Cherries on Top
Provençal culture is deeply connected to the earth and there is no better way to experience the land than to seek out the current harvest. Many of the regions most historic villages come to life in the summer with traditional festivals celebrating the local crops. Complete with parades, horses, and cowboys, Provence’s summer festivals offer a delicious taste of the region’s proud agricultural heritage.
Wherever you go in Provence these days, you’ll be sure to find cherries. Crates at the markets are overflowing with the little red berries and cafes are serving the fruit in every possible form of cake, pie, and clafoutis. The warm rays of the Mediterranean sun fill the berries to bursting and its hard not to finish a tasting without lips and fingers as red as the houses of Roussillon.
Cherry fever will reach its peak this Sunday, June 1st, with harvest festivals held throughout the region.
If you’re in the Aix-Marseille area, visit the festival at La Roque d’Antheron. This small village about 25 km west of Aix en Provence is home to a 12th Century Abbey and has spectacular views of the Lubéron hills.
Closer to Avignon, La Confrerie de La Cérise (The Brotherhood of the Cherry) will host a festival in the tiny village of Venasque in the foothills of Mont Ventoux. Classified as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, this little town of 900 residents is located 11km east of Carpentras.
Useful French:
a cherry: une cérise
napkin: une serviette