Cooking in Provence

[David Asplin]

My wife and I have rented a house northwest of Aix en Provence for six weeks next spring. Living then near Pont Royal and Mallemort we wish to learn about best places for grocery shopping, wine shopping and best bakeries and sources of produce. We seek both the experience of others and useful websites, especially those which will teach us about every day life in this area of Provence.

[degusto]

It is a good region for food shopping. You will not be very far from the old port in Marseille, where you will find ultra fresh fish directly from the fishermen. Do go there to buy your fish, it is a pretty fast drive and parking can be found nearby. There are other ports on the west side of Marseille where you can buy fresh fish as well.

There are many markets in the region. In Aix there is a big fruit and vegetable market on Place des Précheurs and Place de la Madeleine every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Be there early on Saturdays. There is another small market on Place Richelme, which I believe is open if not every day, most days of the week. There is a good market in l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue every Thursday and Sunday morning. There is an even better one in Apt, which is a bit of a drive but a nice one, every Saturday. Be sure to be early especially in Apt since parking is a bit of a problem. For a complete list of the Luberon markets, go here. The market in Cavaillon, famous for its melon, is quite good too and you should not miss some of the marché paysans, if you are in the region when they have started. There is also an indoor market in Avignon with decent stuff but it is a bit of a hassle to go to.

Boucherie Fassetta on rue Espariat in Aix en Provence has decent meat. There are a few decent butchers in l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Apt.

You will be close to one of the most fabled produce of France, the asparagus of Robert Blanc in Villelaure, west of Pertuis. But there will be plenty of very fine asparagus from other good small producers at all the markets during the spring. Make sure to buy asparagus directly from a producer that cut them the same morning.

Some specialties not to be missed include, in addition to the asparagus from Luberon, Sisteron lamb, which unfortunately is not an origin that guarantees high quality but it can be of very high quality, poutarge from Martigues, brousse de Rove (ewe’s milk cheese in the region often used with berries and jams), the small cigales de mer from Marseille, tellines from Camargue and the squab pigeon from Luberon to mention a few things.

The probably best wine shop in the region is La Cave du Septier in Apt run by Thierry Riols and his wife. Their website is here. Thierry is a very serious caviste and prices are reasonable. You will be reasonably close to Chateauneuf du Pape and Southern Rhone and there are a few interesting wineries in the Provence region that are not too far from you, such as Domaine Richeaume in Puyloubier, Domaine de Trevallon in Saint-etienne-du-gres and for some of the best whites of the region, Château des Tourettes outside of Apt owned by the famous Guffens Heynen from Burgundy.

Edited November 21, 2005 by degusto (log)

[Jonathan Day]

I second the recommendation of La Cave du Septier. I have not visited the shop but use them regularly, ordering by Internet or telephone for delivery within France. Their service has been consistently reliable and the people online and on the phone well informed.

[degusto]

If you do go to Apt there is also a small but very good cheese store called Picodon et Pélardon on rue de la Sous-Préfecture. The selection is somewhat limited, but the quality is usually impeccable.

[menton1]

There are fabulous street markets 3x/week in Aix, the biggest one being Saturdays. The location is Place de Verdun, by the Hotel de Ville. There are a couple of hundred local producers here, with everything from fresh veggies to cheese to fresh meats and fish. You should find some of the best of everything you need here, except for the wine.

There is a giant Carrefour in one of the commercial zones for your supermarket needs...

One of my favorite little discoveries for wine is a cooperative just outside of La Tour d'Aigues called Cellier de Marrenon. This is well off the beaten path, but it is a little gem. The whites there are sublime. About a 1/2 hr from Aix.

[Bux]

The best strawberries I ever ate, were purchased at one of the smaller open markets in Aix. By all means, the advice to learn where the markets in the area are and to learn what's local and in season is good advice.

[David Asplin]

Dear Helpful Friends:

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have offered such helpful replies to my 'post' about where to shop in Provence! Thank you especially to:

Robert Buxbaum, "menton1", "degusto" and Jonathan Day.

David R. Asplin,

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

[degusto]

There are fabulous street markets 3x/week in Aix, the biggest one being Saturdays.  The location is Place de Verdun, by the Hotel de Ville.  There are a couple of hundred local producers here, with everything from fresh veggies to cheese to fresh meats and fish.  You should find some of the best of everything you need here, except for the wine. 

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I would say that a large part, sometimes the vast majority depending on the season, of the resellers at the Provencal markets are not producers but rather just vegetable resellers going from one market to the other. You will see the same people the next day at a different market. Some vegetables may be sourced directly from local farmers but perhaps more often everything is sourced at the M.I.N. (Marché Interet National) in Cavaillon or in Chateaurenard (one of the largest for fruits and vegetables in Europe) the day or days before. The difference between what is sold from many of the stalls at the markets and very well-stocked supermarkets is often limited or non-existent so one really needs to look out for the great stuff, which is around but often not to the extent people in general think. The marché paysans are often better since at many of these smaller markets there are mostly producers which is a reason these are open only a part of the year.

Fish is a different story. I don’t think I have seen one fishmonger at a Provencal market selling even decent fish. I am thinking about all the markets north of Marseille. It may happen but one would assume that virtually all fish sold by these fish mongers, as well as most other normal fish mongers, have at best been sourced at somewhere like M.I.N. in Marseille (big for fish) the day before, which means if it is a fish from Brittany, which it often is, it was landed at best one day before that on top of which the fish often has been “burnt” by being on ice. Then at the markets to be sold to the public, the quality of the fish will not be improved by having one side exposed to ice and the other to day temperature, which in the spring and summer can be well beyond perfect storing conditions for fish. There is just no comparison to a fish bought directly from the fishermen in one of the small ports of Marseille or elsewhere along the Mediterranean coats. It can be a bit tricky because you will never really know what type of fish you will get when you go there and sometimes such as when the weather is bad, there is nothing to buy. The only alternative, if you want great fish, is to buy fish from a very serious wholesaler or semi-wholesaler who will not display fish on traditional fish counters but have all his stock stored in perfect conditions at all time.