "petit St Nectaire") wrapped in cloth and pressed for 24 hours. The cheese is washed in a saline solution and then in clear water each day for a fortnight. It is then turned regularly for the following three or four weeks. The cheese is marked with an oval plaque. The "St Nectaire Laitier" cheese is made from raw or pasturised milk. The cheese is marked with an square plaque.

During the summer months of July and August many villages sre host to Marchés de Pays, when local producers set up stalls selling their produce, prepared ready to eat: aligot, truffade, charcuterie, meat dishes, cheeses, deserts, wines... so that all may compose a meal of their choice and dine in convivial company with neighbours, friends and visitors at trestle tables set up for the occasion in and around the village hall... the ideal end to a day's outing in the Auvergne. A particularly lively marché de pays is held at Champs sur Tarentaine in the Artense.

JS Selfe is a photographer, author and multi-media producer of Interactive Virtual Visits on CD ROM.Discover Interactive Virtual Visits at http://www.pilgrimsall.org/placesofpilgrimage/CDs.htm

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