French Cycling Holidays - A Culinary Odyssey Part 3 Loire

Part 3 - Loire Valley

France's longest natural waterway: the Loire, river of kings, winds gracefully along 1014km of gentle countryside, nourishing the pastures that have yielded gastronomic treasures to feed royalty, residents and tourists alike.

Let us pay homage to the produce of the Loire region in the third of our Culinary Odyssey articles which explore the gourmet delights our cyclists can expect on our guided biking holidays in the area.

cyclists in front of chateau chamord in the Loire Valley France
French Cycling Holiday riders outside Chateau Chambord

Freshwater Food

As the river Loire gives its name to six departments (Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône-et-Loire) it deserves to make a splash at the top of our guide.

The Zander or Pikeperch has been fished from flat-bottomed boats or “toues” for centuries. Desirable for its soft texture, it pairs perfectly with buttery beurre blanc sauce: a classy dish from Nantes, fit for the royalty who took up residency along this famous river.

an illustration of the river Loire in France with its traditional flat bottomed boats
Illustration of Orleans showing flat-bottomed toue boats*

Regal rillettes

In the town of Tours, pork is slowly cooked in seasoned fat to make a creamy dish called rillettes that is delicious simply spread onto a crusty baguette: perfect for picnics!

Another pork dish, rillons is a Touraine specialty served as a main course. These cubes of confit pork belly often appear on restaurant menus alongside lentils or potatoes and salad.

Fabulous fromage

After your main course, it is hard to resist the cheeses. The Loire is particularly famous for its goat’s cheese, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine which is formed into a log and has a straw through it, to help the cheese stay in shape as it ages. Granted AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) status, the Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine has a creamy interior balanced by a tangy flavour profile balanced by a mineral element from the ash coating.

Another goat’s cheese, Selles-sur-Cher, comes from the town of the same name. Disc-shaped, it also has an ash rind, like the Valençay, which is shaped like a flat-topped pyramid.

Cheeseboard selection in France
Ash-covered goat's cheeses (right) are a speciality of the Loire region

Wines of the Loire

Goat’s cheeses pair particularly well with the Loire’s white wines. The grape variety of Sauvignon Blanc is one two most oft deployed in the local wines, of which Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé are the most renowned, for their deliciously flinty flavours. Chenin Blanc has a more fruity and chameleonic profile, and in the grape’s home in Vouvray you’ll find sweeter whites as well as sparkling wines. Savennières is one of its most refined incarnations.

Muscadet wine from the Melon de Bourgogne grape has a much more fresh and zingy appeal, and is made nearer the Atlantic coast and makes a classic accompaniment to shellfish.

Red grapes grown in the Loire include the lean and grassy Cabernet Franc, usually found lurking in Bordeaux, but west of Saumur the vineyards produce Anjou rouge and rosé and the particularly renowned Saumur-Champigny. In Touraine, the reds come in three appellations – Chinon, Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil – in which Gamay and Malbec grapes appear.

For wine enthusiasts taking our Loire cycling tour, we recommend the caves of Monmousseau in Montrichard-sur-Loire for tastings, just a few minutes from Chenonceau castle.

 cheeseboard and baguette with white wine and grapes
Cheeseboard, grapes and white wine**

Poulet à la Tourangelle

Don’t be put off by the traditional recipe for this tasty chicken dish… Essentially a version of coq au vin but made with white wine, this creamy, mushroomy slow cooked chicken dish is flambéed with Cognac and then thickened with chicken’s blood, although cornflour does just as good a job!

Sweet treats

First up is a French dessert which is very well known: the tarte tatin. This upside-down caramelised apple pudding features on restaurant menus throughout France and claims its origins in the Loire. It is made by gently cooking apples in butter and sugar on the hob until rich and golden, then placing pastry on the top and baking in the oven. To serve, the tarte is flipped upside down, so the soft caramelised apples sit on top of the pastry which absorbs the buttery, sugary sauce.

French apple tarte tatin served with chantilly cream and ice cream
Apple tarte tatin with ice cream

The famous macarons of Cormery are a must-have treat on our bike tours in the Loire. Linked to the 10th Century abbey, the circular rings are made of almond flour and egg white, just like their more classic round macaron cousins, but in a more robust format, which makes them ideal for a cycling picnic dessert!

Other things to look out for on Loire restaurant menus

  • Fouée or fouace angevine: bread rolls with fillings such as mushrooms or rillettes (another great picnic option!)
  • Poire tapée: from Rivarennes, these dried pears were traditionally flattened for conservation reasons, then rehydrated (in red Anjou wine) and served with duck.
  • Montargis pralines: roasted almonds coated in vanilla caramel. Crunchy!
  • Guérande salt: the marshes produce the Loire’s white gold. Keep an eye out for salted caramel icecream!

Why choose to cycle the Loire Valley?

The Lonely Planet recommends cycling along this stunning river as one of the top things to do in the Loire Valley, and our bike guides most certainly agree!

Experiencing the Loire on two wheels is the most pleasurable way to experience the magical fairy tale castles and work up an appetite to enjoy all the wonderful foodie treats we have explored in this guide.

Picture of Chateau Chenonceau in the Loire Valley France
The beautiful Chenonceau Château in the Loire Valley***

Is it hard to cycle in the Loire Valley?

The short answer: no! One of our absolute easiest tours, anyone happy riding a bike on flat trails and roads will enjoy this guided biking tour. Our lightweight touring bikes are included in the price of the tour, or we can arrange for e-bike rental. 

What kind of accommodation do we stay in?

We handpick 3 and 4 star hotels, often with swimming pools, and generally with plenty of wonderful French charme! See the individual Loire Valley tour page for hotel details. 

How to book your Loire Valley cycling holiday in France

Click on the Book Now button of the Loire Valley: Cycle in the Land of the Châteaux tour page to complete the booking form, or if you have any questions about this cycling vacation, travel options, ride gradients etc. don't hesitate to get in touch, we're always very happy to chat! 

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Image credits

 *Image illustration Par G. Hotot — Une histoire de la marine de Loire, Patrick Villiers et Annick Senotier, p. 14, Domaine public
**Kateryna Hliznitsova
*** AXP Photography