Burgundy is an area of gently rolling hills on the eastern periphery of the Massif Central. It is here that the central plateau meets with the gentle slopes of the Jura. The fertile soil of the valley in between has been planted with vines since the Romans’ conquest. Many of the names wine drinkers associate with France come from Burgundy. - Chablis, Beaujolais, Macon, Cote de Beaune, Cote d’Or and here are the famous wine centers of Dijon, Beaune, Macon and the Cote-d’Or. The northern portions, known as Lower Burgundy, produce little wine but have ornate Renaissance chateaux, spectacular monastic architecture and charming medieval towns.

The territory of Burgundy was conquered by Caesar in the Gallic Wars, but in the 4th century Roman power declined and the country was invaded by Germanic tribes. In c. 480 AD it was conquered by the Burgundii, a Germanic tribe who had settled in the Savoy Alps after losing their kingdom on the Rhine to the Huns. It was they who accepted Christianity and formed the First Kingdom of Burgundy.

Boeuf Bourguigon – There are as many recipes as there are cooks for this traditional Burgundian meal of beef stewed in a wine sauce. One thing they all have in common however is good and good wine, lots of it ! Le Jambon Persille – This is a preparation of of porc shoulder cooked for hours in stock, cut into cubes, mixed with parsley and then fit into a mold with aspic. It is tradationally made for Easter. Every year the Brotherhood of Saint-Antoine organizes an award for the best parsly ham ! Coq au Vin – In this dish, like the bœuf bourguigon, a rooster is cooked for a very long time in a delicious red wine sauce. Purists use the delicious Chambertin wine. Truly a regional treat. Bresse Chicken - These birds are highly valued for their deep flavour and fine, tender flesh. Roughly 1.2 million are raised annually. Be sure to eat one of these chickens while in France. They are so popular with the French that few make it outside the borders

While mustard seeds may have come from China via the Romans it is the area of Dijon that put mustard on the map and in return became internationally knwon. Mustard was originaly made of grinding the mustard seeds with raisin juice and used to mask bad smalling food. Industrialised mustards today are usually made with vinegar. There still exist a few traditional makers in the region however

Epoisse- Named after the village from which it originates, epoisse is a small round cows milk cheese famous in this area. Gougeres- Thes delicious little puffed pastries with cheese are traditionally served when visiting any respectable wine cellar or for the aperitif.

Symbol of gastrononomy in Burgundian cooking. They are usually prepared with butter, garlic, and parsley is a classic

Kir – It is Félix Kir, maire of Dijon from 1945-1968, to whom we owe the honor of this delicious aperetif composed of creme de cassis and bourgogone aligoté. He popularised the drink by serving it freely at all administrative receptions. A kir Royale l’aligoté is replaced with cremant de Bourgogne. Le Miel de Morvan – This rich tasting honey gets all of its virtues from flowers that grow in the regional mountains. It is the number one ingredient for another local treat, pain d’epice (spiced bread).