According to
Maribeth Clemente in The Riches of France (see inset below),
the commodities most native to Provence include: lavender sachets,
bouquets and pillows; le croquant Villaret ; rugs; pottery;
embroidered house linens; dried-flower topiaries; French cowboy wear;
piqués de Marseille (highly worked, decorative
quilt-like textiles); Provençal prints; handmade tiles;
hand-painted faïence (earthenware, crockery); antique
jewelry; trendy womenswear; antiques; santons (clay
figurines); old garden furniture; paper sculpture; savon de
Marseille (soap); trompe l'oeil plates; cicada-inspired creations
(la cigale is the consummate symbol of the Provence region);
sandales tropeziennes (sandals of St-Tropez); boating attire;
table arts; candy-colored candles; fashion trimmings; images of
Cézanne.
SANTONS
During the French Revolution, when churches
were closed, a Marseilles sculptor named Jean-Louis Lagnel
began making small figurines that the locals, deprived of
their nativities at Christmas, could use to create their own
creches. These figures, called santons ('little
saints' in Provençal), were modelled in clay, fired
and painted in bright colors. Their appeal was immediate,
and santon cribs soon became an important feature of
Provençal homes. Following the Revolution, when
churches re-opened, the santon makers turned their hands to
more traditional local figures, such as fishermen, knife
grinders, milk maids, and others. Santon making has survived
to this day as one of Provence's most traditional crafts,
and the figurines are a popular souvenir item with
tourists.
Santons Fouque, 65 cours
Gambetta, Aix-en-Provence
Provençal Food Staples and
Cuisine
In The Riches of
France, Ms. Clemente attributes the following foodstuffs and
delicacies as Provençal specialties: olive oil;
anchoïade (mashed salted anchovies, olive oil and garlic
on bread); tapénade (purée made from capers,
black olives, anchovies, and olive oil; used as a dip or spread);
calissons d'Aix (little candies made from ground almonds
blended with candied fruit, glazed and resting on a thin wafer);
home-made jams & honeys; navettes (cookie-like snacks);
truffles; herbes de Provence (thyme, rosemary, sage, basil,
bay leaf).
Glynn Christian, in
his book Edible France, A Traveler's Guide, explores in detail
the traditions and origins of Provençal cooking. While the
Provence landscape offers scant topsoil yet lots of sunlight, olive
trees, vines, and orchards abound. Since there is little in the way
of pastures on which to graze cattle, the Provençal diet
features many vegetarian dishes; if meat is involved it is usually
lamb. Fish and shellfish from the Mediterranean are also components
of the Provençal diet. Dessert customarily involves fruit,
rather than cheese products common to other parts of France; the
variations of cheese made here are primarily from one style, a small,
white, fresh cheese called a brousse, mainly from sheep's milk
(though sometimes from goat's milk).
Among the best
Provençal wines: Cassis, Bandol and Palette, Coteaux
d'Aix-en-Provence, Coteaux Varois, Coteaux des Baux, Côtes de
Lubéron, Côtes de Provence, Côtes-du-Rhône,
Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The traditional Provençal
apéritif is Pastis, a licorice-flavored liquor made from the
fruit of the herb anise (similar to the Greek ouzo), diluted with
water until cloudy white.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
It is believed that the Phoenicians brought
the first vines to Provence, and the Greeks brought the
Persian Shiraz (grape) to grow on the banks of the
Rhône. There's no doubt that wine production has a
long history, and that the French AOC (Appelation d'Origine
Contrôlée ) naming and quality control system
for wines began here.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
was not named for its wines, however, but rather for the
castle built here between 1316 and 1333 for Pope John XXII
as his summer residence. Though it has been plundered over
the years (the last assault was by German troops who blew up
most of the huge keep in 1944), thankfully the pope's
vineyards continue to produce the divine elixir known the
world over for its quality and potency: reds from
Châteauneuf reach an unbelievable 15% alcohol content.
Today Châteauneuf produces around 13 million bottles
annually (about 650,000 white wine, the rest red).
Rows of green vines rise out of a sea of
limestone pebbles once rolled by the Rhône. They act
as a furnace which reflects the sun's heat onto the ripening
grapes. Up to thirteen varieties of grape may be used in
making the wine. As might be expected, there is a museum to
the wine trade in the village; several producers stage
tastings and sell distinctive bottles emblazoned with the
crossed-key papal crest.
The hardy, gnarled
olive tree cannot grow at heights or far inland, but flourishes in
Provence; oil mills remain essential to everyday life here. The
insignia "Huile de Provence" is a guarantee of quality, and --
like so many other French food and wine products -- is graded
strictly, in this case according to its acid content (the lower, the
better).
Truffles are also
found in Provence, growing around the roots of certain white oak
trees, truffle oaks (chênes blancs truffés ).
Their season runs from mid-November through the middle of February,
when they are ripest, most flavorsome, and cheapest. Since they grow
as much as a foot underground, trained pigs or dogs are used to find
them, though the country folk out walking can spot them by tapping
the ground with a stick as they walk toward the sun. Once the light
glitters on a disturbed swarm of tiny transparent flies, they've
found a truffle.
Paul Cézanne
Born at Aix-en-Provence, the French painter Paul
Cézanne is regarded today as one of the
great forerunners of modern painting, putting down
on canvas exactly what his eye saw in nature, and
employing a unique treatment of space, mass, and
color.
The Game of Boules (or Pétanque
)
Perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts,
the game of "Pied-Tanqué" originated in
Provence around 1910. Similar to British lawn
bowling or Italian bocce , the
French version is traditionally played with
metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane
trees, with a glass of pastis at hand. Learn more
about its history, playing regulations, equipment,
and the international federation which numbers some
600,000 players.
More Recommended
Reading:
Eating Out in Provence and the Cote
D'Azur:
A Personal Guide to over 220 Local
Restaurants
by Edward Roch ;
Paperback - 192 pages, 1st edition ; Published 1992
by Interlink Publishing Group.
Usually ships within
24 hours. List Price: $12.95 -- Our Price: $10.36
-- You Save: $2.59 (20%).
Patricia Wells at Home in
Provence:
Recipes Inspired by Her Farmhouse in
France
by Patricia Wells,
Robert Freson (Photographer) ; Hardcover ;
Published October 1996 by Scribner.
Usually ships within
24 hours. List Price: $40.00 -- Our Price: $28.00
-- You Save: $12.00 (30%).
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
was not named for its wines, however, but rather for the
castle built here between 1316 and 1333 for Pope John XXII
as his summer residence. Though it has been plundered over
the years (the last assault was by German troops who blew up
most of the huge keep in 1944), thankfully the pope's
vineyards continue to produce the divine elixir known the
world over for its quality and potency: reds from
Châteauneuf reach an unbelievable 15% alcohol content.
Today Châteauneuf produces around 13 million bottles
annually (about 650,000 white wine, the rest red).
