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Discover the local culinary specialities

Published 13 September 2021

During your stay in Auvergne, treat yourself to a local speciality to get a real taste of the region and its traditional dishes.

When you visit Vichy, get away from it all and discover some specialities not to be missed.

Truffade

Truffade is THE classic Auvergne dish, made with potatoes, fresh tomme cheese, salt and pepper, and served with Auvergne cured ham and green salad. It was originally prepared by shepherds who spent long periods in the burons (stone huts) in the mountains, and takes its name from the word “trufada”, which means potato in the Auvergne dialect. Be warned: the potatoes must be nicely crisped in a frying pan!

Potée auvergnate

Another must-try Auvergne dish, potée auvergnate is a hearty dish "to keep you warm", with plenty of vegetables (cabbage, turnip, carrot and potato) and meat (lean bacon, pork shank and sausage). Everything simmers for hours in a large pot and the cabbage is braised with the cured meats.

Petit salé aux lentilles

Another flavoursome dish to enjoy and warm up with in the depths of winter: petit salé aux lentilles (salt pork with lentils). It is a melt-in-the-mouth dish thanks to the texture of the lentils and the brine-cured pork, and it was already popular in the 14th century. Grown in Le Puy-en-Velay, the lentil has a protected designation of origin (AOC).

Come and try these specialities at one of the following restaurants:

Le Gaulois

105 Av. des Célestins, 03200 Vichy

Tel: 04 70 97 93 75

Le Montreize

22 Pl. d'Allier, 03200 Vichy

Tel: 04 70 59 99 44

La Truffade de St Eloi (https://www.latruffadedefred.fr/)

Le Bourg 03150 MONTOLDRE (27 km from Vichy)

Tel: 04 70 45 29 75 - 06 79 96 68 64 (takeaway dishes also available)