Living in France: The Tarts of Alsace

Onion tarts might not sound typically French, or even typically German, but they're typically Alsatian-that region of northeastern France known for being passed between France and Germany. Spread with onion, cheese, and cream and cooked in an open wood-fire oven, 'tarte flambe' is a product of this cultural mix.

Colmar, in the middle of the Alsace Valley, is a great base for exploring the area and sampling the local cuisine. We found the two best places for tarte flambe in the Little Venise district:

* Le Roesselmann, on Place des Six Montagnes Noires, just at the end of rue Turenne.

* La Krutenau, at 1 rue de la Poissonniere, where we watched a young girl prepare and cook the tarts in a traditional oven.

You can ask for more than onions in your tarte flambe (or flammekueche, depending on whether you're speaking French or German). Chevre (goat cheese), escargots (snails), crevettes (shrimp), and flambe au Nordique (with smoked salmon) are other popular choices. Add a green salad and a local beer such as Binding, Franziskaner Weissbier, or Dorelei and you'll have a very tasty, very local meal.

Vivienne Mackie
For International Living