Culinary heritage
Val d'Arly wishes you “bon appétit”
Every day, you can tickle your taste buds and try new culinary delights from amongst a huge variety of traditional dishes. Here we present just a few of the most divine.
Fondue paysanne: The fondue savoyarde, made from Gruyere cheese and white wine, that is served in most of the restaurants in our village-resorts was unknown to our ancestors. It was far too expensive for the rural population, for whom white wine was a luxury. Their fondue was a sort of cheese cream. The first record of a fondue made using Tomme cheese dates from 1912.
Ingredients: Tomme, Beaufort, Emmenthal, 4 or 5 eggs, milk, butter, garlic, salt
Cut the cheese into thin slices and soften them in a little hot milk. Add 4 or 5 egg yolks, salt, a knob of butter and a clove of garlic. Pour the mixture into a flameproof dish and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time in the same direction with a wooden spoon. Very patiently, let the fondue thicken. Just before it boils, remove the dish from the heat to stop the cheese turning into oil. Eat with good country bread.
Farcement or farçon: This speciality can be enjoyed at several local restaurants but, given the long preparation and cooking time, it must be ordered in advance. This used to be the traditional Sunday lunch.
Ingredients: potatoes, 1 or 2 spoons of flour, a large handful of raisins, sea salt. The proportions are difficult to define as they depend on the size of the cooking dish and the variety of potato used.
Peel the raw potatoes and grate them into a large dish. Add the salt, raisins and flour. Some people also add prunes. Pour the mixture into a well-greased cast-iron dish. Brown on both sides, keeping the heat low to ensure the crust doesn’t become too hard.
Bounyëte: In the past "bounyëte" was sometimes made to brighten up the every day diet but it was specially popular when intense work, such as ploughing, taking the animals to and from the high pastures and hay-making, was required. It was also served as an evening snack. Bounyëtes are not served in any local restaurants but they can be tasted at every village fête. So, check out the dates!
Ingredients for approximately twenty “bounyëtes”: 4 eggs, 15 serving spoons flour, 4 serving spoons sugar, 1 teaspoon of rum or orange floral water, a pinch of salt
Beat the whole eggs with the sugar until the mixture is frothy. Add the flavouring, diluted in a little water, and a pinch of table salt. Thicken with around 15 serving spoons of flour, more if needed, to make a soft dough. Roll small lumps of the dough between two forks to form flattened balls, and then drop them into hot oil. Brown them on each side. When cooked, remove them from the oil and place them on an absorbent cloth, and then on a plate. Eat while warm.
