FRANCE, LOIRE RIVER VALLY
Imagine a series of caves without a single stalactite or stalagmite. Picture caves formed, not by water action, but by human hands. And now imagine those caves along the banks of a river meandering through a bucolic and fertile land.
The troglodyte caves along the Loire River’s central area are just such caves. Even more unusual are the many uses of these caves over the centuries.
Some 90 million years ago the sea, which covered a portion of France, gradually drew back, and tufa (tuffeau) formed from marine sediment. In your mind’s eye, see the activity in the Middle Ages. Busy artisans and quarrymen dig into the tufa with simple tools, making underground caverns, shelters, and houses. They build monumental churches, castles and houses above ground with the creamy limestone blocks. By hand, they dig about two thousand kilometers of tunnels in the Saumur region alone.
Visualize how the tunnels and caves, known as “troglodytes”, are used today. Conjure up caves for wine production, to cultivate mushrooms and snails, as museums, as restaurants and shops, and still as living areas. Can you even imagine a zoo underground!
Most people, including me, wouldn’t imagine mushrooms growing in such caves. But, in this part of France, that’s exactly what they are used for.
The amazing diversity of troglodytic cellars has allowed the Saumur region to become mushroom capital of France, especially for Paris button mushrooms. In these dark caves mushrooms grow best, with a constant temperature of 15 degrees celsius and humidity levels of 90%. About 70% of France’s total production comes from Saumur, with daily harvests of more than 500 tons. France is the world’s fourth-largest producer of mushrooms, after the US, China and Netherlands.
To understand more about mushrooms, and later to taste some of them, a visit to a Mushroom “Farm” in caves is a must. A very nice half-day trip from Saumur is to the Champignon Museum, just beyond St Hilaire-St Florent, which was opened in 1978 by local growers.
It’s fascinating, as it’s a museum which actually also grows its featured product and gives us a first taste of the caves in these limestone hills, huge, and cool, burrowed right into the cliffs. They extend for many kilometers and one could easily get lost. The Wild Mushroom Museum has a great display of many types of mushrooms—more than we’d ever imagined—beautifully set out in display cases. It’s a unique collection of real mushrooms mounted in resin blocks. Of the 4000 or so different species in France, only 50 are edible, and many are deadly poisonous. The names, shapes and colors are incredible.
In the active mushroom bed we get a look at how they actually cultivate the mushrooms. We wander freely through the rooms where mushrooms are cultivated; champignon de Paris, pied-bleu, shiitake, and pleurottes are the main ones. Some are in large wooden boxes, many are in plastic bags, and the shiitakes on hanging substrates, which look like shaggy footballs.
A display of ornaments with a mushroom theme is next to the ticket booth in a small troglodyte house, chiselled in the Middle-Ages and occupied by a family of six until 1952. They lived mostly in the central room as it was lighter and had a fireplace and kitchen area with two bedrooms at the back. Visiting this gives a good idea of what one of these houses was like.
At the end of the tour of the Mushroom Museum we sit on the small terrace in the sun and have a glass of Saumur wine to complement the ‘galipettes’ or stuffed mushroom caps. The galipettes are served in three ways— grilled baby caps stuffed with potted meat, goat cheese, and parsley butter—all delicious. Called Terrasse du Musee, and rated as one of the “Sites Remarquables du Gout en France”, the cafe serves various mushroom snacks. The whole experience is very civilized, very pleasant, very tasty. The snacks are very reasonably priced too. You can try a bowl of raw mushrooms and sauce, or cream soup of pleurottes, or grilled shiitakes with soy sauce.
Practical details:
Le Musee du Champignon, St Hilaire-St Florent, Saumur 49400
tel: 02-41-50-31-55 Fax: 02-41-50-61-94
Open from February 9 to November 11, 10am-7pm
Entrance: Euros 6.50 (when we were there)
Another museum further along the road does snails, mushrooms, and wine.
Really neat blog…I feel as if I was there. Although my wife and I have lived in the Touraine for the past three years we’ve never visited Saumur…after reading your blog maybe in 2011?
Thanks Jim.
I hope you can visit Saumur—-it’s lovely and there’s lots to do around there.