Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range

The region is not only known for its lush, mountainous landscapes, swift rivers and spectacular rock formations but it is also the country’s leading producer of sweet chestnuts. On average, chestnut trees, or ‘bread trees’ as they are called in the Ardèche, can produce about 6000 tons of fruit per year. It is no wonder that chestnut products and dishes abound in the area.

You will find sweet chestnuts in a variety of hearty dishes, chopped and scattered over salads, in decadent sweet treats and even dried, milled and turned into flour. Here are just some of the delicious ways in which chestnuts have marked the kitchen of this exciting region.