Best Burgundian Foods
Délice de Bourgogne is a French triple crème cheese originating from the region of Burgundy, hence the name. The cheese is made from cow’s milk and butterfat, and it has a fat content of 75%. Its texture is smooth and creamy, while the flavors are tangy, tart, salty, buttery, and mushroomy.
The rind is white, bloomy, and quite pungent. It is recommended to serve the cheese on its own or pair it with ciders and white wines.
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Beef bourguignon is a rich and complex stew originating from the region of Burgundy in France. The star of the dish is a robust red Burgundy wine, which is used to soften and tenderize tough cuts of Charolais beef, along with savory additions such as carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms.
The ingredients are simmered for a long time until the meat is completely soft and succulent, and all the juices have blended into a hearty, dark sauce. Some say that the dish tastes even better after it has been refrigerated for 24 hours and then reheated.
Époisses is a soft cheese made from cow's milk with a glossy rind, and a pale beige, creamy, slightly salty body. It must mature for at least 4 weeks before it is ready for consumption when its salty, spicy, and sweet flavors, and an intense, pungent aroma fully develop.
The cheese is so smelly that it's been banned on public transport in France, according to the BBC. Its natural, brick red glossy rind develops during the maturation process as it gets washed with water containing Marc de Bourgogne (an aged brandy from Burgundy). Époisses is sold in a wooden box in order to ease the transport and prevent the cheese from spilling out.
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Oeufs en meurette is a traditional dish originating from the French region of Burgundy. The dish consists of eggs that are poached in red wine, as the wine's acid keeps the eggs nice and tidy and prevents the spillage that can happen during poaching.
The eggs are accompanied by either a meurette or bourguignon sauce, consisting of red wine, onions, bacon, and shallots. This elegant dish is traditionally served with toasted garlic bread on the side.
MOST ICONIC Oeufs en meurette
This classic peasant stew hails from the French region of Burgundy. This dish is the perfect showcase for the harmonious coexistence of its two main ingredients – coq, or rooster, and vin, or wine, in this case a bold, rustic red wine.
The rooster is cut into sections and combined with rooster's blood, onions, carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, parsley, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and a hefty dose of red wine. The ingredients are then slowly cooked over low heat until the meat becomes tender.
MOST ICONIC Coq au vin
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Gougères are tiny, hollow pastry puffs made from choux dough and cheese, most commonly grated Comté, Emmentaler, or Gruyère. These cheese puffs are often served cold or at room temperature as an accompaniment to beverages such as champagne or wine, but they can also be served warm as an appetizer.
The snacks were invented in the 17th century, in a store called Le ramequin de Bourgogne, located in the Burgundy area. Gougères can also be served in a sweet version, accompanied by various fruit jams on the side.
Bresse Bleu is a French cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk. This blue cheese hides a soft and creamy texture underneath its bloomy white rind. The aroma is fresh and mushroomy, while the flavor is buttery and very rich. During the production of Bresse Bleu, Penicillium roqueforti is added to the curds, and after molding, the rounds of cheese are rubbed with Penicillium camemberti.
The cheese is then left to mature for 2-4 weeks before consumption. Interestingly, Bresse Bleu is less pungent and less salty than most blue cheeses. Serve it with walnut bread and white grapes.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Poires au vin is a traditional, world-known French dessert originating from the Beaujolais wine-growing region. It consists of pears, fruity red wine (usually Beaujolais), and flavorings such as honey or sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, peppercorns, and cloves.
The pears are poached in wine and other ingredients, and the combination is then brought to a boil. The pears, still slightly firm, are drained, while the remaining ingredients are thickened into a sauce which is then poured over the pears when served.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Escargots à la Bourguignonne is a traditional dish originating from Burgundy. The dish consists of snails that are baked with garlic and butter. If using fresh snails, they should be blanched in boiling water and rinsed in clear water. The snails are then cleaned with a small brush in a mixture of water and vinegar, and rinsed again.
Many people buy canned cooked snails and then place them in empty snail shells, which can be found in most French supermarkets. They are covered with plenty of garlic butter enriched with shallots, parsley, salt, and pepper, then baked in the oven.
Once done, the snails are served immediately.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Escargot
MOST ICONIC Escargots à la Bourguignonne
Mâconnais is a tiny, conical cheese about the size of a shot glass, made from unpasteurised, full-fat goat's milk in the French region of Burgundy, departments of Rhône and Saône et Loire, where the goats graze on pastures around the local vineyards.
It is dried in cheese cages, hung in the open air and out of reach to various insects and pests. Aged for at least two weeks, it is very hard and dry, for such a small cheese, with a texture somewhere between crumbly, smooth and creamy. Even though it is small, the taste is intense and bold, but still not overpowering, so traditionally it is a daily snack to local winegrowers, paired with local white wines.
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