Perhaps nothing better represents Provence than the Calisson. These sweet almond shaped confections are made with candied fruit, ground local almonds and topped with a thin layer of royal icing. Once shaped into their distinctive diamond, they are frosted with cool icing and packaged.
Legend has it that these tasty confections were handed out on September 1st to commemerate the end of the Black Plague or given to those who were in need of redemption from that most unsavory sin...gluttony. It was thought the light, slightly chewy confection would bring forgiveness. We can't be sure, but we certainly have been known to go a little gluttonous on this box of Calissons!
About the producer
Tucked in the village of Montélimar, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, Suprem’Nougat G. Savin is the picture of small-batch artisan confection making. Husband-and-wife Georges and Simone Savin purchased the confectionery in 1957, eventually selling the business to their children who continue to operate it today alongside their own children. Run by just 15 employees, Suprem’Nougat G. Savin uses traditional techniques and tools to make everything by hand in miniscule 300-pound batches (tiny compared to industrial output).
