The French pride themselves on the fine quality of their restaurants and their cuisine. The Touraine region boasts an exceptionally diverse variety of high quality food produce and complimentary wine, giving us much to be proud about. Be it the local freshwater fish or fresh vegeatables sided with a fine wine, Touraine offers much that will please your palate.

Most towns within Touraine (eg. Amboise or Tours) host weekly food markets where the local farmers come to exhibit their fine specialties; as well as specific markets throughout the year to celebrate seasonal produce. These local food markets are a delight to experience, as you can witness the hard work and commitment of local farmers and their abundant varieties of fresh cheese, fish, meat and fruit and vegetables.

Cheese
Touraine is home to some of the finest goats' cheese in France. Varieties include the creamy produce of Ste-Maure de Touraine, Selles-sur Chers' mild produce and the firmer and stronger tasting cheese of Valencay. Alternatively, you can taste the delicious cows' milk cheese of Olivet, Port-Salut or Feuille de Dreux, or Perusson ewe's milk cheese available in select Touraine restaurants.

Fish
The regions' freshwater fish, such as shad (alose), eels (anguilles) and pike-perch (brochet), are dominant in Touraine fish dishes, generally being served with a thick white wine or butter sauce.

Meat and Charcuterie
Free-range chickens and guineafowl (pintade) are raised in Touraine; with duck, grassfed cattle, sheep, deers, hares and wild boar being raised in the surrounding Orléans, Anjou and Sarthe regions. Well-known and well sort after, is the award winning breed of hen known as the Géline de Touraine. The main charcuterie (pork specialty) of the region includes Rillettes (shredded, slow-roasted pork) and Rillons (chunks of salted pork).

Fruit and Vegetables
Due to the mild climate and the sandy soil along the riverbanks, much of France's vegetables are grown in the Loire Valley. Some of which include fresh carrots, onions, beans, asparagus, radishes and leeks. Mushrooms are a specialty in Touraine, cultivated in moist caves along the Loire, as are the tender plums. To the north of Tours exist large orchard farms with delicious varieties of pears and apples.

Food and Wine
The art of French cuisine pairs perfectly the superb flavours of Touraine's food and wine produce in one exceptional meal, sure to enlighten your taste buds. The wine of Muscadet-sur-Lie combines beautifully with seafoods such as shellfish, raw oysters and mussels, whilst the strong flavour of Savonniéres is fantastic with smoked fish and white meats. Meals of grilled or roasted meat are delicious with wines from Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur; whilst the white wines of Quincy, Reuilly and Sancerre flatter the local goat cheeses.

The slightly dry wine of Vouvray is considered by many to be the best of the Loire Valley. Famous for its white wine appellation, Vouvray boasts wines of fantastic richness and complexity, ever increasing with age. Made from Chenin Blanc, the same principal grape as the wine of Amboise, Vouvray wine greatly complements seafoods such as scallops and lobster.

Just as fine as Vouvray and located across the river, is the lesser known wine of Montlouis. It includes produce from Montlouis-sur-Loire, Lussault-sur-Loire and St-Martin-le-Beau (slightly closer to the Cher River). The wine, a real hidden gem of the Loire Valley, is made 100% from Chenin Blanc and varies in sweetness depending on the vintage.