In France, every region is different, and has a different type of cuisine. Today, France.fr is taking you in the Centre-Loire-Valley to discover more of their cuisine. Are you ready? Because we are!
Land and Food
Zest of inventiveness, a touch of tradition, a pinch of audacity, and just a dash of know-how: mix well to obtain an excellent definition of the cuisine of Centre Loire Valley. When passing through our region, prepare the gourmet in you for a parade of flavors. Here, fine food is a way of life.
A String of Specialties on the Menu
At the center of local gastronomy, goat cheese comes in five different AOC variations: crottin de Chavignol (a small, round, slightly bulging delight), Sainte-Maure de Touraine (a bûche famously tied up with a strand of hay), Selles-sur-Cher (rounds with a fine blue crust), and for the finish, two pyramids: Valençay, the top of which will have been sliced off by Talleyrand, and Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, which managed to keep its head. To this mix add Trèfle, a newcomer among chèvres, and cow’s milk cheeses such as cendré d’Olivet and Feuille de Dreux.
Regional Specialties
There are plenty of well-known specialities for the cuisine of Centre Loire Valley. Rillettes de Tours, poached eggs au Chinon, saupiquet nivernais, pâté berrichon with eggs, chicken en barbouille, nougats de Tours, Chinon peaches, sabayon de golden, prune candies, and dried pears are a good selection of this amazing cuisine.
Regional Cheeses
Each French region has also its regional cheese. In the cuisine of Centre Loire Valley, you can enjoy some Olivet cendré, Pithiviers au foin, crottins de Chavignol, Valencay, Selles-sur-Cher, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, and Sancerre. Don't hesitate to make a cheese board out of all those!
Wines and Spirits
Loire Valley wines: Loire, Anjou and Saumur (e.g., Sancerre), Nantais (e.g., muscadet), Touraine (e.g., Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil), and Cœur-de-France (e.g., menetou-salon)
Wines and Winemakers
The cuisine of Centre Loire Valley also has some amazing wine! From Touraine to Sancerre, from Coteaux du Vendômois to Châteaumeillant, the winemakers of the Loire Valley are not short on exceptional wines whose diversity and authenticity really shine. Wine is one facet of the art of living here in Centre to discover several different ways.
Wines of variety and quality, products of a long tradition
Bourgueil, Chinon, Vouvray, Valençay, Reuilly, Menetou-Salon, Sancerre: do these names resonate with you? These are just a few of the wines of the Loire Valley; the region keeps plenty of other tucked away. Twenty-four AOC-licensed vintners can be found here. All are quality wines, born of know-how and a long viticultural tradition that lends them their renown. Closely tied to the history of France, viticulture in the Loire Valley began in the 5th century. It has since not ceased to develop, thanks to the knowledge of winemakers handed down from generation to generation.
Varietals used
As you probably knw, wine are different depending on many factors, including the varietal used. Here is a lit of the varietal the cuisine of Centre Loire Valley uses.
For white wine: Sauvignon and Chenin
For red wine: Muscatel for the appellation Muscadet, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc
By France.fr
The magazine of the destination unravels an unexpected France that revisits tradition and cultivates creativity. A France far beyond what you can imagine…
