lookat-france travellers’ tales

by Keith Kellett

I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t rain in the mountainous Haut Savoie region of France. It does. In winter, it snows a lot, too. But, the snow is greeted with joy, for much of the local economy depends on those who come to the area for the winter sports.

There’s another advantage to all that snow and rain, too. On it depend the lush, high-level pastures we’ve come to associate with the Alps. Cows graze here, and from them, we get the rich, creamy milk from which the cheese of the region is made.

The best-known local cheese is Reblochon. It’s been made in the Thones valley since the 13th Century, and use of this name is strictly controlled. It must be produced within the area, and made from milk from only three breeds of cows.

Indeed, most food products of the region carry the AOC cachet (‘Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée’), to qualify for which a product must be produced in a particular region, and restricted in the ingredients and methods used to make it. Unfortunately, it often also means that the item is often hard to find outside the region.

‘Reblochon’ means ‘second milking’ from the product of which the cheese was originally made. I heard a story which said that farmers used to be taxed according to the milk yield of the herd. But, to avoid paying tax on unsold milk, they only partially milked the cows, taking just what they estimated they could sell. Then, they turned the cows back out to pasture, to milk them again when the Inspector had gone. This milk had a sweeter taste than the first, ‘official’ milking

But, they couldn’t sell the milk they obtained by this method, so they made cheese instead.

Nowadays, there are two kinds of Reblochon. Some farmers take their milk to a co-operative, where the cheese is made; this is marked with an edible red disc in the coating of the cheese. But, if the farmer makes the cheese himself, it gets the green disc; it’s called ‘Reblouchon Fermier’, and is made from the milk of a single herd, and is held to be superior.

If you walk in the hills, or drive around the valleys, you will see signs offering cheese for sale outside almost every farm-house. Or, you can go to the market. We went to the one in Annecy, where several stall-holders just sold cheese. And, they take it seriously. The question they’ll often ask is when are you going to eat it? How long do you want to keep it for? The cheese takes 3-4 weeks to ripen, and they’ll select the cheese they consider best for your purpose.

Keeping the cheese in a refrigerator is frowned upon; if you must do this, they say, it should be taken out, and made to stand at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

The cheeses are disc-shaped, about 14 cm. in diameter, and with a saffron-coloured rind. The cheese itself is soft, creamy and ivory coloured.

Reblochon isn’t the only cheese made in the region. Tomme, from a Savoyard dialect word meaning ‘cheese from the mountain pastures’ is made in pretty well the same way as Reblochon, but is cooked at a higher temperature and kept for longer, giving a harder cheese.

We did a lot of walking in those mountain pastures, and, one day, our lunch-packs contained a crusty baguette stuffed with tomatoes, Reblochon and Tomme … a taste which made the description ‘cheese sandwich’ sound so inadequate.

Another way of sampling Reblochon is in a local dish called Tartiflette. Local people say it’s a necessity in any sampling of the regional food, and take great delight in introducing visitors to it. It’s simply a casserole of sliced potatoes and finely-cubed pork, with the cheese melted into and over it.

We had it served as a starter, without the pork … we christened it ‘vegetarian tartliflette’

And, after dinner on our last night, the cheese-board contained Reblochon and Tome des Bauges (note, in this case, it’s only spelt with one M) which is made only with milk from the Bauges massif. These were served with walnuts and dried apricots and I think this, with a glass of the local red wine, is the perfect ending to any meal. Especially a festive one.

How to Get there: The nearest airport is Geneva, across the border in Switzerland; approx. 1 hour’s drive form St. Jean de Sixt, where we stayed. Nearest main rail station is at Annecy, about half an hour away. There’s a bus service from Annecy approximately every two hours; fare is about 7 euros.

There is no public transport form Geneva airport, except in winter, when a ski-bus operates.

Where to Stay: We stayed at the Aravis Lodge Hotel in St Jean de Sixt, where there’s an excellent kitchen presided over by chef John Crompton. Details at www.karibuni.co.uk. If you’re staying there, they’ll arrange a free transfer from Annecy or Geneva for you. If you just want to learn about the food, visit John’s sites at www.cookinginfrance.biz or www.cromptonskitchen.com.