What to eat in Vichy? Our selection of 10 Vichy specialties

During your stay in the heart of Allier and Bourbonnais, you'll taste quality products and especially ones of great rusticity. Gourmets who love good meats will be in seventh heaven. Let's remember that Allier is the territory of Charolais beef, chicken and Bourbonnais lamb as well as Jaligny turkey. Exquisite and labeled meats, meeting strict specifications! You'll have the opportunity to taste them one by one, on their land of origin, accompanied by local condiments and a spoonful of Charroux mustard.

1. Vichy Carrots

These tender carrots, with half-salt butter and fresh herbs, will accompany many dishes during your stay. However, it's likely that the basic recipe doesn't originate from Vichy. They simply used Vichy water, renowned for its digestive properties, to cook the carrots. On your plate, the carrots are presented in thin rounds, uniformly coated with a delicious butter sauce.

2. Stuffed Cabbage

Here's a specialty that won't go unnoticed, at the center of a Vichy table. First, for the shape, the stuffed cabbage retains its whole leaves and its beautiful natural color (or slightly darkened after cooking). The leaves reveal at the top a few centimeters of pink stuffing. Then, the substance, Vichy stuffed cabbage is a rustic country recipe, whose stuffing is a hash of various meats, vegetables, breadcrumbs, eggs, and aromatics. The list of ingredients enriching the flavors is as wide as the stuffed cabbage itself. To be tasted imperatively, in a typically Auvergnat restaurant.

3. Bourbonnais Meats

Spotlight on the chicken, lamb and Charolais beef of Bourbonnais! These 3 species are recognized in the duchy for their fine and highly qualitative meat. Bourbonnais chicken is a rustic breed, raised with respect for rigorous rules and traditions. The meat is enjoyed with local Charroux mustard, of course! The farm lamb from Bourbonnais is stamped "label rouge". It is raised long and exclusively by its mother until slaughter. Thus, the quality and exceptional tenderness of the meat are preserved. Finally, the Charolais beef IGP and Label rouge from Bourbonnais... The star meat of local gastronomy. You surely haven't missed the herds spread throughout the Vichy territory. Thanks to their presence, the maintenance of Allier prairies is ensured. Thus preserving the verdant landscapes as far as the eye can see.

4. Cabbage Soup

Here's a recipe as old as the city (or almost). Indeed, in the past, it was customary to keep charcuterie (petit salé, sausage and potatoes) for breakfast after taking care of the animals. It's told that one rainy evening, someone stopped at a Bourbonnais inn asking what was offered on the menu and the waitress would have replied "there's soup, meat and vegetables: a real meal in short". Thus was born the Vichy cabbage soup.

5. Potato Pie

The potato pie is by far the essential specialty of Allier! This substantial, flavorful and easy-to-reproduce dish earns its place at Sunday lunch. You'll easily find this imposing pie in Vichy bakeries. It resembles a potato and cream tart, which locals happily accompany with slices of raw ham. To be enjoyed as a starter or main course, depending on each person's appetite.

6. Vichyssoise

Vichyssoise is a milky-colored soup, composed of leeks-potatoes, cream and fresh herbs. Traditionally served cold, it's not uncommon to enjoy it in a hot version, especially after a hard winter day! Accompanied by some crispy garlic croutons, the thick texture of vichyssoise could well satisfy more than one person.

7. Piquenchâgne

In Bourbonnais, it's customary for festive moments to be accompanied by a brioche (or other sweet specialty) to share among friends. It's therefore quite likely that piquenchâgne saw the light of day in this spirit of culinary conviviality. Even if its shape can be confusing, piquenchâgne is indeed a cake. The dough is a mixture of sugar, cream and alcohol, enhanced with pears, quinces or macerated apples. Before cooking, the fruits are arranged upright in the dough, as one "piques un chêne en terre" (plants an oak in the ground). Hence its name and its pretty raised crown shape.

8. Vichy Pastilles

This ancient candy with digestive properties is made from Vichy thermal waters. Waters rich in mineral salts, which are dried and ground before being mixed with glucose. The pastilles are then naturally flavored with mint, lemon, or anise. The recipe for Vichy pastilles has been the same since its beginnings! Beneficial for the body, they were formerly sold in pharmacies before their commercialization as confectionery. In the 19th century, Empress Eugénie greatly appreciated the pastilles, to the point of recognizing their originality by imperial decree!

9. Fruit Paste

How beautiful they are, the traditional multicolored fruit pastes of Auvergne. This sweet pleasure is a childhood memory for most inhabitants of Bourbonnais. The age-old recipe never stops delighting inhabitants and travelers passing through. Especially since Vichy fruit pastes are of high quality. The paste is made from the pulp of Auvergne fruits: quince, raspberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, strawberry, plum, apricot, pear, apple, cherry, red currant... Each color represents a specific taste and highlights regional productions. More Vichy treats to bring back in your luggage, isn't it?

10. Spring Waters

Vichy is one of the most renowned thermal spa resorts in the world. Known since Antiquity, it was in the 17th century that the notoriety of the Célestins spring experienced a turning point. At that time, Vichy gained new royal followers like Louis XV and Madame de Sévigné. Subsequently, Napoleon III would come there frequently for treatment and would moreover leave many traces of his passage in the city. The Vichy Célestins spring was even recognized as being "of public interest" by an imperial decree, hence its international notoriety and the assurance of "wellness" tourism year-round. For all these reasons, we recommend opting for a "diet" with Vichy mineral water throughout your entire stay. Your body will thank you!