FRUITS/DESSERTS/VEGETABLES
FRUITS
The alignment of fruit trees in the fields is a traditional element of the Haute-Savoie landscape. They made it possible to combine livestock farming and fruit production when mixed farming was essential for mountain farmers. Today, this essential heritage is disappearing, as a result of developments where they are replaced by horticultural species or chronic abandonment in the department's rural areas. There were more high-altitude fruits and the inhabitants ate them more regularly: forest fruits, chestnuts, walnuts, rhubarb, plums, cherries, apples and pears. With very abundant woods, the inhabitants of Savoy left for picking (raspberries, blackberries and sometimes blueberries) in order to make provisions for jams and jellies for the coming year. Milk jam was also appreciated. Red fruits from orchards (blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries,...) but also from the woods (blueberries: in muddy or amborzal patois), complete the production of apples and pears which are subject to the Savoy regional label (apple juice also labelled). Today, many desserts, sweets, sausages and other products are made from raspberries or blueberries.
VEGETABLES
Concerning vegetables, cabbage and potatoes represented the main part of the vegetables (the others growing with difficulty in a mountain climate), valley cardoons (this vegetable, both in appearance and taste, is a close relative of artichokes) honoring the festive tables only.
DESSERTS
There were more high-altitude fruits and the inhabitants ate them more regularly: forest fruits, chestnuts, walnuts, rhubarb, plums, cherries, apples and pears. With very abundant woods, the inhabitants of Savoy left for picking (raspberries, blackberries and sometimes blueberries) in order to make provisions for jams and jellies for the coming year. Milk jam was also appreciated. The local desserts, present on the festival tables, used local resources: Savoy cake (the Savoy cake or biscuit is a cake of Savoyard origin, made in the 14th century for Count Amédée VI of Savoy who received the Emperor), rissoles and bugnes, épogne, snow eggs. The honeys were present on the tables. The rich and varied alpine flora produces rich honeys called "mountain honeys". Depending on the weather conditions, fir honey was possible. Closer to our times and especially in cities or in the most popular resorts, chocolate makers delighted their customers with very localized preparations: Roseaux du lac, bells, ice cubes, chocolate cheeses as well as truffles (invented in 895 by a Chambéry chocolate maker after a chocolate stock shortage). Finally, the candies offered by confectioners based on jam, honey or caramels such as Sabaudia, caramel Mazet, thistles are still on sale in the windows of confectioners' artisans.