THE GREATEST ARTS OF FRANCE - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette: France - page 165

Some local products have been transplanted, abroad.
The tan Charolais beef cows, perfect for bœuf bourguignon
and indigenous to this area, are raised all over the world, as
are the famous chickens of Bresse. Wild fowl, frogs, snails
and freshwater i sh remain local specialities. The escargots
de Bourgogne live in the vineyards, feasting on grape
leaves all summer and hibernating under the vine roots in
winter. They are usually harvested just a few weeks after
they begin hibernating, when their systems are clean, but
they are still plump.
From Nevers comes nougatine , a lovely dessert. Lyon is
a chocolate haven. The sweet crème de cassis made from
blackcurrants is the local liqueur from which the aperatif Kir
is made. To a dry Burgundian white wine add a tablespoon
of the liqueur. Among cheeses, there are the Bleu de Bresse ,
Saint-Marcellin and Rigotte de Condrieu all made from cow's
milk. Picodon is a goat cheese from Montélimar.
The Auvergne
The centre of France is less populated than most, being
the high mountains of the Massif Central. The cuisine is
based on dairy products, pork, potatoes, cabbage and wild
berries... real country fare. Good, strong cheeses, uncooked
and pressed up in the mountains, abound: Cantal, Salers
and Saint-Nectaire. Two blues, Fourme d'Ambert and Bleu
d'Auvergne, are also AOC.
The Limousin oak tree here provides cooperage for Cognac
and the Limousin breed of cattle gives the best of France's
beef. Pork products and sausages are always popular. “Given
the climate,” says Anne Willan, “the cooks of the Massif
Central go for calories rather than i nesse ...”
People of the Auvergne have a reputation for being
tight-i sted. They used to come to Paris, work in dingy
cafés and save all their pennies. They have minted money
with some of their products, however. The mineral waters
of Perrier and Vichy spring from the mountains around
the old spa towns of the same name. Badoit and Volvic
are also locally produced and all are strictly controlled
by their AOC.