Travel with Amateur Traveler · Saturday, August 8, 2026
Orleans once held the title of 'sugar capital of France,' with sugar being refined there before distribution. The city also has a history tied to wine trade, but due to the shallow Loire River, much of the wine spoiled. This led to the clever repurposing of the wine into vinegar, for which Orleans remains well-known today, also using it to produce mustard.
“You'll see where France was known as the sugar capital of France because the sugar would come through to Orleans and that's where it was refined before it was sent out to the rest of the country.”
“but the Napeople were quite clever. They decided instead of wasting the wine that they were going to turn it into vinegar. So these days Orleans is still very well known for their vinegar. They use that to make mustard as well.”
“So that's something when you're in the city, you're definitely going to want to try some of the Orleans vinegar and mustard that they create there.”