Five exceptional cheeses
Auvergne protects five PDO cheeses: Saint-Nectaire, Cantal, Salers, Fourme d’Ambert and Bleu d’Auvergne. Each one tells a story of its land, from the Puy de Dôme to the Livradois hills. For two, you build a tasting platter at the Saint-Flour covered market or at a Clermont cheese-ripener, you compare tastes, you hesitate between a pâté en croûte and a pompe aux grattons. A glass of Côtes-d’Auvergne wine on the side, and the evening slips by.
Truffade, aligot and pounti
In the Cantal mountain huts, you share a truffade, potatoes mixed with young Salers tome in a long-handled pan. A little further north, aligot stretches into long gourmet ribbons. And deep in the Cantal, pounti, a soft meat loaf with herbs and prunes, is cut into generous slices. A date in a remote inn, with a view over the hills, promises a truly honest moment.
Character villages and sweet treats
Salers, Pradelles, Montpeyroux, Charroux and Lavaudieu belong to the official Most Beautiful Villages of France. You wander between basalt houses and flowery shutters, taste a Vichy pastille or Puy green lentils carrying their PDO label. On Lyad, Auvergne foodies swap their favourite inns and markets; it is up to you to find someone to hand your fork across the table.
Date ideas
- Saint-Nectaire
- Cantal cheese
- Fourme d’Ambert
- Salers village
- Truffade
- Pounti
- Puy green lentils
- Vichy pastilles
