Rhone-Alpes: Gourmet Cuisine for the Everyman

Focus regions /

Monday 17 August 2015

Each French region has its own cuisine; that of the Rhône-Alpes is defined by its culture, its history and its topography. A region that shares borders with both Switzerland and Italy, the Rhône-Alpes offers a diverse cuisine where classic dishes of the poor are just as common and lauded as the haute-gastronomie found throughout the country.

 

To delve further into this varied cuisine, chef Patrick Henriroux of the 2-Michelin-starred Pyramide restaurant in Vienne, 30 kilometers south of Lyon, offers his point of view.

 

A Patchwork of Cuisines

One of the principal defining factors of the cuisine of the Rhône-Alpes is topography. Rivers, lakes and mountains make up a diverse terroir from which springs forth the cuisine of the Rhône-Alpes.

 

“The mountains and the lakes are part of our geography,” says M. Henriroux. “They are able to offer dishes, words, stories, moments to be savored, but also moments of peace and tranquility, to any visitor or consumer.” Distinct areas of this region lend unique flair and flavor to this local topography. Savoie and Haute-Savoie betray Swiss inspiration, with cheese-heavy dishes like fondue and raclette. Meanwhile, the combination of Mediterranean and Alpine roots of the Dauphiné creates dishes like the famous potato gratin dauphinois, a pinnacle of what butter and cream can do to the simple tuber, but also dishes highlighting local olives and olive oil, belying Mediterranean inspiration.

 

These rural terroirs strike a contrast with the cuisine of the city of Lyon, gastronomy worthy of the small metropolis. Lyon is seen as a culinary capital not only of France, but of the world, and it’s not hard to see why.

 

“The city of Lyon has such a history, which is linked to its location, halfway between north and south, both in France and in Europe,” says M. Henriroux. “The city has become like a sunflower, turning towards incredible products according to the seasons.” This attention to obtaining and using only the best is visible in the city’s famous “bouchons,” typical local restaurants that often serve a prix fixe menu of local charcuterie and local wine, but it’s also palpable in the 60 starred restaurants that call Lyon and the surrounding area their home.

 

Specialty Products

 

The region is home to so many specialty products, it’s hard to pick just one. “I don’t have a favorite,” says M. Henriroux, “But I do have some that are particularly dear to my heart, like poulet de Bresse à la crème with potato galettes.” Poulet de Bresse is a specialty poultry hailing from Bresse, known as one of the best throughout the country. Serving it with a potato galette is an intriguing way to bring this gourmet product back to its country roots.

Henriroux also enjoys “omble chevalier des lacs,” a fresh-water fish with a salmon-like texture that he serves with Viognier butter, a variation on beurre blanc sauce.

 

“La grillade des mariniers du Rhône” is another favorite of the chef’s. This traditional local dish made by seamen of the past combines braised beef and anchovies, butter and olive oil, unions indicative of the contrasts in local terroir. “And for dessert,” he says, “Praline brioche with oeufs à la neige.”

 

Other local specialties include Lyonnais and Beaujolais charcuterie, Nyons olives, Grenoble walnuts, and several AOC cheeses including Beaufort, Abondance, Reblochon and Emmental.

 

A Wine for Every Man

 

The local terroir’s richness extends to wine, laying claim to Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône appellations.

 

For M. Henriroux, wine and food are inextricably linked. “They are complementary in daily life, from meetings between associations and colleagues to the family table, from the local bistro to the most reputed restaurant.”

 

A wine – and a cuisine – that reaches all corners of local society.