Savoie Specialties

Until the development of ski tourism in the 20th century, the Haute Savoie was a remote mountain region known for cattle farming. Traditional Savoyard cuisine reflects this in its rich array of cheeses. The most famous cheese, Reblochon, boasts a history dating to the 13th century. Feudal peasant-farmers then grazed their cows on mountain pastures belonging to the medieval manor. They paid the master in milk. On the day he came to collect his due, the farmers would only partially milk the cows. A second milking resulted in a much fattier product, which they used to make cheese. Its name comes from the French word “re-blocher”, meaning to re-milk.

Sources:

http://www.campingcheque.com/docs/pdfuk/savoieuk.pdf

http://www.cheese-france.com/cheese/reblochon.htm

Image:

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Savoie Specialties II

Prior to the development of refrigeration, Savoyards needed to keep their meat fresh throughout the year as well as make it easy to transport from farm to market. Thus, they developed techniques for salting and smoking pork. Both the vegetation on which the animals fed as well as the dry, cold climate of the Savoie lent a special flavor to the salted sausages and smoked hams which remain renowned today. Smoked Savoie bacon, for example, combined with tartifle (potato), onions, cream, and melted reblochon cheese yields one of the region’s most famous dishes, the Tartiflette, especially appreciated in the cold, winter months.

Source:
http://www.campingcheque.com/docs/pdfuk/savoieuk.pdf

Image:

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Savoie Specialties III

Another regional favorite of the Haute Savoie is the digestif known as Génépi. It is made from the flowers and stems of alpine plants that evolved to attract pollinating insects to high altitudes. The plants are harvested in August and then macerated (broken down) in pure alcohol or vodka. Génépi is less sweet than most liqueurs and, though an acquired taste, is a favorite après-ski drink. Many Savoie residents and restaurant owners produce their own. The Chartreuse Monks have been distilling Génèpi for centuries with their own “secret” recipe, which likely follows the tradition of most locals: 40 flowers + 40 grams of sugar / 1 liter.

Source:
http://www.pralognan.com/uk/gastronomie.php

Image:

Courtesy of Marcin Floryan and Wikimedia Commons.

France's Ski Holiday

Every February, Europeans ski. French schools even give kids a “ski holiday" and everyone heads for the Alps. We're here too - me, my husband the Uber-Mensch, our Lucky-one-and-only and her best friend - at France’s highest ski station, Val Thorens (2,300 m/7,475 ft), in France’s tallest region, the Haute Savoie.

The Haute Savoie (Upper Savoy) wasn’t always part of France. It only became so with the Treaty of Turin, on 24 March 1860. France, Italy, and the Austrian Empire had been fighting over the region for centuries. Finally, in 1858, Emperor Napoleon III (Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew) promised to aid Italy in its war against Austria if then-Italian King, Vittorio-Emmanuele II, would relinquish his claim to Savoy. The King agreed, but only if the inhabitants of the region approved. The Savoyards, who were French speaking and had always found it difficult to accept Italian rule, voted overwhelmingly in favor of annexation by popular referendum.

The Haute Savoie is bordered by Italy to the south-east and Switzerland to the north and east. Geneva is the closest city to serve skiers coming to the Haute Savoie by air. It is home to 110 ski stations. Val Thorens, built in 1972, is one of eight ski stations in the Trois Vallées (Three Valleys). With 600 km (410 miles) of skiable terrain, the Trois Vallées is the largest continuous ski domain in the world.

Yesterday, we climbed to 3,000 meters (9,750 ft). From that vantage point, our gaze skimmed easily over the few ranges separating us from Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco, Western Europe’s highest peak at 4,810 m (15,781 ft) on the French-Italian border. Clouds hung, grey and full, down in the valleys below us, like a wild foamy sea. We were on top of the world!

That is, until the white-out blew in…

Source: http://www.tourism.savoiehautesavoie.com/

Images:
View of Val Thorens, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Map of Haute Savoie, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.