Terroir

The term terroir is a French word that means literally Earth or soil. Dating back at least to the 16th century, the French have used the concept of terroir to refer to the relationship between place and taste. To put it more succinctly, foods grown in a particular area acquire a flavor profile derived from that area’s climate, water, and terrain. In particular, the French have used terroir to refer to wine regions with the consequent notion that grapes grown in a certain vineyard, even on a particular slope of a particular estate, result in wine with a particular and distinctive taste. Commentators on cultural food practices also use the concept to refer to native species, such as fish from a particular stream; particular products, ...