La Touraine

The Touraine, a Loire province comprising Tours and its environs, was the birthplace of Rabelais, Descartes, and Balzac and is the setting for some of the most beautiful chateaus of France. Like the Île-de-France, the province of Paris, it is a garden land of fertile farms, orchards, and vineyards. In cooking it has but few unique specialties because its traditional dishes have become essential components of haute cuisine. Just a few dishes remain distinctively local, notably the potted pork of Tours, the shad of the Loire, and the roast pork with prunes of Preuilly.