Often made up of meat and fat, regional products and local specialties do not seem appropriate for summer holidays. However, now is the perfect time to take advantage of it.
Discovery, flavor, curiosity, gluttony. Such are the benefits of regional products for Hélène Lemaire, dietitian nutritionist. “One of the interests of holidays in France is to discover new foods, produced locally, in a short circuit”, she believes. Thus, no transport from abroad. Above all, it gives rise to a cultural openness to the region you are visiting.
“In general, we know all the fruits and vegetables, but consuming locally allows us to taste meats and culinary specialties, such as gizzards or duck confit in the South West”, continues Hélène Lemaire. Caution, however: it is advisable to make sure that the food is produced locally. “Very often, the duck comes from Hungary or Bulgaria but is confit in the South-Westdeplores the nutritionist dietitian. It’s like Corsican charcuterie: the meat very often arrives frozen from Eastern countries. It is enough that the salting is done in Corsica for the product to be labeled”.
“Duck confit from the South-West is good fat”
Another example: the Morteau sausage, originating from Franche-Comté, in the east of France. “I think there are industrial ones, with meat coming from the European Union”, says the expert. If the problem does not lie in health risks, this raises the question of the idea of “counterfeiting”. “We pay more for a product from the region, which, in the end, is falsified”, says Hélène Lemaire. To ensure that the product is truly local, the expert recommends asking directly in store where it comes from and finding out as much as possible about its quality.
Moreover, contrary to what one might think, the dishes that make the reputation of a region, such as Alsatian sauerkraut, Savoyard tartiflette, carbonnade du Nord, Auvergne truffade, or Provençal bouillabaisse, do not harm not to our health, although they are rich. “For example, duck confit from the South-West is good fatassures the nutritionist dietitian. There are fatty acids similar to those of olive oil, therefore cardiovascular protectors.”
“The benefits of regional products are rather psychological”
This is the French paradox. “This indicates the fact that, even if one eats very fatty in the South-West, there are very few infarctions”, explains Hélène Lemaire. On the other hand, you can find nitrites, as well as certain carcinogenic products, in charcuterie. “If you consume locally, at someone who works with well-fed animals, of good quality, and that you don’t abuse them, there is no problem”, says the expert. For her, holidays are made to have fun: how to go to Savoie without tasting cheese? “In reality, the benefits of regional products are more psychological than physiological”concludes Hélène Lemaire.
.
