Gourmet souvenirs that smell of the Alps
The first thing you think of bringing back from the Alps is a gourmet piece of this exceptional land. Even at your usual cheese shop or wine shop, the products of the Alps have a different flavour than those bought from the best local producers and craftsmen. In the Alps, it is advisable to buy directly from the dairy, the farm, the market and the cheese shop. For cheeses, the uncooked pressed cheeses (most of the Alpine farmhouse cheeses) can be kept for a long time during transport. But because they are sensitive to heat and can develop quickly (and smell very strong...), it is preferable to vacuum-pack cheeses and put them in a cool place. The same goes for cured meats, which should be bought in a delicatessen or a specialized grocery store (not in a souvenir shop...). Savoie wines, génépi liqueur and chartreuse are other gourmet pleasures that are easy to bring back, as are chocolates - Bonnat in Voiron and many other chocolate makers - or a surprisingly delicious Vauban travel cake made in Briançon by the chef Bruno Desclaux.
Alpine knives, from the Alpin to the Opinel
Bringing back a knife from the Alps is a guarantee of its sturdiness and quality of manufacture. Originally, knives were used by shepherds and mountain people to share a meal as well as to carve a piece of wood, or even to cut a block of ice. Rustic, nomadic, it is a solid and sharp knife ideal for hikers. There are several cutlers in the Alps, in all the big cities (Annecy, Grenoble, Chambéry...), but also in the mountains, such as the Robert Nicolas forge in Chabottes in the heart of the Hautes-Alpes or the Forge de l'Ubaye in Barcelonnette. The Alpine, the Savoyard, the Montagnard..., you are bound to find the knife that suits you
The emblematic knife of the Alps, made in Savoie near Chambéry, is the opinel. At the bottom of his pocket, a good mountain man does not have a knife, but an opinel. This proper name, which has become a common name, has entered the dictionary. Created in 1890, the opinel's reputation has long since spread beyond the borders of the Alps: they can be found in almost every country in the world, but the only shop selling the brand with the crowned hand engraved on the blade is in Annecy. The reputation of these knives, sober and rustic, but with legendary solidity, is well established. They are the faithful companion of shepherds, farmers and hikers.
Woodworking, a speciality of the Alps
In the Alps, many craftsmen perpetuate the ancestral tradition of woodworking. Wood is a raw material found in all the mountain ranges, along with coniferous trees - spruce, larch and, more rarely, cembro pine - and has been used to build chalets and to make many everyday or decorative objects. From tableware and kitchen utensils that are easy to bring back, to salad bowls and other containers, wood takes on many forms. One of the most beautiful, and most traditional, being represented by the doves of the valley of Abondance in Haute-Savoie. The dove of Abondance is part of the objects of popular art. It was made by the farmers during the long winter evenings or by the shepherds in the mountain pastures. A symbol of peace, it protected the house and was a strong proof of friendship for those who offered it. Today, carved with the blade of a knife, the doves are still made by a few passionate craftsmen. It takes about 3 hours to make a piece of incomparable finesse! With cembro pine, the craftsmen of the Hautes-Alpes make art furniture and objects that will last longer than Swedish furniture... Other creations from this remarkable material, cembro pine, the 100% wooden toys of the Artisans du Queyras. Created in 1920 in Arvieux, this cooperative perpetuates a sustainable circuit: Queyras forest, Queyras sawmill, wood craftsmen, handmade decoration... real "made in the Alps"
Pottery with Alpine motifs
Culinary and decorative pottery is very present in the Alps. From the Haute-Savoie to the Alpes-Maritimes, each region, even each mountain range, has its own specific style, often with a common feature: hand-made decoration with bright colours and naive motifs that look great on a rustic table. In the Northern Alps, milk jugs with polka dots - the basic decoration of Savoyard pottery -, alpine bowls with marbling, and matouille dishes with flowers - often edelweiss and other mountain flowers - adorn the cupboards. From breakfast onwards, they bring a bit of the Alps into your daily life. As you move south of the Alps, the pottery takes on a more Provençal look. The clay becomes redder, the pastel colours and patterns fade. In any case, the pottery made by the craftsmen of the Alps are beautiful objects to bring back with care in your luggage.
Alpine made clothing
What if the clothes you packed in your suitcase to go to the Alps this year, in summer as well as in winter, were the ones you brought back from your previous stay? Extreme temperatures and conditions, sports activities, the Alps break the codes of your wardrobe, giving them a more technical aspect in the fabrics and materials used, more casual and comfortable for the style. Let's not fool ourselves, the vast majority of technical clothing dedicated to skiing or hiking, even for the major French brands of the Alps (Millet, Salomon, Rossignol, Moncler ...), are not made in France. Some companies are keeping a long tradition alive. The Arpin spinning mill in Haute-Tarentaise continues to spin wool and create warm fabrics to make clothes with clean lines. Other companies innovate to provide high-performance technical clothing. Located in the Annecy region, the SNC company has been making comfortable mountain clothing for over 40 years (store not far from Lake Annecy).
