What to eat and drink in Haute Savoie?

Welcome to Haute Savoie! The mountains, chamois, fresh air, pine forests, and Haute Savoie are among the most beautiful regions in France in our opinion! Skiing, hiking, mountain biking... If you like sports this region is for you! Located near a part of the Mont Blanc massif, but also with the Mont-Cenis massif, the Chartreuse..., you will do sports in an idyllic setting! But when you say sport, you mean getting your strength back! Discover what to eat and drink in Haute Savoie, all those specialties that will make your stay even more typical and incredible!

Salty

Raclette

This meal smells good of cheese and fun with family and friends! A dish that everyone loves and enjoys at the approach of the holiday season in France! A typical dish of this region! Good fresh raclette (the name of the cheese), which you melt and then sprinkle on a potato accompanied by charcuterie! If you have never tasted raclette before, now is the time to make up for it and try this delicacy!

Tartiflette

Ah, la tartiflette! Also adored throughout France, this dish originating from the region is composed of potatoes, bacon, onions, fresh cream, with on top of the reblochon cheese as a gratin that will melt and go everywhere in the dish! Admittedly a little heavy and not very healthy, but after a good day of skiing or hiking, there is nothing better!

Fondue Savoyarde

A little white wine, Beaufort cheese, Comté cheese, and Emmental cheese, then melt over low heat and dip your bread into it! But be careful who drops the bread in, traditionally the one who drops it gets a prize! And be careful not to do it with friends like Josiane in the famous French film Les bronzés font du ski, where she has fun with (name) putting dental floss in it to make a joke!

Crozets

This Savoyard food is pieces of pasta used in many recipes to rework them and make them even more typical! You will find the Croziflette, a tartiflette, but instead of potatoes, you have Crozets or the gratin de Crozets, a gratin with ham, cream, and Beaufort (cheese).

Soupe savoyarde

As we always say, nothing is more important than to stay hydrated and especially in winter because contrary to the summer when we feel thirsty and therefore drink naturally, in winter we get dehydrated very easily and we tend to forget to drink enough! So of course, this beautiful mountainous region where it is important to stay hydrated has its own soup! It is cooked with cheese (Beaufort), bacon, and vegetables, you won't find a more typical soup of the region!

Reblochon

Yummy Reblochon! A typical cheese of the region! You can enjoy it after the dish with a bit of bread, as well as cooked as we have already seen with the Tartiflette and the Croziflette.

Tome

Another cheese from the beautiful French region! A cheese much appreciated by the French who usually bring back fresh and local cheese after their stay in the mountains! It can be used for cooking but is mostly eaten at the end of the meal with a little bread (or not, depending on preference).

Saucissons Savoyards

You will find a lot of sausages in Haute Savoie, and without lying they are delicious! Moreover, depending on your taste, you will find many different flavors, such as wild boar, comté, Beaufort, hazelnut, pepper...

Gratin Savoyard

This gratin is a variant of the gratin dauphinois, this delicious Savoyard dish is cooked with potatoes au gratin with Savoyard cheese such as Beaufort, ...

And once again this gratin has another Savoyard variation where the potatoes are replaced by the Crozets mentioned above!

Le matefan

You probably know the Swiss röstis, well the matefan is its derivative! The famous potato cake is even more special in the beautiful French region because its filling changes according to the city, so you won't necessarily find the same one when changing ski resort from one year to another!

Sweet

Usually, after a tartiflette, a fondue, or a raclette you don't eat dessert because it fills up your stomach already! But here are some snacks or desserts typical of the region:

Blueberry tart

If you go to Haute Savoie in the summer and take a walk, you are bound to find a blueberry grove! Indeed, the beautiful region has no shortage of blueberries in summer, so there is nothing better than preparing a good blueberry tart after an afternoon of picking with friends or family, following grandma's good old recipe!

Savoie’s cake

Just by reading this article, you'll gain 10kg reading about all those delicious but not very healthy dishes and desserts... Don't worry we're adding a little lightness with the Savoy cake! You would say "it's still a cake, so it's not crazy for my figure..." and well, you should know that this typical cake from the region is very light and contains no fat! Who says better? It's time to try it!

Le Saint Genix

It would be so nice to have lots of good fat-free desserts! So we are starting to gain weight again just by reading this article with the Saint Genix or the Saint Genix bun! Do you like praline? Then this brioche is for you! Filled with praline, but also sprinkled with pralines and sugar grains on top, this brioche makes many people happy when tasted!

Drinks

As you can see, many of these meals are quite festive, but what's a good meal, and a festive one at that, without a drink to accompany it! Here are some typical drinks of the region to be consumed without moderation (well a little bit for some of them):

Evian

You may be familiar with Evian water, one of the most popular waters in France! What you may not know is that this mineral water comes from the Alps in Haute Savoie and has been on the market for over 200 years!

Bidoyon

Bidoyon is simply a local cider that was very common due to the ease of production and its low cost. It is produced from local apples, or sometimes pears, and pressed by hand in the open air.

Genepi

Genepi is originally a very common and well-known plant in the Alps in Savoy, so the Savoyards created a liqueur based on this plant. You can still find it, especially a génépi distilled in the old way with a period still to make it even more authentic.

Wine

You will find many vineyards in Haute Savoie, to make good local wine! Fortunately, for a good Savoyard fondue you need white wine!

That's it, the next time you go skiing in Haute Savoie you'll know all about local products, and you'll be able to eat only local products! And if you plan to go skiing soon, don't hesitate to read our article on Where to go skiing in France, and if you're in the region, the stop you shouldn't miss is Annecy!

See you soon to continue discovering France together my little parakeets! Don't hesitate to follow us on Instagram @thewalkingparrot to be informed about our next articles!