Typical mountain products

Authenticity to savour

In the mountains of the Ain, you can enjoy food as much as you can breathe. Here, taste comes from the land, patient gestures and the seasons that punctuate the recipes. Alpine cheeses, comforting dishes served by the fireside, wild cuisine based on freshly-picked plants… everything has the aroma of the real thing. At the table, you’ll share a warm fondue or tartigex in a perched chalet, or a soft quenelle topped with the famous Nantua sauce. Here, the mountains can be tasted as well as experienced.

Ain mountain PDO cheeses Three well-tempered characters, born of the milk of the heights

In the Ain mountains, cheeses tell the story of the region better than anyone else. Bleu de Gex, the well-kept secret of the massif, Comté, star of the fruitières, Morbier, recognizable by its line of ash… Three cheeses, three AOPs, three ways to taste the mountains… without ever quite coming down.

01

Bleu de GexThe tenderness of milk, the character of a mountain.

Soft on the palate, subtly bitter, it reveals milky notes and a discreet mushroom fragrance…

02

CountyEach wheel tells the story of a season.

Born from alpine milk, slowly matured in the dairy, it reveals aromas of hazelnut, flowers or butter, depending on the weather and the terroir…

03

MorbierFlamboyant Gothic masterpiece

Did you know that in addition to having a protected appellation, its unmistakable central horizontal line has also been protected since 2023, following a ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal?

Did you know? From starters to desserts, the Ain region boasts 14 PDO, AOC and PGI products.

Ain is one of the few French départements to boast 14 products with official quality labels (AOP, IGP, AOC). Cheese, wine, poultry, fish or fruit: these labels guarantee a strong link with the land, know-how and authenticity. A discreet but very real richness, to be discovered in the markets, at the producers’… and on your plate.

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Cheese means cheese specialties! Recipes that warm the heart as much as the plate

When the mountains take their place at the table, they do so with generosity. Here, cheese isn’t just enjoyed, it’s cooked, melted, gratinated and shared.

01

Comté cheese fondue

A convivial classic that brings young and old together around a steaming caquelon.

02

Tartigex

A generous, local version of tartiflette, it combines potatoes, bacon and Gex blue cheese for a melt-in-your-mouth, flavorful combination.

03

Ramequin

This small, dry cheese from Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey is not chewy, but melts with a little water, garlic and pepper like a fondue, the 100% Bugiste version…

Mountain inns A taste for the simple things in life

Nestled in the hollow of a valley, on a plateau or at the bend of a path, every mountain inn in the Ain is a timeless stopover. There’s no flashiness here, just creaking wood, a checkered tablecloth and a generous plate. The cuisine is homemade and rooted in the terroir.

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Restaurant chez Lisa

02

Auberge du lac Genin

A taste of the mountains, Arvières version An exceptional medieval city

Perched at an altitude of 1,200 metres, on the GR 9 and GTJ, it’s an ideal gourmet stopover for hikers! Chalet d’Arvières cultivates the art of cooking in the heart of nature. Here, wild plants are gathered on the doorstep, the vegetable garden gives rhythm to the plates, and the bread oven rekindles the appetite for tradition. Fresh, local, living cuisine – to be savoured on the terrace and enjoy the view.