Food
This is France, so of course there is food - more to the point there are lentils! The Haute Loire is reknown for its lentils, its beef, its charcuterie, its champignons and its cheeses. Add to this the specialty "digestifs" of the region and you have something for everyone and for every palate.
lentils
Lentils have been cultivated here for over two thousand years and, although originally from the Mediterranean, they have adopted the region as their own. Recent archeological excavations at St Paulien have uncovered a Gallo-Roman clay vase filled with the grains attesting to their long presence in the region. The lentil was the first "vegetable" to receive an AOC and it is still grown on a three year rotation without any artificial fertilisers. Some 80% of French lentils are grown here and in 2006 the income generated as some 5 million euros!
Cheese and ...
The Haute Loire is a cheese haven, safe from rubber emmental and processed string. Here one can find well known cheeses such as the Bleu d'Auvergne, the forme d'Yssingeaux and the less well known but highly appreciated "fromage fermier" le Velay. A traditional cheese remarkable, not least, for its "living crust" of mites which lend it a certain flavour.
The forests of the Haute Loire are also reknown for their mushrooms and other fungi - in particular "cepes" and "girolles". The forests also provide an abundance of red fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, myrtles and blackberries.
Aperitif?...
Not well known for its wine, the Haute Loire does offer some rather unusual aperitifs. There is the "Batavia" based on the yellow gentian which flowers in the mountains, notably the Mezenc. Alongside this the "Verveine de Velay" was created in 1859, a green herb liquor produced by Pages of le Puy. They also produce many herb and fruit teas, the ingredients often collected from the region. A more traditional aperitif is the "Maurin" - based on cherries and "quinquina" macerated in wine.
Beef ...
Early agriculture in the Haute Loire was based on sheep and goat raising, but today it is the cow which dominates livestock production. Some 85% of those who work the land are involved in either meat or milk production. The "fin gras du Mezenc" is the epitome of good beef; A seasonal product from cows over wintered on fine mountain hay and fed no silage this is to be enjoyed from the end of February until early June.
