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It is no surprise that this colourful and richly varied landscape
produces such delicious fare. Among the wines, Chasselas and
Pinot noir are especially popular, but winegrowers have recently
been enjoying increasing success with other grape varieties
such as Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Gamaret and Garanoir.
Any of these would make an ideal accompaniment to Tête de
Moine, the cylindrical cheese made on the lush meadows of the
Jura. Tête de Moine is never cut with a knife but instead
scraped into delicate curls with a special implement called
a girolle. When autumn comes, residents enjoy getting together
with friends and family at a traditional torrée neuchâteloise:
a big outdoor fire, where the highly prized local saucisson
neuchâtelois, a traditional smoked sausage, is cooked in the
embers.
The mysterious “green fairy”
At such traditional meals “la fée verte” will often make an
appearance: absinthe, the legendary drink of artists. Distillation
of this spirit, which originated in the Val-de-Travers, was
recently started again, and you can taste it legally here, although
its recipe remains a closely guarded secret. Another drink that
expresses the potency of the Jura soil is damassine: a clear
brandy distilled from small wild plums, known for its delicate
aroma.
It is in this fertile land that residents and visitors celebrate the
Fête de la St-Martin every year in mid-November. A traditional
lavish meal with many guests features a menu of pork dishes
prepared in an astonishing variety of ways: in bouillon, boudin
noir (blood sausage), atriaux (patties scented with herbs),
choucroute garnie (braised sauerkraut with roast and cured
pork) and roasts, to name just a few – all followed by the celebrated
totché, a yeast-risen cake baked with a thick cream
topping for dessert.
Fine fish
After such rich food, something light is called for? Subtle fillets
of perch or lavaret from the lake, perhaps, smoked bondelle or
trout from the Doubs river: delicate fish best enjoyed on the
lakeshore, together with a glass of local wine.
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