The saying is: You are what you eat. Europe has always had a strong culinary tradition. Each region has its own food specialties that have become a part of the fabric, and help define the area. Whether it’s foie gras in southwest France or jambon persillé in Burgundy, each destination has a gastronomic heritage that has grown to represent the area, and helps explain what the region is all about. Learning about, learning how to prepare, and eating each region’s specialties, is an important part of each Sandquist Europe program. A visit to the Loire Valley wouldn’t be complete without a goat’s cheese tasting in the same way that a trip to Tuscany wouldn’t tell the whole story without a tasting of several different Pecorino cheeses or organic olive oils. Below are just a few examples of the many regional specialities where we travel:

	Alsace = kugelhoff
	Burgundy = oeufs en meurette
	Brittany = oysters
	Normandy = camembert
	Dordogne = confit de canard
	Veneto = radicchio rosso
	Tuscany = fagioli
	Loire = Ste-Maure de Touraine
	Andalucia = gazpacho
	Jura = comté
	Provence = tapenade

Below are some gastronomic highlights:

	Burgundy: Ma Cuisine, Le Benaton, Lameloise
	Loire Valley: La Giraudière
	Provence: Bistrot du Paradou, La Mirande Cooking Lesson
	Puglia: Poeta Contadina
	Tuscany: Podere le Rose, Ristorante Arnolfo, Giovanna Folonari