Sweets & Treats
The mildness of the climate, the gentle way of life in Provence... And the sweetness for the taste buds.
Provence is a privileged land thanks to its sun and its climate, which give all these fruits with which we make candied fruits.
With the good honey of lavender we make nougat, and with almonds and candied fruits we make calissons.
A cascade of sweetness, and a real paradise for gourmets.
Nougat from Sault
Nougat is made from honey and almonds. Black nougat and white nougat are two of the Thirteen Desserts on the traditional provencal Christmas table.
Here are our favourite websites for finding artisan nougat:
- Les Frères Sylvain, in Saint-Didier: Nougats Sylvain
- La confiserie Boyer, in Sault: Nougat Boyer
Trip idea: a visit to the nougat manufacturing workshops in Saint Didier, all year round. Find out more
Honey of the Ventoux
Provence is the country of lavender. This unique flower gives an abundant and intense honey with a very particular taste.
This honey is consumed as it is, and it is also used to make nougat of Provence.
Good to know : Did you know that lavender honey has multiple benefits on human health? It is irhumatic, antispasmodic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It calms coughs and helps to treat burns, bronchitis, angina, flu, and helpselutter insomnia.
Find a honey producer: Famillemary Honey company
The calissons
Once upon a time, the Good King René married to the austere Jeanne de Laval, asked to his confectioner to cook a special sweat for his wife. According to the legend, when the grave woman tried for the first time the candy, she smiled and asked "What is the name of this gorgeous treat?". King René answered in provençal, we named it "di cali soun" (it means hug).
It's a diamond made with almonds, chystallised melon, and orange peel. The calisson is one of the emblem of Aix-en-Provence but also broadly of Provence.
Candied fruits and boiled sweets from Carpentras
With their ancestral expertise, master confectioners use sun-soaked fruits from the Carpentras region to make high-quality candied fruits using artisan methods. All their candied fruits are manufactured by hand, from fruit-peeling to glazing. Candying is an art which requires patience and meticulousness, given that it sometimes takes up to three months to candy a fruit!
We recommend:
- Confiserie Clavel, in Carpentras, master confectioner for generations;
- La Maison Jouvaud, in Carpentras, for all sorts of chocolates, sweets and other confectionery;