Editing Allier (section)

== Gastronomy and viticulture ==
{{Main|French cuisine|French wine}}
The [[pâté aux pommes de terre]] is one of the specialities of the Allier, as well as of the neighboring Limousin region. The river [[Allier (river)|Allier]] is one of the rare places in Southern Europe where the freshwater [[Thymallus thymallus|grayling]] (''Thymallus thymallus''), known in French as ''ombre des rivières'', occurs in a natural habitat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecrr.org/pdf/3rd_confrence_abstracts/33_redeker_weyand_nusch.pdf|title=The grayling zones of rivers and their tributaries|access-date=14 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207210350/http://www.ecrr.org/pdf/3rd_confrence_abstracts/33_redeker_weyand_nusch.pdf|archive-date=7 February 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> This fish is much valued in French gastronomy for its fine and delicate texture and is best eaten along with a light wine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cuisine.tv/cid17768/les-accords-vin-poisson.html|title=Les accords vin-poisson – Célébration d'un mariage réussi!|access-date=14 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127151025/http://www.cuisine-plus.tv/cid17768/les-accords-vin-poisson.html|archive-date=27 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Pompe aux grattons]]'' or ''brioche aux griaudes'', a kind of [[brioche]]-like bread with [[cracklings]], is a specialty of the Bourbonnais.<ref>François-Régis Gaudry, ''Let's Eat France'', {{isbn|1579658768}}, p. 382</ref>

[[Saint-Pourçain AOC]] wine is produced in Allier and the [[Oak (wine)|oak]] from the [[forest of Tronçais]] is one of the most favoured in the construction of [[Oak (wine)#Wine barrel|wine barrels]].<ref>{{cite book  | last = Robinson  | first = Jancis  | author-link = Jancis Robinson  | title = [[The Oxford Companion to Wine]]  | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]  | year = 1999  | pages = 13, 495  | isbn = 0-19-866236-X}}</ref>

=== Second homes ===
In 2020 the quantity of dwellings in the department which were second homes was 7.2%.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7632072?geo=DEP-03 Logement en 2020: Catégories et types de logements], [[INSEE]] {{in lang|fr}}</ref> The table below shows the main communes of Allier with second homes and which exceed 10% of total housing.

The department has attracted many foreigners, English, Belgian, Swiss, and Dutch, and they have acquired many second homes. Therefore many communes have become "European", such as [[Pouzy-Mésangy]], which today has many English and Swiss residents.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|+Communes with population over 1,000 and more than 10% of second homes in 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statistiques-locales.insee.fr/#bbox=229602,5944798,240200,210212&c=indicator&i=pop_legales.popmun&i2=bdcom.pt_log_rsecocc&s=2019&s2=2019&t=A01&t2=A01&view=map1|title=Statistiques locales: Part des résidences secondaires, population municipale|publisher=[[INSEE]]}}</ref>
! scope="col" | Town
! scope="col" | Municipal population
! scope="col" | Percentage of<br />secondary homes
|-
| [[Néris-les-Bains]]
| {{formatnum:2570}}
| 30.3%
|-
| [[Cérilly, Allier|Cérilly]]
| {{formatnum:1305}}
| 16.4%
|-
| [[Ébreuil]]
| {{formatnum:1270}}
| 14.5%
|-
| [[Bourbon-l'Archambault]]
| {{formatnum:2572}}
| 13.5%
|-
| [[Buxières-les-Mines]]
| {{formatnum:1026}}
| 13.5%
|-
| [[Le Mayet-de-Montagne]]
| {{formatnum:1384}}
| 10.0%
|}