Even the Squeak

The towns and countryside of the upper Bourgogne Canal have historically been very poor. More recently this has all changed as farmers have benefited from EU agricultural subsidies. But this affluence has not yet been seen in the towns such as Montbard and Tonnerre which still look rather run down.

However, this poverty leads to creativity in cuisine. It's the sort of place where they used every part of the pig, except the squeak. So they ate tripe and pigs trotters and Andouillette sausages, made from the intestines stuffed with prepared offal. Theese delicacies are more to some people's taste than others. Perhaps it is a generational thing. My dad would eat the English versions with relish (gusto, not chutney), while I was brought up on more recognisable things like tongue, heart and liver. Now our children only want chicken breast and roasts. Perhaps theirs will demand only prepared meals where the link with the animal is totally unidentifiable, or become vegetarians.

Anyway, back to Tonnerre. A more recent phenomenon has been the appearance of immigrants to the area, presumably attracted by the low cost of living. They have opened up ethnic restaurants and fast food outlets, so you now see kebabs, pizzas and the occasional Thai restaurant. It will be interesting to see whether these push out the more traditional foods. But the old ways still cling on. The patisserie in Montbard offered the widest variety of savoury foods, in fact a whole display, all well prepared and at a good price. Elsewhere the choice has been more limited. Perhaps the move to global cuisine is even been seen in France.