Spices and Dried Fruits
One summer morning we were walking from Place Saint-Michel and its fountain to the Musee de Cluny along Boulevard Saint Michel and discovered a new (to us) small outdoor market set up along the sidewalk. Food markets are a very important part of the Paris culture, so we were excited to savor this one.
There were a number of booths shaded by white awnings and, even though it was a really hot and sunny day, they were all apparently doing a pretty brisk business. Each booth had tables or closed display cases laden with an amazing assortment of spices, dried fruits in baskets, nougat, macarons, teas and tisanes, and nuts. Many were nicely decorated with posters, a string of small lights, or vases.
Like many other open-air markets around France (and other parts of the world), the aromas, especially from the spices, and the colors are really enticing. We stopped to read the ingredients and instructions for many of the them and decided that many of the mixed ingredients for teas would be such fun to try. Ditto for some of the spice and marinade mixes, and herb mixes for salads or omelettes. They really made us want to get adventurous with cooking. But, at that time we were not staying in a place with a kitchen, so we’ll have to return!
We did, however, get some dried fruit to snack on, and were especially interested in the dried and candied hibiscus flowers, which we’d never seen before. They were delicious and different to any other dried fruit we’ve had before.
And, of course, we had to try some of the macarons, one of our granddaughter’s new favorites in Paris! How could anyone resist a macaron called Le Bourdaloue, which has a jam of lightly simmered pears, paired with a mix of almonds, hazel nuts and white chocolate. Or chataigne (chestnut)?
And what about a tea mix called Kir Royal, with pieces of apple, hibiscus, rosehips, elderberries, strawberry leaves, redcurrant, blackcurrant, sliced strawberries? It would certainly brew into a reddish drink, a similar color to its namesake, even though non-alcoholic.
All a feast for the eyes and the senses!
To-ing and Fro-ing in France 