In chocolates, candies or even vinegar: the town of Nemours in Seine-et-Marne has no shortage of inspiration for the taste of its emblematic product, the poppy flower. Picked and processed on site since 1870, it has given birth to a delicacy that is still very popular with gourmets.
The poppy lozenge owes its name to the flower immortalized in Monet's famous 1873 painting. It is 3 years earlier that the confectioner François-Etienne Desserey had the idea of its creation to promote the antitussive, antiseptic and calming virtues of the fragile and ephemeral red flower.
Since then, in this town rich in limestone soils, about 200 kilos of poppy petals are picked by hand each year from May to early July (only in the middle of the morning to avoid dew and heat) before being transformed into natural aroma.
Today the specialty of the city of Gâtin, whose production was interrupted in the inter-war period, is still successful thanks to its many variations: lollipops, lemonades, marshmallows, spirits (poppy cream)... and of course the unavoidable candy sold by the retailer or in metal boxes.
Even if we know that candies are made of sugar, glucose syrup, poppy flavouring, acidifier and colouring, the recipe allowing to transform wild red flowers into confectionery remains mysterious. Fruit of a delicate alchemy obtained at the end of a controlled process, it is produced on 2 plots of 3 hectares free put at the disposal of the local confectioners by the farmers of Nemour. The two professions are thus participating in the promotion of a local product that reflects the image of this pretty town located near Fontainebleau.
Since 2015, China is among the countries that appreciate this small flat, rectangular and red candy. It is exported very well there as well as in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Great Britain. To taste it, go to this site or this one.
Valérie from Comme des Français
Discover other regional specialties:
- A refined little southern confectionery
- The most buttery of French cakes
- A delicious Alsatian speciality
Crédit photo : Keldelice / Taluna / Confiserie foraine / Pour de bon Des Lis Chocolat / Violette & Berlingot.
