Travel: Gorging in Burgundy

If you go to Burgundy in 20 years time, it will certainly all be very different, writes European markets specialist Sandra Shevey.
Dijon MarketDijon Market
Dijon Market

Monsanto will have made inroads into the EU and most crops will be produced by mechanised farms using genetically-modified grain. The only real food will be organic, expensive and affordable only by the elite … and this has already happened in Great Britain.

At this stage, however, things are relatively populist. Much of the produce of Burgundy is produced naturally at local farms and even cottage gardens.

A walk around Dijon in early morning acquaints with the vast numbers of local houses that host kitchen gardens.

My most treasured memory is of the Dijon market and the stalls which surround the old market building. I was passing one particular fruit and vegetable stall and was assaulted by the pungent smells of fresh farm produce. Wonderful!

In Britain we no longer produce what we eat. We import from elsewhere and thus it is tasteless and odourless having been transported, refrigerated and/or overproduced.

Why? Locals in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and other home counties could grow and supply. Why don’t they? This is something about which, like Britain`s surrender of its food culture, I am still pondering.

As well as for its fine wines, Burgundy is known for its food- mustard, cheese, cured meats, cassis, Bresse poultry as well as its 500-year-old recipe for gingerbread. I was preparing to eat myself into a stupor (which I did and now must endeavour to slim)

The plan was to visit four authentic old Burgundy markets: Dijon, Beaune, Chagny and Louhans. These are idiomatic old cities and towns without a vestige of McDonalds expect for Dijon (in the city centre) and Beaune (where one has finally succeeded in locating on the town outskirts)

There`s probably been a market in Dijon since time immemorial but the current 1883 building was conceived by Gustave Eiffel: the town`s native son and architect of the Eiffel Tower.

The market hosts about 200 stalls, many surrounding the hall. Most of these sell fruit, vegetables and flowers, whilst perishables – cured meats, meats, fish, cheeses and cakes – are sold inside.

There are only 250,000 people living in Greater Dijon which is incredible when you conceive of the level of produce they consume. There are masses of stuff sold three days a week – Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (8am-12:30pm). It thus seems they eat royally and cheaply too because at the end of the day all unsold produce is auctioned off whilst the rest is tendered pro bono.

Nicely, all produce is marked so you know if it`s national, imported or local. Local produce has the name of the supplier and the farm. Most of the produce is not only local but the traders are also the growers. Many have sold produce at Dijon from their own farms for the past 50 or 60 years. Others are second or third generation grower-sellers. Some go back further.

My French actually seems to improve when encouraged and I found I was able to navigate myself in conversation with Mr and Mrs Naudet who were selling some of the loveliest (and sweetest) strawberries this side of Britain.

A Swedish woman was buying boxes and boxes and boxes and yet there were still plenty for others. She was intending to make puree (and freeze it for the winter) and also to send some punnets to her mother in Sweden where fruit is less plentiful and very dear.

Most of the produce looked as if it had just been picked (and probably had been). There were green and yellow courgettes, green onions with huge heads, five types of salad, sweet cheeries, carrots with stems, as well as several kinds of mushrooms including the huge ones you can only find in Burgundy.

The rural French still have an unique eccentricity and it`s not unusual to find stuff weighed in scales which date from the 1880s.

Flowers... flowers... flowers... all fragrant and lovely from small farms or home gardens. There were everything from Van Gogh’s sunflowers to zinnias, dahlias as well as the prosaic (but lovely) daisies.

The Dijon market also purveys household goods including some rustic tablecloths in both linen and cotton. There is an adjacent flea market where you can buy antique linens for a fraction of Paris prices.

There’s lots of Art Decon for sale, and the traders do not object if you bargain. There was an antique cap form (c1880) which I wanted but the prospect of lugging it without a car made me forgot the purchase.

The real showpiece of the Dijon market is the old hall which sells the perishables or rather the perishables which are sold there. Because these are comestibles you only dream about.

Eiffel`s hall consists of four pavilions on a crossroad defined by a clock. The ground floor is the only working floor, but a view from above provides a spectacular sight of the wrought-iron beams. Architecturally important, the hall is built of Burgundy limestone, mixed brick, tin, glass as well as wrought iron.

Talk about a beggar`s banquet. First there were the cheesemongers. Most get their cheeses from local small producers at Epoisses or Dijon (the Gaugry family cheese factory). Cheese is pasteurised (for Americans and British) and unpasteurised (for the French).

Tires of Epoisses and goat cheese abound. The Dijonnais do not eat Camembert. I was given some Epoisses to taste. It is a soft crude milk cheese – smelly, runny and quintessential. I loved it.

There were leek custard and grated fried potato cake. There were all kinds of terrines... fish, meat... mushroom. There were ham and salmon in aspic.

But the outstanding cured meat was parsley ham cooked in wine as aspic. It is very rich, very satisfying, very filling and very delicious. It is also fattening so you must eat just a little.

Alexandre Ramel, a charcuterie, has won a gold meal for his version of the local product. I mean, it’s like Harrods food hall, but at a fraction of the cost and even better.

And then the baked goods... all fresh, all local... a yellow cake with almond sugar icing... filled with custard... Oh my G-d! I discovered the name of the cake is ‘Tropezienne’. Tropez? It fits!

There were the standard Croque Monsieur but also Croque Chevre (with goat cheese) and Croque Poulet (with chicken). Wow!

And then there was the regional gingerbread- too dry for me and without enough spices. Spices would have enhanced the flavour and compensated for the dryness.

And then more cured meats... crude pork pate, raw sausage mince, raw sausage, tomato mince... an incredible selection.

This market is not for the squeamish and/or the conservative. You have to be able and willing to try exotic things such as calves tongues, kidneys, calves hearts, pigs brains, sweetbreads (veal organs).

I was keen and lunched on cow`s heat (too fatty) which locals consider a delicacy and many consume as from childhood.

Dijon mustard of course was a condiment. The 18th Century Maille factory now belongs to Unilever. We had a choice of numerous mustards including a chocolate mustard (hideous). I plumped for the standard Chablis mustard. Bon!

Dijon is a place where you could happily remain forever. I slightly envied the men and women hurrying home to prepare the dejeuner carrying parcels of cheese and ham and fruit and bread in local wicker baskets.

Fact file

Sandra Shevey runs English-speaking tours around Burgundy ancient markets – http://sandrashevey.tripod.com/market.walks

Hospitality courtesy of Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk) and Burgundy Tourism (www.crt-bourgogne.fr)

Contact her at [email protected]

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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