The French Alps: a dream of powder-soft snow, clear blue skies and endless slopes. The Portes du Soleil holiday region, a vast ski area on the border of France and Switzerland, offers much more besides being the perfect place to practise winter sports.
The true soul of a winter sports holiday in the Portes du Soleil also lies in the smell of melted cheese, the warmth of a crackling fire, and the rich tradition of Savoy cuisine. It is the rich culinary culture that has its origins in Savoy, a region where gastronomy and mountain life are deeply intertwined. Here you will not only taste delicious dishes from the Portes du Soleil, but also be able to experience the local traditions, warm hospitality and authentic Alpine cosiness. Well-known Savoyard cheeses such as Reblochon, Tomme de Savoie, Abondance and Beaufort are the foundations of many traditional dishes. These cheeses are often produced directly on Alpine farms, where cows graze on mountain pastures strewn with herbs and flowers. Each village has its own producer and recipe. A trip to Portes du Soleil is not complete without enjoying the culinary heritage in the Alps: from steaming fondue savoyarde to fragrant tartiflette, from sunny mountain terraces to stylish mountain restaurants where fine dining raises the bar to the next level.
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In the French Alps, it is traditional to end the day with a meal that is heartwarming and that stimulates all the senses: cheese fondue, raclette and tartiflette are the absolute favourites here. These classic dishes are indispensable for those who want to experience the culinary Alpine feeling during a luxury winter sports holiday with children in France, whether in a mountain hut or in a luxury chalet or restaurant. The Savoyard cuisine is a rich cuisine, based on cheese, potatoes and cold cuts. But Savoyard cuisine is more than just food; it is a social event, the perfect way to end your (cold) day. This cuisine brings conviviality: gathering around a pot, grill or oven dish creates a sense of togetherness and atmosphere. The robust taste, rich cheeses and mountain products guarantee an authentic winter experience that cannot be experienced at home.
Cheese fondue, also known as Fondue Savoyarde, is the heart of French mountain cuisine. It is an atmospheric, cozy dish that calls for joint enjoyment. No winter sports holiday in France is complete without this atmospheric, social event. While the snowflakes fall past the windows, and the crackling fire gives its cozy warmth, the thick pan (Caquelon) full of Beaufort, Emmental and the local Abondance cheese simmers. Traditionally, garlic is rubbed in the pan and the cheese is melted with a dash of dry white Savoie wine, such as an Apremont. Small pieces of baguette, sometimes topped with mushrooms or a hint of bacon, are pricked on long forks and twisted into the melted cheese.
Cheese fondue was traditionally eaten by mountain farmers who wanted to use up their stale bread: by gathering around the fire, a tradition of sharing and conviviality developed. In the Portes du Soleil and the entire Savoy region, there is a tradition when cheese fondueing that whoever drops his piece of bread in the fondue must get a round of drinks as a "punishment" or pay a small coin as a symbolic fine to the rest of the table. This tradition has been around for generations and is not about strict rules, but mainly about fun and togetherness at the table. There are variations to this punishment such a that: some have to sing a song, tell a joke or pour an extra glass of wine for their table companions. In practice, it leads to a lot of cheerfulness and makes the experience of a cheese fondue during a culinary winter sports holiday in the French Alps extra special.
Raclette is also a dish from the Alpine region and follows the same principle of shared pleasure. Originally from Valais, this dish is also very popular in the French side of the region. This dish is named after the main cheese used in the dish. The word raclette comes from "racler", to scrape. The dish is not only hearty and full of flavour but also symbolizes casual dining after a day in the snow. Raclette cheese has a mild, creamy taste and is sometimes paired with Emmental or Gruyere. In traditional raclette, half a Raclette cheese is heated by the fireplace, after which the melted cheese is scraped over the plate with warm potatoes, pickles and charcuterie cooked in their skins. Nowadays, raclette grills are often used, which are more suitable for families. In most restaurants in the Portes du Soleil, you will find this dish being served. It guarantees cozy long evenings with a good glass of white wine.
One of the other most beloved Savoyard dishes in the French Alps is Tartiflette. This is a popular dish among people who are in the Portes du Soleil for their culinary winter sports holiday. This oven dish consists of potatoes, bacon, onion, cream and large slices of Reblochon that melt into a golden-brown crust. The scent alone fills the Alpine chalet with warmth and makes you forget that outside, snow is falling steadily and silently. The recipe was created when it was still necessary to stimulate sales of the creamy, smelly Reblochon cheese. The firmness of the Tartiflette calls for a light, fruity red wine, such as a young Gamay, or a fresh white wine to break the richness of the Reblochon.
In addition to the well-known classics, dishes of simple farmhouse cuisine such as Diots and Crozets also deserve attention. Diots are hearty Savoyard sausages, usually cooked in white wine and served with polenta or crozets, which are small square pastes made of buckwheat flour. These local dishes in the Abondance Valley come from times when men worked for days in the fields or in the mountains and needed energy that lasted. Jambon de Savoie is also popular, as are the Filet de Perche and Berthoud, a local dish from the Abondance valley consisting of melted Abondance cheese, garlic, nutmeg and Savoie wine.
The Alpine region has its own wines, mainly dry white wines that beautifully balance the heavy cheese dishes. The wines of Savoy are less famous than those from Burgundy or Bordeaux, but they are particularly popular locally. We definitely recommended indulging in these delicious wines during your winter sports holiday with your family in France. The local wines pair perfectly with the rich mountain dishes of the French Alps. The region around the Portes du Soleil ski area in France is known for its own, relatively small, but good AOC wines, indispensable with the local dishes of Haute Savoie. From the comfort of your home at either AlpChalets Portes du Soleil or AlpResort Portes du Soleil, you can visit the following wine regions.
For a night out, Abondance and La Chapelle d'Abondance offer gastronomic highlights, perfect for experiencing the taste of Savoie in a sophisticated setting. The best restaurants in the Abondance Valley are listed below:
Each restaurant offers the opportunity to enjoy dinner in an atmosphere of warmth and conviviality with a view of the snow-capped peaks of the Portes du Soleil, just as a luxury culinary winter sports holiday in the Alps should be.
During a long day of skiing in the French Alps, there is little more inviting than authentic mountain huts (chalets d'alpage) and atmospheric restaurants on the slopes in the middle of the snow. Local cheese dishes, homemade soups and crunchy baguettes are served here and the smell of melting cheese and wood fire mixes with the fresh mountain air. Try a planche savoyarde (platter of local cheeses and charcuterie) overlooking the valley; a bowl of hearty homemade soup with a glass of wine or a dessert of myrtilles des montagnes (mountain blueberries). For your family-friendly winter sports holiday with children in France, there are also plenty of menus to choose from.
Many of these huts are only accessible on skis or with snowshoes, an additional reason to visit them.
In villages such as Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz and Châtel, you will also find restaurants that offer fine dining with Savoyard roots.
Those looking for the real Alpine feeling can visit the weekly markets in villages around Portes du Soleil. Morzine has a market on Wednesdays, Les Gets a market on Thursdays, and the market in Châtel is on Fridays. Discover artisan cheeses, freshly baked bread, local honey, artisanal charcuterie and game from the region. Are you looking for a nice day out from your luxury wellness chalet in the Alps? A visit to a fromagerie (cheese dairy) is highly recommended, here you can see how milk from mountain cows is processed into full-bodied, aromatic cheeses. Many producers allow visitors to taste the cheeses or offer guided tours. Wine tastings at Savoyard wineries, often small family estates, are also perfect for a day out.
Going on a winter sports holiday to the French Alps with your family is all about the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation, atmosphere and culinary enjoyment. The Abondance Valley in the French Alps (Haute-Savoie) offers exactly that balance. The Abondance Valley is located far away from the biggest, most hectic ski centres, yet strategically located on the mega area of Portes du Soleil with its 650km of slopes. The villages of Abondance and La Chapelle d'Abondance exude the atmosphere of a traditional, authentic mountain community. A winter sports holiday in Portes du Soleil is not only an adventure full of speed and snow, but also a culinary travelogue, a discovery of the Savoyard soul, served in tasty dishes and wines that share the aromas of the mountains.
The moment you sit in your luxury apartment in the Abondance Valley in the evening, with a glass of Apremont or Mondeuse noir in hand as part of the gastronomy of the French Alps, looking at the snowy rooftops, after a day of exercise and culinary indulgence, is priceless. Book your luxury accommodation for a winter sports holiday in the Portes du Soleil in the Abondance Valley now and get ready for the most complete and unforgettable culinary winter sports holiday in France for the whole family.
The culinary Portes du Soleil awaits you,
with open arms and a steaming caquelon! ⛷️🧀🍷
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