Travel: From Dijon to Beaune

The night before heading off to Beaune for the second of her French feature, specialist markets writer Sandra Shevey attended the annual July Festival (July 4-14) which links New Orleans with Dijon.
Beaune MarketBeaune Market
Beaune Market

The ostensible reason for the event, other than celebrating mutual independence revolutions, was to demonstrate that France could sing as well as cook and that America could cook as well as sing.

There was something exquisitely sophomoric hearing a French dixieland band revving: une, deux, trois, quatre before seguing into ‘Down by the Riverside’. ‘I ain’t gonna study war no more... I ain’t gonna study war no more…’. Who believes it? Only the young!

The reality of it all is that whilst New Orleans proferred food which stood no comparison with that of Dijon, the Dijonnais patently refused to upstage the Americans and all the really good French producers stayed away. No fun!

It made me smile having enjoyed some local terrine for lunch to sample stuff which wasn’t a patch on the simplest and least haute French cuisine.

And so to Beaune: Burgundy’s smart market town. where I had just missed the Baroque festival.

There’s no theft in Beaune I was told as I prepared to try on a dress at a local Beaune boutique fearful of leaving my bags in the main of the shop.

The shops in Dijon now retail many international brands and thus I couldn`t find what I refer to as `really French attire`.

The dress I sourced was pure baby doll. You`d have to wear inner wear (a bra) as outer wear to make it work. Shelving inhibition I bought it anyway and currently can be seen trotting around London town in what looks like my nightie.

Beaune hosts markets on Wednesday and Saturday (8am - midday) within the precinct of the old market hall c1837 whilst heaps of outdoor stalls flood all precincts of the town centre as they did before and until 1837.

These bi-weekly markets are quite an event, and it’s not uncommon to see waiters from the local cafes carrying trays of demitasse for the traders as they set up in the early morning hours.

There`s not much of an Arab and/or Black presence at these markets but at Beaune I did see an Arab (blowing the shofar) selling some of the freshest-looking condiments and spices as well as figs, nuts, dates prunes, raisins, olives and Algerian olive oil. The stall was decorated with pots and `artefacts` of eating.

Hot fast food is a characteristic of the Beaune market. The aromatic smells of roast chicken, pork as well as AOC Bresse poultry are perceptible in every corner of the market area.

Local Burgundy cheeses were purveyed: Charolais- a crude milk cheese from farm cows and Cabrion - goat`s milk cheese ripened between layers of grape skins.

Beaume seems to get more rustic traders than Dijon- everyone from small farmers to housewives shopping their products. When M.F.K. Fisher wrote about the Burgundy markets, she talked at length about her landlady who always knew where to shop (the housewife with the best and cheapest produce) and also how to haggle (`Oh you can`t sell that - it is wilted` or `It is too small`) I was privy to this in action as I watched housewives bargain shamelessly to get the best produce for the cheapest price. It`s called `making ends meet` I guess.

But oh! the locals. What dears! You don`t have to bargain very hard. They`re a soft touch. Mme Petit who has been there for yonks sells the output from her garden nursery. Isn`t it great that casual traders are enabled to sell along with regulars at the market? This is no longer true at all markets and/or it is prohibitively expensive.

Petit`s output is either great or small depending upon when you arrive. In my first encouter at 7am she had plenty.By 11am her produce had been depleted. Still, there are free range chicken eggs and duck eggs; red currant berries, shell peas, gooseberries, cherries and white currants- all in sweet little punnets.

The Beaune market is a real time warp with the locals carrying their bread baskets amongst cobbled streets in the heat of the day.

I think, if it`s possible, I saw even more exotic produce than I did at the Dijon market. There were pork foot in jelly, a side of marinated pork, and all kinds of pates (rough and smooth), The rough were palatably rough.

There was some organic produce sold, but most is merely farm fresh. I chatted to growers-traders Daniel and Brigitte who produce probably less than their Dijon counterparts. Less in this case is more as they say. They were almost out of lamb and veal cured meats but still had chicken and pork, as well as pork knuckles in jelly (should I?) and pork terrine of the country (nice and grainy).

The market had a few unlikely stalls too including a delicious candies stall; a soap stall and a stall selling the best pork scratchings I have ever tasted. There was also a man selling caneles - little cakes tasting of vanilla and rum which look like flans. They have a soft custard centre and a dark thick caramelized crust.

Onions from the fields... there are over 10 types on offer. And another stall selling olives and condiments.... pickled peppers, olives, onions, white onions (small), pickles black olives; mix of pickled cauliflower, carrots and onions. Plus basil spread, tomatoe spread, olive spread and fish spread.

Cucumbers as fresh as daisies are sold with flower stems. There are seven and eight kinds of lettuce- chicory, butter, romaine, endive and more. There are in fact so many when you ask the lady to list them she can`t remember them all.

Everything is top quality - Bresse AOC chicken, rabbits, duck and free-range eggs (all kinds).

Hey, what`s that? I ask and the trader tells me `it`s an heirloom tomato… a tomato which is not genetically modified... but looks the way a tomato should look`. It is obviously the regal forebear of all other tomatoes. It comes in all colours... yellow, black as well as red.

And the flowers from Madame Loichet, an old body at the market. Some wild, others freshly-picked from her own garden. Any zenias today? `Sold out. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow... Someone bought them all`. But she has daisies, lilies, snapdragons and sunflowers.

There`s a flea market on Saturday which has some great 1920 French pots and jugs. One is saucily inscribed: `Drink what you want but watch where you put your hand`.

I think this an appropriate inscription for Beaune as I found some of the locals could be a bit frisky.I was goosed twice during my trip. There`s another local stall selling French table clothes in floral French prints at a fraction of shop prices.

Some wonderful Rocquefort at a local stall next to a kiosk selling Beaune mustard from La Moutarderie - one of the few factories which survives and under original ownership.

Operating as a family concern since 1840 the factory has now upgraded and maintains the original part as a museum. They also host tutored tastings. Who knows how long Moutarderie will last?

There used to be 33 mustard producers in Beaune alone. Competition is intense and companies like Unilever are subsuming the old independents. I guess one can only rejoice for what one has and not grieve for what one might lose?

Lunch at a typical bistro conceived in fantasy amidst a parking dump and auto garages and consisting of potted palms, sun umbrellas and waiters in whites- all trotting around on a platform erected over some moribound old lot.

Parts III and IV to follow.

Fact File

Sandra Shevey runs English-speaking tours around Burgundy`s ancient markets.

http://sandrashevey.tripod.com/market.walks

Hospitality courtesy of Rail Europe- www.raileurope.co.uk

Burgundy Tourism - www.crt-bourgogne.fr

Sandra also runs walks around London markets and has a dvd. She also runs multi-city walks around Britain, France and the EU.

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