In Burgundy, food is just as important as wine. In every village and town notable for its nectar, there is also a special elixir – a dish or ingredients. It is said that there's no better time than mealtime in Burgundy. Nothing could be more true in this region where a passion for fresh regional produce is part of the lifestyle.
Seeing Stars
Fittingly, Burgundy is one of the regions of France with the most Michelin stars – 35 of them! In fact, with stars attached to four establishments in Tournus – one star for every 1,500 inhabitants – Burgundy has the highest concentration of Michelin stars in the world!
In 2014, seven new restaurants in Burgundy joined the Michelin club: Loiseau des Ducs (Dijon); Le Jardin des Remparts (Beaune); Christophe Quéant-Château de Pommard (Pommard); Ed. Em (Chassagne-Montrachet); La Marande (Montbellet); Auberge du Paradis (Saint-Amour Bellevue); and Au 14 février (Saint-Amour Bellevue).
Third Best Restaurant in the World
It's not just about Michelin accolades. For the second year in a row, Maison Lameloise, the Michelin three-star restaurant in Chagny (Saône-et-Loire) was declared the best gourmet restaurant in France by TripAdvisor users. In addition this year, it was voted the third best restaurant in the world.
A Terroir Full of Specialties
Burgundy is home to many internationally famous regional dishes, like its snails, boeuf bourgignon and coq au vin. But there is, of course, a whole lot more, including specialty ingredients, such as Moutarde Fallot, an artisanal enterprise with 100% Burgundian mustard; volaille de Bresse, the only AOC (“controlled designation of origin”) poultry in France; and boeuf Charolais breed, a special beef AOC product.
Other notable items and recipes include a variety of AOC dairy products (cheeses, creams and butter), Anis de Flavigny, Cassis de Dijon (especially the Kir®, a brand belonging to Lejay-Lagoute); Aligoté wine, the only AOC product in France from this grape variety; pôchouse (a traditional river-fish recipe from Verdun-sur-le-Doubs); œufs en meurette (eggs poached in a red-wine sauce reduction); marbled ham; and gougères (cheese in choux pastry).
Food Markets
The food markets of Burgundy, whether in covered and enclosed halls or dominating large open plazas, are often the pride of the locals, who spend a great deal of time there. Some of the standout market locations include Dijon; Beaune, which hosts the famous Hospices de Beaune wine auction in September; Chalon-sur-Saône, which attracts producers from Bresse; Mâcon, an enormous outdoor market dominating the Quai Lamartine; Noyers-sur-Serein, notable for its November focus on truffles; and Saint-Christophe-en-Brionnais, with its weekly gathering of regional Charolais breeders, farmers and traders.
Gourmet Festivals
What better way to experience the food of Burgundy than right in its native milieux through celebrations? Fortunately, Burgundy's festival calendar is very full of big and small fairs and carnivals centered around food.
For general gourmet passion, there's Saulieu's Journées gourmandes (Gournet Days) or Dijon's Foire gastronomique. The more focused appreciation of specific items finds audiences at the Fête de l’escargot (Snail Festival) in Digoin, Fête du Charolais (Charolais Festival) in Saulieu, Marché aux truffes (Truffle Market) in Noyers-sur-Serein and Les Glorieuses de Bresse, which is all about the special regional poultry.