FriedaL

Russ lives in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, but he gets around in Provence! I humbly suggest to also consider my own website: www.aboutprovence.com where you find various articles on towns and villages in the Var. Although perhaps not much discussed in this forum, the Var is (after Paris) the most visited region in France, with the coast (St Raphael, Ste Maxime, St. Tropez, etc) as the biggest attraction. But the other regions of the Var (the Haut Var, the Green Var) are equally or even more interesting. And, as Robert mentioned, the islands off Hyeres, but off season. Forgot to mention that I live in the Var. Frieda

In principle, Bouillabaisse is not a luxury dish, but a hearty, filling peasant meal, made of local available fish, though rascasse is essential. With the depleting fish supplies and the consequent steep rise in fish prices, bouillabaisse has become an item at the top end of local menus. To push further by including langoustines is, to my mind, an excessive exploitation of the current market and little to do what is basically bouillabaisse, An honest and great b. can be had at Maurin des Maures in Rayol-Canadel (on the coast, in between St-Tropez and Hyères), where Chirac has a bouillabaisse whenever he visits his Bormes-les-Mimosas villa. Maurin des Maures is a boisterous place, filled year-round with local people and visitors. Also a place for authentic Provencal coastal cuisine, created by the grandmother who refuses to show her face outside the kitchen (a myth?). The restaurant gets its fish supplies from a local fisherman. That said, I offer a caveat: in summer tourist season the demand for fish dishes in the south of France vastly surpasses the supply of local fish. Most fish then come from the Atlantic, down to Senegal. There's nothing wrong with a rouget from Senegal, though some Mediterranean purists may differ. Best advice is to eat fish in winter or spring. At Maurin des Maures they will tell you whether the fish is available, from their fisherman, or not. Frieda

Most French roads indeed do not have lampposts, none on the Routes Nationales or Departmental routes. The rural roads can be a challenge, certainly in the dark. Even during the day they can be startling for overseas visitors. So often I hear from the rest of the car: please, Frieda, tell me this is a one-way road... Edited: Cabrales, after reading all those "pc" messages on France, I'm almost immune to a lighter tone. Missed it, Cabrales, and your lampposts, thank G. Frieda

First off, my post is not to encourage drinking and driving. Au contraire. The best way to enjoy a meal with wine is to stay in the area or have someone be the designated driver. Also, avoid French rural roads during Sunday afternoons! In France, driving a car with non-French plates has its advantages. At general check points, the gendarmes will let the foreign cars pass; the paper work is too complicated for them. I once drove back from the jazz festival in Ramatuelle (where I had a glass of champagne during the intermission), got lost on the way back (nothing to do with the champagne, it's just a tricky road) and found myself in St-Tropez with a sobriety check. Each car was stopped, except mine, still with Dutch plates and a non-tipsy driver.. When it concerns simple trespasses, such as not wearing seat-belts, everyone is stopped. Then you have to pay on the spot. No liquid funds? Leave your car there and find an ATM that will give you the necessary euros (60 per person, I believe, but with the euro inflation?). Non-French plates also help with parking tickets... Alas, my new car has regular French plates, and I need to be careful as the next French person. With reason. Frieda

Bux, Thanks for the quote, but only the first sentence came from my keyboard. Who knows, maybe I am an anarchist by nature. John, next time you visit the region I'll give you a tour of vrai St-Tropez, sans phone booths, though your card may still be valid. Frieda

John, the Perigueux market I remember from 20+ years ago and have not forgotten until today. Such an abundance of fresh farm foods. But then, the Perigord is a region with rich taste. In my region of southern Provence, my favorite market is that of Saint-Tropez. A produce as well as people-watching place. Twice weekly, Tuesday and Saturday morning. In the high summer season, practically undoable, with the acces road jam packed, parking at the port always full, the toursist throngs moving along the stalls, pushing baby-buggies, some double wide (the number of twins+ is astounding these days). But off-season, or early morning in summer months, the market is a delight for its varied stalls. There you can find anything from a unique farm Roquefort (forget about Président, and its high-market luxury-brands, that has 95% of the market), the best pizza in the world at a truck stand with wood-burning oven, in season the most delicious cèpes, at a price, and fresh, fresh, vegetables. The roasting stand on the far eastern side is an absolute must with the juiciest hams. The first time I joined the waiting line, I asked a Tropezienne (you can tell because they wear either all black or all white, with plenty of golden jewelry, sometimes carrying a helmet in hand -- a Vespa is the most practical mode of transportation in Saint-Tropez) if this was an OK stand. She told me that it was the very reason to visit the market. The market is on the Place des Lices, an area of firm dirt soil, shaded by centuries-old Plane trees. On off-market days it is a busy place for Pétanque (jeu de boules) players. Since Jan. 2000, EU regulations stipulate that food products on a market should be sold on a hard surface, black top, concrete. For a brief moment, local newspapers were full of articles about the possible solutions on this issue. Should the Place des Lices be black topped (evicting the Petanque players)? Or the market moved to the austere parking du port? Solution? Do nothing. To hell with those bureaucrats from Brussels. If you visit St. Trop, do include the daily fish market, just behind Sénéquier on the port. Frieda

The Routiers have a myth about them as undiscovered treasures. The truth, as far as I have experienced, is that those truckers' places offer decent food for very decent prices. Sometimes quite good, sometimes dismal with ingredients straight from the supermarket frozen section or worse. French truckers are allowed a two-hour break for lunch, paid by their company (lunch included, within budget). To illustrate: once, I stumbled on an off-off country road on a Brinks or other security co. van, all doors open, view of the loot, one of the guards quickly emerging from the back of the van, still chewing his lunch (sandwich?). Lunch is sacred in France. The best shoestring French meal, to my mind, is a picnic assembled from ingredients found at a market. Each French village has a once or twice weekly market, a major French town a daily market. There you find the products of the terroir that make a very satisfying meal. If I can speak of my region (southern Provence), I would visit the local market, basket in hand, buy tapenade and/or anchoiade from the sympa woman who owns the stand. Even if I try hard, I could never approach her excellent tapenade. Ok, also a scoop-full of Nicoise olives. On to the vegetable stand with its surly owner. Are those melons from Cavaillon? Without speaking, he points to the, required in France, notice that lists the provenance of each product. Ah, there's the farmer with his fresh tomatoes. Opposite, the mini-stand of the goat cheese fabricant. My basket is filling up with lettuce, tomatoes, tapenade, olives, cheese, a small container of wild strawberries (perhaps with the young goat cheese?). I need more, a base.There's the truck with roasting chickens, rabbits and pork ham. I choose a farm chicken, "oui, jus inclu," and finish my shopping round at the boulanger for a couple of baguettes à l'ancienne (these baguettes are made the old-fashioned way, grayer inside, and much tastier). With the loot, we could drive to a favorite spot, Col de Babaou for instance, in between Collobrières and Bormes-les-Mimosas, where you find a splendid, high-up view of the Mediterranean sea and the Iles d'Or. Does anyone have a favorite market in France, or even a favorite picnic spot? Frieda

It's strange that Avignon seems to offer so few outstanding places, considering its vibrant cultural life. For another forum I was asked to list "reasonably" priced places in Avignon and other towns in Provence. Since my only lunch experience in Avignon was a funky, eclectic place (of no interest, I'm sure, to lofty eGullets) I asked a French friend who lived there for 20 years: "pas grand-chose" she said, but mentioned that on l'ile de la Barthelasse one finds the best restaurants, certainly qua ambiance. She mentioned Le Bercail "pas de la grande cuisine mais un cadre magnifique, sur le Rhône, avec vue sur le Palais des Papes". Frieda

Jordyn, I did not mean to be condescending, paternalistic or even maternalistic, more conform my gender. Of course, everyone has the right to follow his or her path of culinary enjoyment in France. What saddens me, and made me write my previous post, is the tenor in the France Forum that only the 3-star restaurants, ok a few 2-star, are worth a trip. A 1-star is treated as a local bistrot, in case the loftier ones are fully booked. If you follow this route, you'll seldom meet a live French person, apart from the waiting staff. Perhaps that was not your intention to begin with (I admit to a bit of p/maternalistic tone here). On other eGullet forums I find informative discussions on wild mushrooms, prizes for best questions or other silly things. But the French forum sticks out as the sugary domes of Hotel Negresco, over-priced and over-done. Frieda

Just a piece of information for those mushroom pickers who might visit France and get to work on their hunting skills. If in doubt about a particular mushroom, visit a local pharmacy; the pharmacist will advise you freely and with great pleasure (at least I've never encountered a grumpy reaction). During their studies, French pharmacists are required to take at least a one-year course in mycology, fours years if they wish to advertise themselves as certified mycologists. Frieda

I find this thread to be illustrative of the eGullet forum on France. Jordyn, who, I believe, will make her first trip to the provinces of France, has already sorted out her destinations on the basis of 3-star restaurants. The respondents pick up on that and rehash their preferences of Veyrat over Bras, or vice versa, and so on. A Ferris-wheel that never changes. Dear eGullet members, I find it almost decadent to advise a first-time visitor (or a second, or a third) to discover the French countryside that way. Buxbaum touched upon the fact that France is more than just starred restaurants in two of his posts, but no one has picked up on that. France is an enormously varied country, blessed with mountains, plains, lush green valleys and harsh Atlantic coast. With that, a great tradition in regional food ingredients and preparation that can be enjoyed from things bought at the market to a superb dining experience in a local place. If you only hop from 2 to 3 star and back, you'll miss out on that variety. Above all, your senses will be dulled to a point where there is no longer room for a Wow! The only thing left then is to jump on the eGullet Ferris-wheel and put in another half-penny to the steadily turning wisdom. Frieda

Two years ago, on quatorze Juillet no less, we watched the finish of the Tour étape in Draguignan (Var). We had arrived in the late morning, found miraculously a parking space (one friend knew the backstreets of the town), had lunch in one of the few decent places and then settled along the boulevard, some 300 meters before the finish, expecting to be bored for another hour or so, before the peloton raced to the line. But the reality was quite different. The anticipation among the spectators was tangible, not so much for the cyclists, but for that media spectacle that precedes the peloton, namely the caravanne. For one hour (it seemed) a string of vans and some bizar vehicles passed the spectators, all the while tossing free gifts on the sidewalk: baseball caps with Michelin logos, keychains of a coffee brand, car sunscreens that advertised the latest Fiat model. The frenzy on the sidewalk was unbelievable, but also the later bartering: Your Michelin cap for my Fiat screen, and so on. Then there was a lull, an advance car, suddenly a sole rider. Behind him, at 300 meters, rounding the corner; the group in pursuit, too late. Later, we walked to the finish line, where there was a seemingly disarray of feting the winner with the Tour Miss of the day, booths of sponsors with past Tour riders, Poulidor in the coffee booth, handing out autographs, second-string riders retreating to their second-rate hotels, while their bicycles were being pumped up in in the travelling vans of their team. The Tour de Franc is a huge circus; very much worth watching from whatever perspective. The Mont Ventoux is such a classic. To get a good advantage point, I think you should prepare yourself early in the morning, with picnic stuff, and see how far up the mountain you will be allowed. Unfortunately, ther are no sneaky backroads there. Frieda

Cabrales, Alsace Choucroute is a hearty meal, down to earth, originally a winter meal when fresh ingredients were less or not available. Therefore, "soured" cabbage, with juniper berries and cloves, potatoes , various types of sausages, salted pork loin. Maybe a peasant meal, but nowadays richly enhanced with extra sausages, saucisses, hams or pork ribs. Now, a type of meal that draws you to the Vosges mountains afterwards (or before?) for a good walk. The Baeckeoffe (translation = "baker's oven"), a multi-stew dish, consisting of beef, pork and lamb (or mutton) pieces, cooked slowly for 4+ hours in, preferably, the baker's oven "after hours," when the bread baking is done but the oven still hot enough for such exotic non-bread dishes as Baeckeoffe. The starred restaurants offer an alternative with Bresse chicken (to justify the price? be more inventive? lighter?), but it's not the real thing. Incorprating poulet de Bresse in an Alsatian dish is like adding filet mignon to a Paella, if I may be so blunt. Neither scenario makes any sense. To find the best place for a true Choucroute or Baeckeoffe in the Alsace is by asking local people (forget for an instant Michelin or G/M). They will answer just as passionately as the Provencals on the coast if you ask them about the best bouillabaisse in the region. Frieda

Lizziee, Alsace is my favorite region of France, if it weren't for the abundant rainfall in the off-season. Then again, it makes for a lush, verdant countryside. If your schedule allows, try to make some time free for the mountainous Vosges, a great region for walking/hiking after or before a copious meal. In younger years, I spent three summers in the Vosges/Alsace, low-budget camping with enough sou to enjoy the basic delights of Alsace cuisine: tarte d'oignon, Kueggelhopf or choucroute at Maison Kammerzell in Strasbourg (it's still alive and well). One summer we knocked on the door of a cheese-making farmhouse in the Muenster valley and were allowed to pitch the tent for one night (but, please hidden away from the Gendarmes). We ended up staying there for three weeks, some nights dining on just the cheese from the farm, a crusty baguette and a bottle of Riesling. This Muenster is not to be confused with that orangy specimen in the US, nothing to do with this cheese. Also, the vrai Muenster arrives in many shops in Europe too late, overly pugnent. If you pass such a farm, try it out. Apart from this Muenster, the Alsace region is not especially known for cheese, but the desserts are another matter: very rich and sumptuous, unlike anything you find elsewhere in France: vacherin, meringues glacées. We once ate at a regional restaurant in Andlau, Boeuf Rouge, where at 10 pm the place would fill up with locals, just for the desserts. The Route de Vins is indeed very worth while. Off-season, I don't think you need to make an appointment. In general the winegrowers in Alsace are very friendly and informative. One tip: ask the Haerberlins at Auberge de l'Ill for a recommendation. When we had a memorable meal there 15 years ago (outgrown our camping vacations), with a superb Riesling and Gewuertz, we asked where we could find the domaine and were given the precise route. The following day we stopped by: "Ah, you had dinner at the Auberge" as the Haeberlin place is simply known in Alsace. I can go on about the simple pleasures of the region: a gite that served local fresh-water trout (I wish I had taken notes then), a Winstub in Riquewhir. Enjoy your trip to Alsace. Frieda

The initial post from JD ,and following, raises intersting issues. First of all, JD is right: historically the Cote d'Azur is part of Provence just as much as the Luberon (Peter Mayle country) or the Camargue. Considering Roman times, even Barcelona is part of Provence! The name Cote d'Azur was coined by a sous-prefect, Stéphane Liégard, in the late 19th century. He had written a "literary" guide book of the coastal region, named it with his home region Burgundy (where he owned an important domaine), Cote d'Or, in mind. On the basis of his writings, he desperately tried to be voted into the prestigious Académie Francaise, but was time and again turned down, despite his generous gifts of cases of wine from his Burgundy domaine. Most likely the voting members didn't want those generous gifts to stop. It's true that in the most touristy areas it's hard to find a restaurant with a decent meal for a decent price, apart from up-scale places. As a friend of mine who works seasonally on the coast says: hey, you slice a tomato, put slices of mozarella in between, some basil on top, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper and salt, all this for 95 francs (sorry, 13 euro) and no one complains. I won't even discuss the main courses. Why do the French visitors put up with this? They're on vacation and nothing is going to spoil that. Back home they'll visit their treasured places. For the time being, they'll put up with what they can find. Meanwhile, in the hinterland, especially in the Haut-Var, you can find excellent places with reasonable prices. For instance the modest Auberge du Lac in Bauduen or the more up-scale Hostellerie des Gorges de Pennefort in Callas, a true Provencal kitchen. France is the # 1 tourist destination in the world, with more than 70 million visitors. After the Paris region, the department of the Var is second. It's strange to contemplate, because in the coastal region of the Var you do not find the high-rises as in Cannes or Nice. Where are all those millions you wonder, only to be checked when you are stuck on the road to Sainte-Maxime for hours. After such a long wait, you grab anything, if only a tomato-mozarella dish for 13 euro. Frieda www.aboutprovence.com

Jaybee, An interesting dilemma you presented and universal. Here, in the south of France, inviting and being invited for meals is a regular thing, without much thought about reciprocity. But now and then there are instances when you wonder about the right thing to do. We have very good friends who regularly invite us, but we seldom return the invitation, because we know that he is happier at home, where he will get the meal to his liking (the list of things he doesn't like goes from here to Rome). So we compensate by bringing the best wines, spring flowers, etc. Then we know a couple like your friends, who always eat here, but never, never, return the favor. Though I love to cook and have people over for a long lunch under the oak trees, one day it began to bother me. Not so much about the cost, but the general idea. For the next meal I called my friend and invited her to join me for an early-morning shopping trip to the market of Saint-Tropez, to buy the ingredients for the upcoming lunch. We looked at the mussels, inspected the saffran, the vegetables and more. On the way home, we stopped off at a favorite domaine for a couple of bottles. When it came to paying, I sometimes held back and looked at my friend who quickly drew her purse. Later we cooked together and it changed something. We're still waiting for an invitation though.. Frieda

Indeed, Parkheuvel won its 3rd star in the 2002 guide. Why would this be a typo, Robert? It's a classic cuisine with a rigorous Chef who has worked at his trade for many years. Interesting that the first 3-star in the Netherlands went to Rotterdam, a hard-working city with the largest port in the world and not much of a night life -- as far as I'm concerned -- rather than frivolous Amsterdam or Burgundian Maastricht (plenty of good restaurants there). Frieda

Graham, The 2002 Michelin guide (only in the French version) does include descriptions, though brief. This is new. You can also find them on their site: www.viamichelin.com, by choosing the French version. Frieda

Robert, What I do in the region? I look for affordable places in Provence with "honest" cuisine and lots of ambience. I can recommend the best pizza from the truck with wood-burning oven at the market in Saint-Tropez (Tuesday and Saturday morning). But that's just a snack to take you to Senequier on the harbor for the best people and mega yacht watching in the world, and an expensive coffee service. But for more serious dining, still within budget: Le Logis de Guetteur (in Les Arcs, Var): A restaurant, established in a cave in the medieval part of the village. This may sound pretentious amd for that reason I held off for a long time. But when I finally lunched there I was convinced. A Dutch chef friend of mine (who has recently received his first Michelin star) claimed it was star quality. I had Fleurs de courgettes in such a light batter (and believe me, that can go wrong). Followed by dos the sanglier, not as strong as daube de sanglier (wild boar), just pefect. The service (including sommelier who was very informative about Cotes de Provence) was correct. Alas, we overstayed our meal. When my friends urged for a coffee and cognac, the only - young - waitress left (the rest must have succombed to their sieste) filled the cognac glasses to the rim. The designated driver winced and left his glass untouched. To be fair for Le Geuetteur, cognac is not a usual après in the region. Prices menu: starting 25 euro, w/out wine Aside: Les Arcs and close by Taradeau offer one of the best Cotes de Provence wines, though my favorite is La Giscle, a small domaine nearby Cogolin. Shh, a little secret. They make wine without adjcectives, win prizes, export to other European countries., decided not to export to the US because of of all the lable requierments. It's a family-run operation. Auberge du Lac, Bauduen With a view of Lac Ste Croix (a huge man-made lake, filled by EDF in the 70's with the dam farther down) you find a sympa restaurant with all the ingredients of the local terroir, often embellished by the truffe found nearby. (The winter truffle market of Aups is renowned.) The deco in the restaurant is very Provencal, the plats varying from simple bavette to civet. Service is charming. Prices menu: starting 25 euro, w/out wine Hostellerie du Couvent Royal (St-Maximin la Sainte Baume) I have to admit, I'm fond of this place, if only for the historical surroundings. There you are, eating in the cloisters of a 13th C. convent, whose Dominicans safeguarded the relics of Mary Magdalene in the adjacent Basilique for centuries. The chef is very much 21st century with delicate plats that change by day, A light cuisine, fragant with truffes. Not expensive for lunch. The convent has also been converted to a hotel with reasonable prices. La Fouquette (Les Mayons-Var) This is an example of Repas à la Ferme. The French government allows farmers to set up a simple restaurant (no outside help allowed), providing that most of the ingredients come for their farm, and giving them tax-breaks as a consequence. My close-by neighbor had such a restaurant until recently (in the Guide Gantié). Alas, he closed down a year ago, otherwise I would have included his place here. His dinners were copious with rabbit, duck, or chicken from his own farm. La Fouquette is similarly run, by the daughters of another of my neighbors. More later, Frieda

Steve, The Auberge de la Mole is now very well known in the region. I had dinner there more than 8 years ago, and remember their confit de canard, perfect. At the time we stumbled on this non-descript place, with a gas pump outside (no longer working) from the 40's or 50's. We stopped for a drink on our way home from Porquerolles. The outdoor terrace was as many in Provence, rough tables, a newspaper left behind, filled ashtrays. But the waft that came from the kitchen, where they were preparing dinner, was so inviting. We returned and loved it. In the meantime, the auberge has been written up by Peter Mayle in one of his later books, and as a consequence over-run by his fans. When all the hype has died down, I'll go back. My motto for a good local restaurant is: good service, reasonable prices and, above all, local ingredients cooked with amour. Frieda

Hello John, David is still in charge of La Colombe Joyeuse. he's Belgian/Flemish, which is a bit diiferent from Dutch (my provenance). There's a bit of rivalry between the two sides, to say the least. I have to admit that when it comes to pure linguistic challenges (a popular contest on Dutch TV), the Flemish most always beat the Dutch! Frieda

Cabrales, I haven't yet visited La Moulin at Lourmalin. It's a day trip from here to the Luberon, no sweat from an American perspective, but locally it means some planning. One day... Even though Reine Sammut might get mixed press, she's still a formidable woman chef among others. It's very hard for women in France to make a mark, 100 times more difficult than in the States, even though most French chefs claim to have been inspired by the cuisine of their mother or grandmother. Lemons here are mainly from Spain, in season indeed from Menton. Sometimes I receive a batch from a friend in Naples, the very best. Frieda

Hello John, Wonderful that you found La Garde-Freinet. I live just outside the village. For a little village of 1600 inhabitants it boasts of, at last count, 11 restaurants, indicating that the village is "in the lift," with the ensuing lift in property prices which the local people are not too happy about. We all hope and pray that it will not become a ghost town off season, such as Grimaud, 8 km to the south. Most restaurants are of average, but acceptable quality, including La Colombe Joyeuse, owned by a Belgian, not Dutch proprietor. Their specialty was/is pigeons, since they also owned a pigeon elevage just outside the village. An ambitious project, including a pigeon museum, that has now been down-scaled to just enough pigeons to supply the restaurant. The "best" restaurant in town is the Faucado along the RN that transverses the village. In summer you dine in a beautiful garden, in winter inside with a Provencal decor, including a blazing fireplace. I've eaten there once, and never again, despite the atempts of friends to draw me back to the garden. It was August, high season and the service was very bad, the magret de canard cooked to leather. I sent it back and by the time I received a better version my table companions (at my urging) had finished their main course and I had eaten the garniture left on my plate, which was very delicious, though. Perhaps I should give it another chance. In the meantime, I prefer the sympa La Colombe Joyeuse or the Maurin de Maures in Le Rayol-Canadel, one of the few restaurants on the coast that are affordable and correct. I have an invitation there next week and will take notes! For more information on La Garde-Freinet, visit their web site: www.lagardefreinet-tourisme.com Frieda

Hello Cabrales, The village where I live, La Garde-Freinet, is with Collobrières the main source of chestnuts. The difference between chataignes and marrons: when you open a chestnut and find just one, round fruit, it's a marron. When you find two clamped together it's a chataigne. There's not much difference in taste between the two, but the marron is lesser found and perfect for the marrons glacées. In Collobrières you find a small store where they make and sell the best. Beside it is a small museum where you can see the delicate process. It wouldn't surprise me if the marrons at Fauchon came from Collobrières. The store also sells a marron ice cream which is very rich and very special. The harvest of chestnuts is in October. Both villages then host chestnut festivals which attract thousands of people. The villages have a tenuous, but unspoken rivalry concerning chestnuts. When I created the web site for LGF (www.lagardefreinet-tourisme.com), I was told not to use the chestnut as an emblem. It was already taken by Collobrières. On another web site I manage, www.aboutprovence.com, you will find in the archives of Flash! an article on chestnuts. As far as pieds et paquets are concerned: I've learned, the pieds are cooked before, the meat scraped off and added to the mix that is then folded inside the small package of tripe lining. Tied, the packages simmer for more than 12 hours in a Provencal tomato sauce with herbes de Provence. Last night, on local Gourmet-TV, Reine Sammut, of Auberge de la Fenière in Lourmarin, Vaucluse, recounted how she gradually moved from standard Provencal bistrot fare to more creative dishes, all the while retaining the Provencal spirit. After her first Michelin star, she evolved to more refined dishes. But the one she couldn't eliminate from her menu was pieds et paquets. Frieda

Cabrales, First of all I have to correct myself. The fish is served on cork-oak bark, not chestnut. Both trees are prominent in the region. Until the early part of the 20th Century, the cork-oak trees (chènes lièges) were an important source of local income, mainly for producing corks for wine bottles. Later, the cork from Portugal, for instance, was less expensive and as a result the local factories closed and converted to apartments bought by, mainly, foreigners. The village where I live had 3500 inhabitants in the 19th C, now 1600. These days, the cork-oak trees are still stripped of their bark, but primarily for decorative purposes. For the Bouillabaisse, the cork dish is an embellishment, not adding anything to the taste of the dish, except for saying that it is from the region. Chestnut trees continue to be important here for their wonderful fruits in the fall. With Collobrières, my village of La Garde-Freinet is the world's most important source of chestnuts. The signs are all over: forbidden to pick up chestnuts. I would dare to taste a grape from a vineyard in September, but hesitate with a fallen marron on private property. Pieds et paquets: this is a very Provencal dish, consisting of pigs' feet (pieds), enveloped in the lining of a pig's stomach. Or the other way around. I'm clearly not a fan of "les abats," except for the foie de veau and of course that of the canard or the goose. Frieda