10 Best Local Dishes from Annecy

Tartiflette is a dish that combines potatos, lardons and onions with Reblochon cheese. The dish has a long history in the region, mentioned as early as 1705 when it appeared in a cookbook called Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois by François Massialot.

These days, it’s especially popular in wintertime, when skiers and snowboarders visiting nearby resorts demand something warm and filling when they come off the mountain. There are now several known variations, including a dish called croziflette, which is made with pasta instead of potatos, and morbiflette, which replaces Reblochon with Morbier cheese.

Raclette is most commonly associated with Switzerland. However, it’s just as much a Savoyard dish that you’ll find in numerous restaurants across Annecy.

Basically, it’s a cheese that’s heated so that the melted part can be scraped off. Traditionally, cow herders would have done so over an open fire. In Annecy, it’s often left at the table for customers to serve themselves, though the cheese may be cut into smaller pieces known as coupelles. It is accompanied by bread, charcuterie and potatos as well as a glass or two of white wine.

Gratin de crozets makes good use of the tiny pieces of Savoyard pasta known as crozets, which have been eaten in the Haute-Savoie region since at least the 17th century.

While traditionally made with buckwheat, durum wheat is a popular substitute. These days, the pasta is cut into very small squares. Where crozets are used in a gratin, the pasta pieces are combined with cream and lardons. Then, the entire thing is topped with cheese and baked in the oven.

Fondue Savoyarde is very similar to its Swiss counterpart. However, it incorporates regional cheeses such as Beaufort, Comte and Tomme de Savoie. 

These cheeses are melted with white wine in a communal pot. Everyone seated around the dining table dips forked sticks loaded with chunks of crusty bread into the hot cheese. Be careful not to lose your bread: some say that local custom dictates you must buy the next round of beverages or kiss your fellow diners if you do.

Diots are small pork sausages seasoned with salt and pepper, sometimes with nutmeg or garlic. These flavoursome and meaty sausages can be eaten hot or cold, with a dollop of Dijon mustard.

Most often in Annecy, you’ll find diots as the star ingredient of the dish diots au vin blanc, where they are cooked in white wine. Also on the plate are crozets (boiled potatos) and a generous heap of buttered cabbage.

The Omble Chevalier is what the French call Arctic char. This freshwater fish is part of the salmon family, but tastes very similar to trout. It is found in abundance in alpine lakes, including Lac Annecy.

Local fishermen head down to the lake early in the morning and land their catch. It’s no surprise that the Omble Chevalier is very common in the city’s restaurants. While it’s often served broiled, you can enjoy it fumé, or smoked, which gives it a unique flavor.

Tomme de Chèvre tartine is a kind of open sandwich topped with goat’s cheese. This artisanal cheese dates back to the 17th century, and is produced locally in the Abondance, Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys of the Haute-Savoie region.

Rounds are aged for about 7 weeks to allow the flavor of this cheese to develop. It's sweet at first bite, followed by citrusy notes. Thanks to its distinctive aroma and firm yet creamy texture, Tomme de Chèvre is a popular choice for spreading onto bread.

Reblochon is an unpasteurised cheese made from cows’ milk, which develops a harmless white mold on its rind. Its history dates back to the 14th century when it earned its name, which translates as ‘to pinch a cow’s udder again’. Farmers were taxed according to how much milk their cows yielded, so would hold some back until calculations had been tallied up.

The Reblochon cheese is still produced mainly in the Thônes valley, not far from Annecy. It has an intense and nutty flavor, making it a nice option for tartiflette (potato, bacon, and cheese casserole). You can also enjoy baked Reblochon cheese with broiled sausages and boiled potatos. 

Gâteau de Savoie, sometimes called biscuit de Savoie, is a light sponge cake. Locals who claim it’s fit for royalty aren’t exaggerating. The cake was dreamed up in 1358 by the chef of Count Amadeus VI of Savoy as something worthy of serving to his guest, Charles IV of Luxembourg.

A few centuries later, François Massialot slightly adapted the recipe for Gâteau de Savoie, adding lime zest, orange blossom, vanilla, cinnamon, and confectioners' sugar.

Tarte aux myrtilles is a classic mountain pie, consisting of a thick layer of blueberries spread over a crispy pastry base. The wild berries thrive in the Alpine meadows and are harvested in late summer. 

Alongside tarts and pies that you’ll see virtually everywhere in Annecy, you might also have an opportunity to try them in crepes or jelly form. Many cafes and restaurants serve tarte aux myrtilles by the slice, topped with ice cream or whipped cream. It serves as a nice treat after a day of hiking or skiing around Annecy.