About exquisite groceries

[delights]

I am always attentive to the commentaries who can be made by some journalist about the quality of an exquice grocery in Paris or in France.

Nevertheless it happens that there is always a confusion made in those commentaries betwen an exquisite shop in

France and a products of the soil shop.

An exquisite generally shows some luxury products,great wines,french of international,destined to luxury customers.

A products of the shop shows some unknown products of

the soil from some provinces of France.

Generally the prices are sage and the target is to promote

the little artisan.

In this last case the clientèle is more popular.

I always visit some french gastronomic exhibitions in Paris

as "paris fermier" and I always remarked that the artisans

assert the notion of the notion "product of the soil" more

than the notion of "luxury product".

There is one journalist,Mr Vincent Ferniot,on The french TV

emission TV "télé mation" who has always made the difference betwen luxury products and products of the soil.

Obviously he is not the only one the journalist who made the difference,but I would like that in the future the commentators to be more precise in this field!

[robert brown]

Philippe, can you give us some examples or perhaps deliniate between the different kind of food shops and where you like to shop? I would be interested to hear about the less-obvious stores.

[delights]

In order to complete this topic I add that 8 places in Paris

have been indicated in the french publication "Elle à Table" in september 2001.

The first place is:

Au domaine du Luc

48 rue Daguerre

75014 Paris

There are some products of the french soil there as mustards or rare terrines.

The second adress is:

Albert Ménès

41 bld Malesherbes

75008 Paris

Albert Ménès has some international customers.

Oh I love his pepper of Brazil.

It could be for me an exquisite shop.

The third adress is:

Pascal Guiraud

21 Bld de Reuilly

75012 paris

Here you'll find some lovely coffees.

The one perfumed with vanilla is wonderful.

The fourth adress is,will I be enough humble to quote it,my shop:

les délices de daubenton

35 rue daubenton

75005 paris

I'm the specialist of the graves de vayres wines,rare jellies,tapenads and foie gras.

I think I have a product of the soils shop.

The 5th adress is:

Faquais

30 rue de la Trémoille

75008 paris

Oh! a lovely collection of spices,mustards and vinegars.

To recommend!

the 6 th adress is:

grandterroirs

30 rue de miromesnil

75008 paris.

Some lovely olive oils.

You can eat on the place,maybe with a confit de canard.

the 7th adress is:

A la mère de famille

35 rue du faubourg monmarthe

75008 paris

The good old time of chocolates,and the "madeleines of Commercy".

lastly the 8 th adress:

Epicerie fine rive gauche

8 rue du champ de Mars

75008 paris

A lovely white salmon of the Baltic and a good collection of spices.

In order to conclude the border between products of the soils shop and exquisite shop is not easy to find.

Let the consumer have his opinion.

[fresh_a]

Actually, a "soils" shop doesn't sound too appetizing, as it could mean something rather nasty! I think you must be translating directly from the French word "terroir", which sort of translates into English as a "hearty" meal, or "authentic" French products.

Edited February 6, 2003 by fresh_a (log)

[Bux]

Recently I came across an otherwise lovely glossy brochure devoted to the food and wine of the Loire. It had a map illustrating products of the soils of the Loire. A most unfortunate translation. Terroir is a unique word in France and it's a word we use more and more in English at least in connection with wine. The English use may be too naorrow to suit the broader use in France. Rather than "soil" one should think in terms of "earth." Products of the earth doesn't quite make it, nor does earthy cuisine but it comes closer perhaps. Earthy cusine would be akin to rustic or hearty cuisine, but it doesn't have the connotations I associate with "terroir" which tend to imply a particular soil or place.

A Sancerre must not only taste of its varietal grape--sauvignon blanc--but of its soil and bear a resemblance to what we expect a Sancerre to taste like.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Thanks for bringing Elle's interesting list to our attention. I have been titillated by one address for some time: grandterriors, 30 rue miromesnil. This is a tiny storefront. Surrounded by shelves of packaged products from the countryside are a couple of communal tables where a dozen or so neighborhood "suits" belly up to downhome plates that are created from the products on the shelves. I would guess that reservations are essential, and it is, therefore, a destination lunch site, even though an idiosyncratic one. I hope someday to have time to try it.

[delights]

I could also talk about products representative of the

french province of---

Its seems less poor than soil.