CONTEMPORARYFOOD

Gastronomy in the Ardèche

Clément Faugier

Clement FAUGIER’s factory in PRIVAS

The Ardèche ! A small department in the south-east of France where we can find chestnuts, one of the basic elements in the Ardèche cooking.

In Privas, the world capital for chesnuts, there is a first-class company. It’s called Clement Faugier from the name of its creator.

Clément Faugier company has existed since 1882. Indeed, at that time, the breeding of silkworms knew a very hard crisis so the young Clement Faugier, willing and active didn’t give up and founded a large-scaled factory.In the 1880s, harvests of chestnuts were abundant and lots of persons were unemployed, so available. In a few years, he managed to save the region.

Today, this factory creates lots of very different delicacies which are appreciated by everyone like sweets, jams, desserts, ice cream, chestnut spread…

These delicacies can be offered at Christmas or other celebrations.

The products are based on chestnuts imported from France (between 20 and 25% according to the season) and from Italy (Naples, Turin), Spain and Portugal. Clément Faugier offers always more products so needs always more chestnuts. But chestnuts are becoming rare. Soon, they will probably come from South America as they cultivate the same kind of chestnuts as in France.

Even if the company has existed for 130 years, chestnuts are still a cult product because they can be eaten in many different ways. Some people call this produce « the cream of cream ».

Moreover, Clement Faugier has established partnerships with many food industries, the best-known being Nestlé (for MaronSui’s dessert created in 1965).

The company mascot Marono was created in 1938 and designed with chestnut shells.

This character, created by the designer Bellanger and very easy to recognize, enhances Clement Faugier’s reputation in 80 countries in the world as the French market is saturated.

In Europe, Danemark, Germany, Italy, England and other countries import Clement Faugier’s products. After Japan and China, the company extended its market to India in luxury hotels or delicatessens. We can find chestnut and other byproducts everywhere.

That implies a turnover up to 20 million euros.

Clement Faugier is famous for its know-how and top quality products.

Last year, in 2012, the company, which is the leader in the world, celebrated its 130th anniversary.

Many years of pleasure and love of good food.

Lorène

Gastronomy from Ardèche

Ardèche department full of traditions and flavours

Terre Adelice Ice cream

An important

part of the

Ardèche

gastronomy

are the Terre

Adelice ice

creams.

The company and the production

The Terre Adélice firm was founded in 1995 by two brothers Xavier and Bertrand Rousselle. They both wanted to engage in a commercial activity which respected nature. That is why they decided to produce ice creams with local products. Their products are very original, because they are made with natural products which they find in the local biodiversity.

The factory is located in a little town of Ardèche : Saint Sauveur

de Montaigut. People from Terre Adelice chose to produce their

ice creams in a very special way : Instead of using machines made

for mass industrial production, they prefer using a traditional,

small-scale mode of production. This is what makes the quality of

their products.

Terre Adelice factory

Terre Adelice and organic products

To produce in an eco-friendly way, the

Terre Adelice firm created a range of

organic products. The « AB » eco-label

which is shown here guarantees that

the ice creams are made using organic

products.

Terre Adelice, an original firm

Terre Adelice offers a lot of very original flavours, all

made with products from Ardèche:

• Fruit, like chestnuts, cherries, blueberries,

blackberries

•Vegetables, like leeks

•And other special things like goats’ cheese !

THE PICODON CHEESE

• Picodon is a goat-milk cheese made in

the region around the Rhône River in

southern France.

• The production can be farmhouse, or

industrial, and the final product contains at

least 45% fat.

• Picodon is manufactured throughout the year,

although farmhouse production only occurs

between spring and autumn.

• A total 584 tons was produced in 2005.

• The « AOC » status was granted in 1983. It’s the

French certification for wines, cheeses, butters

and other agricultural products.

• The production primarily takes place in the departments of

the Ardèche and the Drôme, though regulations also allow

the canton of Barjac in the Gard and Valréas in the

Vaucluse to produce them.

The cheese is small, flat and circular in shape. It is between 5 and 8 centimetres wide and between 1.8 and 2.5 centimetres high.

The colour varies from speckled white to golden according to the maturing.

Young, the cheese has a soft white rind and has a gentle, fresh taste.

Older, it can lose half of its weight resulting in a golden rind with a much harder centre and a more concentrated flavour.

Young Picodons Mature Picodons

Goats used to make Picodon are the Alpine Chamoisée and the

Saanen.

A goat produces around 3 litres of milk every day. The fabrication of

one picodon requires at least ½ litre of milk.

In order to obtain its particular

taste, goats feed themselves with

grass but also hawthorn, juniper,

hazelnut, acorn, chestnuts,

lavander and lime tree.

Valcrest firm

The Valcrest firm works as a

cooperative with more than 500

milk producers.

It transforms and commercializes

all the goat and cow milk

collected by its members, most of

them in the Rhône Alpes region.

The Crest factory, in the Drôme departement, in the

heart of the Picodon « AOC » zone, is specialized in

goat-cheese. It collects more than 12 million litres of

goat milk every year from 240 producers in the

Drôme, the Ardèche and beyond.

According to the factory, more than 40% of its

production is exported mostly in the United States and

the European Union.