Les Desserts

Most meals in the South of France end with cheese and fresh fruit. In fact, the Niçois word for dessert is la frucha (the fruit), and most of the time it comes from the family orchard. Fresh, stewed, dried, confit, or kept in brandy, they usually replace the elaborate cream-rich desserts of haute cuisine.

There are pompes, shaped like plump crowns; chichi fregi, little circles of fried dough; pogne, the sweet brioche of Easter; pan coudoun, in which a whole quince wrapped in plain dough is slowly baked in the oven. There is pain de Sainte Agathe, in the shape of a breast (le martyre de Sainte Agathe); oreillettes, little ears of dough fried until crisp; navettes, little boats flavored with orange blossom water, muscardins, pignolats, tourtillons, and, of course, there is confectionery: les calissons d’Aix, made with candied fruit and almonds; berlingots de Carpentras, delicious hard mint candy; the chiques d'Allaud, soft honey candies; suce-miel d’Aubagne, a caramelized honey candy; and the famous nougat de Montélimar.