Enjoy the Tastes of Haute-Provence on a Scenic Culinary and Cultural Drive
Flavourful Route des Saveurs et des Senteurs de Haute-Provence
The Alpes de Haute Provence department is the road slightly less travelled but not undiscovered. With easy access to natural settings, this area is a getaway with activities for sporty types (mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, trail running and more). Many family-run operations produce high-quality lamb, honey, legumes (lentils, chickpeas), grains, and truffles for those interested in gourmet products. The ‘Route des Saveurs et des Senteurs de Haute-Provence’ is a renowned discovery trail that combines artisanal, small-scale food products, unblemished countryside, and Provencal villages with an alpine flair. This drive is a must-visit for any food lover interested in the tastes of Haute-Provence and its culinary and cultural heritage.
Here are the highlights of this flavourful sensory route:
L’Occitane en Provence
L’Occitane en Provence headquarters in Manosque is known worldwide for quality beauty products from the South of France. Book a museum and factory tour (in advance) to learn how the company transforms botanicals and other natural ingredients into skincare products.
L’Occitane en Provence
Factory, boutique, and Mediterranean garden
Website
Motorway A51
Chemin Saint-Maurice
04100 Manosque
Amazing Markets
Like everywhere else in Provence, the towns and villages of Haute Provence come alive with daily markets. The Forcalquier (Monday morning and Thursday afternoon) and Manosque (Saturday morning) markets, two of the largest in the area, are a vibrant celebration of local culture and cuisine. They are well worth a visit for a wide selection of seasonal produce and delicacies, offering a unique and exciting experience for any food lover.
Honey and Goat Cheese
Stop at a local beekeeper (apiculteur (m)/ apicultrice (f)) for a sweet education in honey production. Many farms have samples for tasting and honey and beeswax products for sale. Long before superhighways and trains, cow milk was not available in Provence. The traditional regional cheeses are goat (chevre) and, to some degree, sheep (brebis). There are many goat cheese farmers in Haute Provence, and opportunities to see the animals grazing in the wild and the cheese varieties to taste.
Herbes and Flowers
Close to Forcalquier, the artistic centre of the Alpes de Haute Provence, is a truly remarkable historic site just outside the village of Mane. The Salagon Priory and its gardens have over 1,700 plants. Aside from remarkable flowers and herb gardens, the chance to walk through a place inhabited since Roman times is irresistible. The site has changed through the ages from a Gallo-Roman villa (1st century AD) to a museum and historical monument since 1981. However, traces of the earliest inhabitants date to the Neolithic period, 10,000–4,500 BC.
Start your journey at the visitor’s centre. From there, you enter the more formal gardens, which include flowerbeds dedicated to Medieval plants, fragrant species, medicinal herbs, plants from around the world, and even a space dedicated to plants that existed before any North American influence. Surrounding the formal gardens are less manicured spaces with native species such as willows and white oak trees.
Garden of modern times ©C Brau for Salgagon, musée et jardins
Salagon, musée et jardins (website)
Le Prieuré
04300 Mane
Phone: +33 (0)4 92 75 70 50
Open February – December 15, but check seasonal hours before your visit.
The suggested time for a visit is 1-2 hours.
Something a bit Stronger
Regarding pastis, Riccard or Pernod might be brand names that spring to mind. Henri Bardouin is a local distillery that produces its version of anise-forward liquor.
Lavender Fields
During lavender season in Provence, it can be challenging to find a quiet spot. However, the Jabron Valley’s (Vallée du Jabron) rolling fields are a breathtaking glimpse of Provence from a more pastoral era. In this farming community, the local population manages with Mother Nature’s moods, cultivating the land regardless of what she delivers. The area can experience annual temperature swings of 50˚C from the coldest to the hottest days, but the valley’s beauty remains constant, inspiring awe and admiration.
Saffron Growers
The word saffron comes from the Arab word zafaran, which means yellow – the colour imparted to food by the dried stigma of the flowering crocus. The Crocus sativus is part of the Iris family: this tiny Iris cousin, a perennial, flowers in the fall. The plant grows from a bulb to a height of 20-30cm; the purple flower itself is no more than 4cm. Each flower contains three stigmas, not much larger than the size of a thread; these are harvested and dried to produce saffron. The flowers only bloom for a remarkably short period, hours. It takes 250,000 stigmas to make just half a kilo of saffron. You can only expect to reap 2.5-3 kilos of saffron on one acre of land. A few saffron farmers are in the region, including le Moulin de Jarjayes.
Create a Tastes of Haute-Provence Itinerary
With its rich, complex history and endless stunning vistas, one is hard-pressed to pick a favourite place in France. Drive through Haute Provence’s Vallée du Jabron; you may have discovered that place. The Jabron Valley is an agricultural centre for almonds, truffles, sheep, wheat, goat cheese, honey, and saffron.
Start outside Sisteron and head westward along the D946 through tiny hamlets. The villages along the way are Bevons, Valbelle, Noyers sur Jabron, St Vincent sur Jabron, Chateauneuf Miravail, Lange, Curel, Montfroc and Les Omergues. To describe these hamlets as small is an exaggeration. These are tiny outposts in the valley along the flow of the Jabron River, surrounded by the peaks of Montagne de Lure and Mount Ventoux in the distance.
Route des Saveurs et des Senteurs de Haute-Provence (website)
Sweet and Savoury Recipes
The following recipes include ingredients you might find on your discovery of the Route des Saveurs et des Senteurs.
Saffron:
Honey:
Goat Cheese:
Affiliate Information
Related Posts
No Comment