Why go
It offers a savoury counterpart to cream-puff pastry. Choux dough is mixed with cheese, commonly Gruyère, Comté or Emmentaler, and may be baked as small bites, individual pastries or a larger ring that can be filled. Its light texture and cheese flavour make it a natural aperitif choice, particularly when a menu offers warm bites before a meal.
The full story
Gougères are associated with Burgundy, especially the town of Tonnerre in the Yonne department. Today they are baked from choux dough mixed with cheese, commonly Gruyère, Comté or Emmentaler, although other cheeses and ingredients are used. Small gougères serve as aperitif pastries; larger ones may be made individually or in a ring and filled with mushrooms, beef or ham. In Burgundy, they are served both warm as an appetizer and cold during wine tastings in cellars. Their history is less fixed than their modern form. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century gougères could be choux pastries, but also mixtures of cheese, eggs and breadcrumbs, usually presented as a flat circle. Earlier versions were closer to a cheese tart or pie. The modern version’s puffed choux texture is therefore the clearest clue when ordering one today.