French regional produces

The fruit

Franche-Comté is a region that abounds in fruit trees of all kinds, and their fruit are the source of inspiration for any number of delicious sweetmeats.

The 'Malinas', a raspberry macerated in brandy, stands alongside the queen of cherries, the morello, as the chief resource of Fougerolles in Haute-Saône. Elsewhere, mirabelle plums, cherries, plums, peaches and apples are used for delicious jams and fabulous tarts, not to mention wonderful fruit juices.
 

Honey, ginger bread and ice creams

Pine, acacia, lime, sunflower or clover and dandelion – all these flavours and more have been adding their scent to the honeys of Franche-Comté since the 18th century. As a result of this abundant plant life, the countless bees in the region have an endless supply of nectar, giving us the range of honeys with colours from clear to dark brown, and textures from runny to semi-thick.

And where you have honey, you have gingerbread. It was behind the prosperity of Dole throughout the first half of the 19th century, where a number of firms specialised in its production. A perfect example of this is the Vuez firm, which has been in Mouthe for 6 generations, making and selling its large 400g loaf made with wheat flour and its little 'glacés', orange-flavoured gingerbreads covered with a meringue icing.

Vuez are also famed for another passion, ice creams, which bring together traditional flavours and the tastes of Franche-Comté such as pine buds, Jura honey, gentian, Macvin and yellow wine, not forgetting of course ginger bread ice cream.

Chocolate

Franche-Comté has many treasures hidden away. One that it is particularly proud of is its master chocolate makers. Many of them have been trained at the Lenôtre school, some feature in the national "Chocolate Nibblers" guide and others hail from families with as many as two hundred years of experience. They all work with the same passion and creativity. From Vesoul to Arbois, via Belfort and Montbéliard, these traditional chocolate makers work hard each day to produce for us these wonderful delights. Taking their inspiration from the wealth of culinary heritage in Franche-Comté, they all try to give their produce a unique identity and a subtle flavour.

It is this creativeness which lies behind the "Belles Comtoises", these amusing little cow figures, covered in white, milk or dark chocolate, with a tender praline centre.
 

Cordials and lemonades

The famous Mortuacienne was born 80 years ago in Upper Doubs. Its old-style mechanical stop preserves all the sparkle of this light lemon drink, made according to traditional methods in a handful of companies in Franche-Comté. The natural flavours of lemon, sugar, and fresh water are the only ingredients to this lemonade, which is hugely popular with many people. And as everybody knows, a lemonade just cries out for a cordial to go with it. Very often presented in glass bottles, the regional cordials come both in traditional flavours and flavours that are more specific to Franche-Comté.
 

Caramels

Morteau is still home to a venerable old firm created back in 1856, Klaus. Anybody who has lost the delicious memory of Klaus caramels has lost a little part of their childhood.