Markets of Provence~A Culinary Tour Of Southern France~A Tasteful~Delightful Tour Awaits On These Pages
Written: Aug 25 '08 (Updated Aug 25 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautifully illustrated book about the tasty markets in Provence
Cons: I'm not there now
The Bottom Line: Each day, Villages all over Provence get ready for Market day, this book takes you there.
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| ifif1938's Full Review: Dixon Long and Ruthanne Long - Markets of Provence... |
For my birthday, a few weeks ago, my dear hubby gave me a truly delightful book he had seen me ogling while we were having lunch recently at The Cafe at Books and Books. The way the books are displayed in the café area of the store is quite interesting as they have all their cookbooks and travel related cook books right opposite the banquette of tables that are along one long wall. They don't mind if you look through the books while you are eating, so I picked this one up out of curiosity when I saw the title, Markets of Provence A Culinary Tour Of Southern France. Those of you who know me will say, well, that comes as no surprise!
One of our favorite pastimes while traveling is to seek out the market places and markets streets of the cities and towns we visit, after being in the restaurant business for so long we are hooked on food and the way it is prepared and sold. Here in the U.S., in the major cities we have been to, such as New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles, if there is a famous market we will go see it… In Europe, markets have a different feel and flavor, especially in France. Each region of the country, from the big cities to the smallest villages, have their special market days, even Paris, for that matter, has amazing market streets with special days for selling and showing the vendors wares. Some of the market streets in Paris are always hopping like the Rue Cler, in Montmartre, where I've seen some incredible sights regarding food and other tangibles, both legal and not so legal… in the neighborhood of Vincennes there is a huge market every Friday right near the big chateau which we found out about just by accident one day. And the huge flea market, Marche aux Puces de Cligancourt held just on the fringes of Paris, is where there are as a many as 3,000 stalls and shops, selling everything from junk to antiques, clothing that is considered vintage to designer ware. You can find almost anything and everything there, but watch your pockets and purses, is the mantra.
Nowhere else in our travels have we encountered the way the calendar of events focuses on Markets, like the way they do in Provence.
This book guides you to many of them and in such a beautiful lavish way, you can't help but get hungry just by looking at the pages.
The foreword is written by Patricia Wells, known as a culinary master in her own right, as a writer and master chef. She has lovingly written so many books about France she should be its ambassador. She's even the writer of text in my favorite calendar, 365 Days in France.
But I digress.
This book, Markets of Provence, really does take you on food trip though much of Provence and the traditional market days that take place in each town and village. Those are exciting days for all the villagers when the farmers arrive with the freshest products just picked from their farms or produced with their very own hands, of course with the help of Mother Nature…Whether it's flowers or honey or homemade soaps, the best in fresh veggies and fruit or the markets devoted to selling birds, anything and everything you could possibly want will be sold at these markets. There are special antique markets and meat markets selling whole baby pigs or fresh fowl hanging upside down with feathers still in tact, chickens and roosters, eggs and fresh homemade cheeses and breads. It's all at the marketplace. And, what makes these markets so delightful is that most of them are held in the open-air, under the piercing blue Provencal sky with the golden sun and colorful landscapes beyond the villages lending a picture postcard vision to your market day experience.
This book takes you on a journey to seven of the most popular and exciting markets of Provence from the tiny hilltop village of Bonnieux to the city of Aix-en-Provence. Markets of Provence celebrates that region of France where the love of good food, cooking and eating are the bonds that tie each place together.
I've especially loved haggling with the sellers, friendly haggling indeed and have come away with some of my most valued treasures, treasures not in monetary value but in memories when I look at that special little purchase I made, a small duck casserole dish, a little goose pitcher, a goose cheese tray, (well, I was into ducks and geese at one time), each time I look at them I remember that day I spent in that particular marketplace. One of them came from the market held in Aix-en-Provence on a Thursday, the city they call "Paris of the South", where a market is held every Thursday and that's what this book is all about.
Each chapter focuses on one day and the town where a market is held that particular day. There is a colorful map in the beginning of the book with each city, town or village highlighted so, when you are reading the book, you can look to see where the town is located. If you are planning a trip around market days, (and there are people who do that), this book makes it simple to plan your course of action.
And so it begins: Monday in Cadenet, a gateway town to Provence if you are coming from the east…This chapter tells you how to get there and what you will find and should look for,…a chateau here, some ruins there, how many people live there and what they do for a living… and then the markets are shown with beautiful accompanying photographs, you can almost feel the spirit of the market as you see a picture of a women at a book stall or man making and selling baskets. And of course the distant shot of the rooftops of the village itself… Purely magical, of a time and place that goes back so far in history…Then there is a recipe for Quail with Green Onions and Tapenade Croutons, the page beside it, a man selling quails.
Each section of the book is like that. Tuesdays in La Tour D'Aigues…they call this the "Chateau Market" because the market is set up right beside the old historic chateau of the town and the book relates the history of that castle, what is sold there and of course, accompanied by gorgeous photos of that chateau and the pictures of the food, full page shots of leeks and asparagus with the sellers by their stands.
One page in the book is about the wines of the Luberon and explains how to make one of my favorite drinks a Red Wine Kir, as it details the wine houses that produce those red, white and other delightful vins of Provence
On Wednesday, if you happen to be in Saint Remy, this book tells you where you will find the market going on that day. Unfortunately, when we were there it wasn't on a Wednesday… (But we did see the Sanitarium where Van Gogh stayed after his breakdown). The pictures once again just bring Saint Remy to life in all its splendor and there is even a little history lesson about Van Gogh among the pages along with those photos displaying some of the markets olives and a gorgeous picture of a field of Sunflowers, there is also a wonderful recipe for Stuffed Leg of Alpilles Lamb…Yum.
Next we are off to Aix….Thursday in Aix-en-Provence. I've already mentioned we went to that market and planned to be there on a Thursday for that reason. It was everything we had thought it would be and more. The book has some really gorgeous photos of Aix and colorful shots of people attending the flower market in the Place de L Hotel de Ville, called the biggest and best flower market in the region. I can almost smell those flowers just looking at the photos. The history is told about Aix and where to go to see the most important sights.
So this book can be considered a guide book as well as a book about Markets
On Friday we visit Bonnieux, "A village in the clouds", since this tiny town is located 3000 ft up on a hill. This is a small market held every week with locals selling their wares and products they have made but affords a true feel of life in a small hideaway village, what a charming and unforgettable experience it must be to see this remarkable place. All around this area are other villages with their own markets and sights just waiting to be explored.
Each turn of the page leads to more and more amazing photos of food; the pungent cheeses, the breads, the homemade jams, along with the flowers, the fabrics, the stoneware and the people who make these markets come to life everyday, told with the most enchanting photographs, along with the recipes and little special stories about each locale.
This captivating book is so super special from the first page to the last chapter, which happens to be about the market held on Saturday's in the town of Apt, on the old Roman Road, a big booming market they call it since it is so spread out with people crammed under the ancient Roman arches selling whatever it is they are selling…I wish I was there to buy something.
The authors Dixon and Ruthanne Long really do a fantastic job in bringing the cultural heritage of these markets to life. They share the knowledge they have about that captivating countryside and the recipes they have collected after spending quite a few years living in Provence, so have first hand knowledge of each unique city and village they have written about
David Wakely, the photographer, has done an amazing job of bringing the homey feeling and life of these people who live in these villages, alive for us to see through his camera lens in these remarkable half and full page color photographs.
Markets of Provence is a hard cover coffee table book just 115 pages but brimming with information and pictures that bring you to France with each turn of the page. I recommend it highly to anyone with a fascination for that country as it demonstrates how lovingly the French think of food and what they do to make it so appealing and so delicious.
Oh, I almost forgot, I'll be adding this review to my French/English writeoff to be found Here
Recommended:
Yes
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