Behind the French Menu: Omelette Savoyarde

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Behind the French Menu
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Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Mont Blanc

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Savoyarde

The residents, the people, of the Savoie are called Savoyardes, and the dishes from the region often have Savoyarde in their name. Then, if you find yourself having difficulties understanding some of the more elderly resident's private conversations, that’s because they are speaking Savoyarde, a mixture of the two languages d'oïl and d'oc that sought to become modern French.

Le Canal de Savière, Chanaz

Lac du Bourget

Photograph courtesy of Olivier Duquesne

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The great cheeses of the Savoy.

Some of France’s most celebrated cheeses come from the Savoie region, including abundance AOP, Beaufort AOP, Chevrotin AOP, Emmental de Savoie IGP, Gruyère Français IGP, Raclette de Savoie IGP, Reblochon AOP, Tome des Bauges AOP and Tomme de Savoie IGP.

The wines of the Savoy.

There are more than twenty white, rose, and sparkling wines, all coming from just three appellations, including the Crémant de Savoie. The department of Haut-Savoie is known for its white wines while the department of Savoie has reds, roses, and whites. With a great deal of tourism and so much skiing, nearly all the region’s wines are consumed locally. So the ideal time to taste them is when you are there.

Dishes from the Savoie region on French menus:

Diots - Pork sausages with an Italian history. They are made with steamed or smoked pork with most having cabbage in their recipe

Escalope Savoyard– A veal escalope cooked in butter and served with slices of ham while surrounded with and browned with one of the Savoie’s cheeses, usually Gruyere Française, Emmental de Savoie, Beaufort or Reblochon.

Féra Fumée du Lac Léman – Smoked broad whitefish from Lac Leman, Lake Geneva. The féra, the broad white fish, truite fario, brown trout and ombre, grayling, are fish from Savoie lakes that will be on many menus.

Fondue Savoyarde - Recipes for dishes similar to today’s Savoie cheese fondues date back two to three-hundred years. Then, the Savoie’s cheese fondues became famous with the growth of winter sports in the 1950’s. Today’s Fondue Savoyarde will include at least two or three Savoie cheeses usually chosen from Abondance, Beaufort, Emmental de Savoie or Gruyère Française. The cheese will be melted in white wine and flavored with a touch of garlic. The taste of the fondue changes with the percentages of the different cheeses used, so every restaurant’s fondue has its unique flavor. To these cheese fondues, may be added the Savoie’s much-appreciated kirsch cherry liquor.

Cheese fondue

Photograph courtesy of Pedro Cerqueira

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Gratin Savoyarde - Boiled potatoes baked in butter and beef stock and covered with one of the local cheeses and browned, The gratin, together with a salad, may be a lunchtime main course as part of a fixed price menu, or it may be the garnish for a main course.

Gratin Savoyarde

Photograph courtesy of Ron Dollete

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Grolle Savoyarde – A multi-spouted bowl from the Savoie used to serve an alcoholic coffee drink; hot coffee mixed with orange and lemon peels or their zest along with sugar and a marc liquor. It is mostly see in ski resorts when for effect, it may be set alight when it is about to be served. The drink itself is called the Café de l'Amitié, friendship coffee. The alcoholic liquor that is in the coffee will vary with the dish that accompanies it.

Omelette Savoyarde – An omelet made with sautéed potatoes and Beaufort cheese. Sometimes it is made with added ham or lardons, bacon pieces.

Soupe Savoyarde – A vegetable minestrone-style soup made with smoked lardons, bacon pieces, and crozets, served over gruyere or another of the Savoie’s cheeses on toast. Crozets are the Savoie’s traditional wheat, potato or buckwheat flour square pasta shapes. For local specialties like this much will depend on the chef’s grandmother’s recipe.

Tartiflettes and Reblochonades - A whole Reblochon cheese baked, melted over boiled potatoes with some recipes adding crème fraîche to the cheese. The cheese and potatoes are the Reblochonade. On the side may be local dried meats, sausages or ham. The meats will be on the menu as charcuteries and the Savoie has many excellent dried meat recipes and lots of different cured hams.

The two departments

The Savoie and Haut-Savoie were part of the Italian Dutchy of Savoie until 1860. Then, along with the city of Nice on the Mediterranean, they became part of France. (The Savoy Hotel in London is named after this region).

The Savoie region.

Photograph courtesy of French Moments.

The Savoie

The Savoie is home to France’s largest natural lake, Lac Bourget, over 18 km (11 miles) long. With four fabulous lakes including Lac d'Aiguebelette, Lac des Évettes, and Lac de Tignes. (To protect the ecosystem of Lake Aiguebelette, motor boats, even for the fishermen and women, are prohibited). For the tired traveler, the department of Savoie is home to the city of Aix le Bains, the third largest spa in France. For the hungry Savoie is home to some of France’s best chefs. Aix le Bains is just 9 km (6 miles) from Lake Bourget and home to the Faure Museum with its significant collection of impressionist paintings and many of Rodin's works. Chambéry, the ancient capital of the Dutchy of Savoie and now its departmental capital is just 18km (11 miles) away from Aix le Bains. For winter sports go to Albertville home of the last French Winter Olympics.

The Haute-Savoie.

The Haute-Savoie is home to the tallest mountain in France the Mont Blanc, which it shares with Italy and Switzerland. The Haut-Savoie also borders Lake Geneva, also called Lac Léman, which France shares with Switzerland and there are another thirty lakes in Haute-Savoie. Annecy, the departmental capital, is a beautiful small town set on the even more beautiful Lake Annecy. Annecy has an abundance of restaurants in the town and around the lake, including some of France’s finest. Here, we spent a week traveling around Lake Annecy enjoying all the Savoie’s wonderful cheeses. The Haute Savoie is also home to over 100 of France’s skiing centers, including Megève and Chamonix. In Megeve along with a week’s skiing we enjoyed two perfect, but distinct, Fondues Savoyarde.

The old town of Annecy.

Photograph courtesy of Koen

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Mineral water from the Savoie region.

Local mineral waters include Aix, Badoit, Evian, Thonon. Altogether more there are more than thirty local brands.

Fountain in the town of Evian

Photograph courtesy of µµ

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Beer from the Savoie

Local beers include Nonne, Chanaz, Cimes, Mont-Blanc, Galibier, and Faucigny.

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Reblochon Cheese AOP. One of the greatest cheeses from the Savoie, France.

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