Rustic cuisine from France. Avoid the crowds of next door Burgundy and enjoy, the best: in wine and cheese: Morbier and Compte cheeses, Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille wines
Much of the Franche-Compte region of France is a land of waterfalls, lakes, beautiful mountains and some truly wonderful gastronomic delights.
It borders the better-known Burgundy to the west and the Jura Mountains form the border with Switzerland to the east. Within the region lie the departments of Jura and Doubs, home to some of the best wine, cheese and meats and best french recipes on offer.
Arbois is a good place to start, it’s a small town with a long history stretching back over seven hundred years. It’s the birthplace of Louis Pasteur and is surrounded by vineyards, without doubt the gastronomic capital of the region.
The area boasts a number a number of grape varieties, including Poulsard, Chardonnay, Savagnin and Pinot. Two of the nicest wines (in my opinion) are Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille. The unique Vin Jaune with its distinctive yellow colour is made from the Savagnin grape and matured for six years in oak casks and is used in the dish Coq au Vin
Vin de Paille is a straw wine made by maturing dried grapes on a bed of straw for around two–three months before being pressed. It’s a comparatively rare wine and consequently can be expensive to buy.
To accompany the large variety of wines that are available is a stunning range of full-flavoured cheeses. The best way of discovering what’s on offer is to take one of the ‘cheese trails’ and try a little of each but two of the more popular are the Compte and Morbier varieties.
Compte cheese can be eaten with white, red or rose wines and is often used in many of the delicious local recipes such as fondue and salad. The cheese is made in small production units called fruitieres and is aged for between four and twelve months before being eaten.
Morbier, a soft and creamy cheese was first made in the village of the same name and when melted over potatoes make Morbiflette a tasty and popular dish and to wash it down, try one of the Jura white wines.
It’s not surprising that a cattle and pig raising region produces a superb range of charcuterie (cooked meats). Traditionally pork and beef have been smoked in a tuye- a large wood burning stove and chimney, still part of many Franche–Compte farmhouses.
From this smoking process comes Saucisse de Morteau which is made at altitudes of over 600 metres using only the sawdust of coniferous trees in the smoking. The same region produces Saucisse de Montbéliard made with pork and spiced with nutmeg, cumin, garlic and white wine and is traditionally served with Cancoillote cheese.
To complete this gastronomic experience the Doubs and Ognon rivers supply a range of fresh fish including salmon and trout and the forests abound with game.
This part ofFrance is still unknown to many visitors to a country which is rightly famous for its cuisine but for those who enjoy the rustic simplicity of food a visit to the region is a must.
