Top 17 Traditional Foods
in Savoie

Fromagerie Coopérative de la Vallée des Arves, located in the mountain village of Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves in the Savoie region of France, was founded in 1965 by local farmers with the aim of organizing the collection and processing of milk from the surrounding villages. The cooperative is renowned for producing Beaufort AOP cheese, made exclusively from raw milk of Tarine and Abondance cows raised on alpine pastures. The cooperative offers free guided tours of its production facilities and aging cellars, where visitors can observe the cheesemaking process through glass walls and learn more about traditional cheesemaking techniques.

Fromagerie Coopérative de la Vallée des Arves represents a perfect blend of tradition, quality, and dedication to preserving local agriculture and gastronomy, making it an essential destination for lovers of authentic French cheeses.Expand

Prolactine France is a cheese producer based in Chambéry. The company specializes in the production and distribution of various types of French cheeses.

They operate within the dairy industry, focusing on quality and traditional cheese-making methods.Expand

Brasserie du Mont Blanc is a French brewery located in the heart of the French Alps, specifically in the town of Sallanches, near the iconic Mont Blanc mountain. Founded in 1996, the brewery is known for producing high-quality beers inspired by the natural surroundings and alpine heritage of the region.Expand

Named after its town of origin and produced in the French Rhône-Alpes region since the Middle Ages, Beaufort is a hard cheese made from raw milk of the Tarentaise cattle breed. It is typically matured much longer than its softer Alpine counterparts, about four to five months. During the first two months, Beaufort is salt-rubbed on a daily basis, and once the rind has matured enough, the cheese wheels are smeared with morge - a mixture of brine, whey and old cheese scrapings. This distinctive convex-sided cheese comes in three varieties: Le Beaufort, produced from November to May; Le Beaufort d’Été, produced in the summer and Le Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage, the most prized variety made in Alpine chalets using only milk from a single herd of cows pastured at altitudes of 1500m and above. Young Beaufort has a mild, buttery taste and a pronounced fruity aroma, while matured cheeses develop an exceptional depth of strong, complex flavors.Expand

Tomme de Savoie is an uncooked, semi-soft cheese with a gray rind that has yellow and red spots all over it. The cheese is made from cow's milk in the regions of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in France. It is the oldest cheese from the Savoie region, where the mountain climate gives the cheese its unique qualities. Tomme de Savoie was invented when local peasants turned their summer milk supplies into cheese, in order to last for the winter. After the cream is drained to make butter, Tomme de Savoie is produced from the leftover skimmed milk, which is why it has quite a low fat content (40%). After 2 to 4 months of maturing, its texture is pliable and firm and the flavor is nutty, grassy and rustic, with hints of mushroom and citrus. Pair it with sliced sausages, fruits such as pears, or medium-bodied red wines for the best experience.Expand

Fondue Savoyarde is one of the most popular dishes from the French region of Savoie, located in the heart of the French Alps. Originally a dish from Switzerland, fondue quickly rose to popularity in the Savoie region. The dish is made with a combination of melted cheeses, usually Gruyére, Beaufort, Emmental, and Comté. Savoie tradition says that if your piece of bread slides off the fork into the rich, hearty fondue, you must buy the next round of drinks, kiss the person next to you, or even run naked through the snow. After the dish has been communally shared and consumed, the fondue pot is crusted with toasted cheese, called la religieuse - providing some sort of a religious delight for true fondue afficionados.Expand

One of the best-loved dishes of the Alps, tartiflette is a mouth-watering gratinated potato dish from the mountainous region of Savoie in France. It is made with medium-sized potatoes, white wine, Reblochon cheese, onions, smoked salt pork (lardons fumés), and often crème fraîche. The dish is baked in the oven until the cheese browns and melts. The modern tartiflette was invented in the 1980s as a reimagining of an old gratinated potato, cheese, and onion dish called péla. It was created by the union of Reblochon cheesemakers in order to increase the cheese’s popularity. The dish instantly caught the attention of both professional cooks and the general public, and over time it became popular outside the French borders, most notably in Italy and Switzerland. Tartiflette is usually served piping hot, ideally with a green salad and a glass of French white wine on the side.Expand

Tome des Bauges is a semi-hard cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk, either whole or semi-skimmed, produced in the mountainous Savoie region in France since the 17th century. Since the cows from the area (the Tarine, Abondance and Montbeliarde breed) feed exclusively on grass and hay, Tome des Bauges has a woody, earthy aroma and a full taste of mushrooms, grass, cream and butter. It is pressed, salted and matured for at least five weeks before it is ready for consumption and develops its characteristic fuzzy brown mold, often called 'cat hair'. Pair this yellow cheese with light white wines or sliced pears which perfectly match its flavors.Expand

Emmental de Savoie is a cooked and pressed cheese with a yellow to brown rind, made from cow's milk in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in France. Regular and clear holes are evenly distributed throughout its brightly-colored, creamy body. The holes appear with aging because the cheese is kept in a cold cellar and then transferred to a warmer one, so the change in the atmosphere gives the cheese its distinctive openings. The flavors are piquant but mild. Each wheel of Emmental de Savoie weighs around 70 kg, which requires more than 1,000 litres of milk, making it one of the largest cheeses in the world. It is usually grated and is a part of the famous Fondue Savoyarde, along with garlic, white wine, and nutmeg.Expand

Gratin de crozets is a traditional dish originating from the Savoie region. It's made with a combination of onions, lardons, crème fraîche, chicken stock, grated cheese such as Gruyere, Comte, or Beaufort, and crozets – a traditional local pasta variety that's small, flat, and square-shaped, made from buckwheat, wheat (or both), eggs, salt, and water. The pasta is cooked in chicken stock, while the onions are fried with lardons in a pan. Both are then mixed with the addition of crème fraîche, topped with grated cheese, and baked in the oven until golden brown and the cheese becomes fully melted. Expand

Diot is a traditional sausage hailing from the French region of Savoie. Although there are several varieties of these sausages, they're usually prepared with a combination of fatty ground pork that's seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. There are small and large diots, fresh and smoked, and they can be boiled, grilled, or braised. The most popular way of preparing the sausages is in a dish called diots au vin blanc – the diots are boiled in white wine with garlic and onions. When served, the sausages are usually accompanied by Dijon mustard, polenta, lentils, or boiled potatoes.Expand

Boudoirs, savoiardi, or ladyfingers are traditional sweet sponge biscuits shaped into a large finger. They were created in the 15th century at the Duchy of Savoy for a visit by the King of France. These official court biscuits were often offered to visitors as a token of local cuisine. The texture of ladyfingers is low in density, light, airy, and dry, and they're usually made with a combination of flour, egg whites and yolks, sugar, and powdered sugar. These sponge biscuits are typically used in desserts such as charlottes and trifles, tiramisu, and chocolate cakes. They're often soaked in liqueur, sugar syrup, or espresso. Nowadays, ladyfingers can be found in most countries across the world.Expand

Berthoud is a classic French cheese dish originating from the region of Savoie. It's made with a combination of Abondance cheese, potatoes, Vin de Savoie white wine, Madeira or Port, garlic cloves, pepper, and (optionally) a pinch of nutmeg. In order to prepare it, the bottom of a Berthaud dish (an oven dish made of porcelain) is first rubbed with garlic. It's then filled with thin strips of Abondance or grated Abondance, Vin de Savoie, Madeira or Port, a pinch of nutmeg, and pepper. The dish is then cooked au gratin in an oven until the cheese melts and the exterior becomes goden brown. Berthoud is served immediately in individual portions. The dish must be eaten quickly, while still hot, otherwise the texture will change and become stringy and elastic. Berthoud dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and it was named after the person who created it, a café owner called Berthoud. Nowadays, the dish is often served with jacket potatoes on the side.Expand