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Free MuseumsMuseums OutOut andand aboutabout GastronomyGastronomy EntertainmentEntertainment DiscoveryDiscovery PracticalPractical ideasideas Market…Market… Luberon Gordes, a jewel in Luberon Aix-Salon Saint-Chamas, Life in a troglodyte dwelling, a timeless haven Alpilles Les Baux-de-Provence, “art must be original and deliver a punch” Provence The must-do things this summer… N° 4 - 2015 - Provence - 40 000 copies - Free Provence | Traditional Fare | Traditional Provençal markets Where to find the main markets: Monday morning: Friday morning: Luberon: Cadenet, Cavaillon, Lauris, Velleron Luberon: Bonnieux, Cavaillon, Lourmarin, Lagnes Alpilles: Fontvieille, Saint-Etienne du Grès Alpilles: Barbentane, Eygalières, Eyragues, Fontvieille, Aix region: Les Milles, Luynes Graveson, Saint-Andiol Aix region: Aix-en-Provence, Eguilles, Lambesc Tuesday morning: Salon region: Eyguières, Mallemort, Salon de Provence Luberon: Cucuron, Gordes, Lacoste Alpilles: Cabannes, Rognonas, Tarascon Saturday morning: Aix region: Aix-en-Provence, Eguilles Luberon: Apt, Cheval Blanc, Le Thor, Ménerbes, Oppède, Petit Palais If there is one thing that Salon region: Alleins, Eyguières Alpilles: Cabannes, Saint-Rémy de Provence Aix region: Aix-en-Provence, Venelles the Alpilles, the Aix region, Wednesday morning: Salon region: Salon de Provence, Charleval, Miramas the Luberon and the Salon region Luberon: Le Thor, Gargas all have in common it’s the weekly Alpilles: Mollégès, Mouriès, Orgon, Saint-Rémy de Provence Sunday morning: Aix region: Aix-en-Provence, Meyrargues Luberon: L’Isle sur la Sorgue, Maubec, Coustellet market; virtually every town and Salon region: Mallemort, Salon de Provence Alpilles: Châteaurenard village has a morning market. Aix region: Jouque, Aix-en-Provence, Vitrolles, Meyrargues Local fruit and vegetables, Thursday morning: Salon region: Pélissanne, Salon de Provence Luberon: L’Isle sur la Sorgue, Ménerbes, Robion, Roussillon traditional crafts, olive oil, Alpilles: Aureille, Maillane, Maussane les Alpilles, Noves honey … the fare on every stand Aix region: Aix-en-Provence, La Roque d’Anthéron Salon region: Sénas more mouth-watering than the last. Make a point of visiting one! SUMMER IN PROVENCE Editorial By Anne-Sophie Sourd Directeur de la publication, gérant : Nicolas Coissard Rédacteurs : Anne-Sophie Sourd, Eric Morichaud, Rémi Lacassin Enjoy it! Traduction : Irene Chalmers Preire Crédits photos : X Impression : Rotimpres From the Alpilles to Sainte-Victoire via the banks of Etang de Berre and the slopes of Mont Ventoux, Provence is a place to live. How can we advise you to visit one Rédaction-Publicité : 06 09 98 67 49 - 06 63 75 06 96 place rather than another? There are just so many things to see and do here. So [email protected] many treasures spread out here and there, will you choose to visit the country, or Publicité et communication : the mountains, or the seaside? Make the most of your stay to discover that Pro- Béatrice Bettinelli, Le Journal des Alpilles : www.journaldesalpilles.fr vence, let yourself be inspired by our markets and chat with the merchants who Nadine Lefebvre Marseille, Le Journal du Luberon : www.journalduluberon.fr want nothing more than to share their skills and experience with you. Enjoy the Lionel Matteoda, Le journal du Pays Salonais : www.journaldupayssalonais.fr beat of our festivals, puzzle over the secrets in our museums, taste the products of 44, rue Lafayette - 13 300 Salon de Provence age-old traditions that are at the origin of our region. Life is good in Provence. sont édités par la SARL de presse Aurélia Editions, au capital de 1500 euros. Enjoy it! RCS B 419 512 918 ASS 2 Marseille soap, a true story … The cube of soap with the stamp on the side is a legend in its own right and has been part of everyday life down through the ages. Let’s take a trip into the world of the traditions surrounding the fragrant and inimitable Marseille soap. By Eric Morichaud rom Cresca Davin, who was officially (according to The ups and downs of an economy the story) the first soap-maker in Marseille, to those At a time when the Age of Enlightenment was drawing Ffew families who still carry on the tradition, the reci- to an end, overcome by a deep social upheaval, the Mar- pe has apparently remained unchanged and its secret seille soap industry was thriving with nearly 50 soap fac- relies essentially on the maker’s skill and the use of natu- tories and a thousand workers who could be supplemented, ral ingredients. 72% vegetable oil, 28 % moisture content, if necessary, with prisoners. Production continued to increa- a little soda, a little salt, a fire that is lovingly stoked, and se, virtually unaffected by the uproar of the French Revo- a master soap maker who, like the alchemist that he is, lution. reaps the fruit of his magic. The early 19th century saw ground-breaking progress such It is a recipe for success that is closely tied to the histo- as the addition of chemically produced soda (sea water, ry of Provence; a recipe that has its roots in distant lands, sulfur, charcoal, soda produced by the Leblanc process) colonies of yore and partners of today - Aleppo in Syria, and the use of oils from exotic places. The port of Mar- for instance, with thousands of years of ritual soap making. seille saw palm, copra, sesame, and ground nut oil arri- Marseille soap is based on the same principles. The method ve from Africa and the Middle East and, with these, the arrived in France with the return of the Crusaders, pil- emergence of the white version of Marseille soap that grims, and merchants. The only part of the original ances- was so prized to silk manufacturers, hosiers, spinners, dyers tral recipe that was kept was the use of olives; this was and other textile craftsmen (notably those who produ- a way of using the residue (skin, pulp and crushed pits) ced Indienne textiles). It was a time of industry and inter- left over after the first cold press of olive oil, the veritable national trade, and Marseille soap saw the arrival of a green gold of the region… There followed a boom at threat that came from “Perfidious Albion” and from Paris, the end of the 16th century where Marseille built the first with competition from products that were cheaper to pro- soap “factories”, taking the activity from a small scale tra- duce but were based on animal fat … ditional level and raising it to a more developed stage With the 20th century came a shortage of workers and of production that still used the original methods. In the of raw materials. Marseille soap was the victim of naval 17th century, Provence cashed in on one of the natural blockades and suffered its first bleak times during the local assets, gathering large quantities of salsola soda Great War when production dropped by two thirds. At (opposite-leaved saltwort) a plant native to the Camargue the end of the war, a little under 53 000 tons left the fac- coast, adding salt and a major part of the olive oil pro- tories per year (as opposed to 180 000 tons before the duction. war). The inter-war period saw new growth for Marseille As hygiene practices and the need for washerwomen in soap aided by increased mechanization of the traditio- Marseille increased, as it did in the rest of Provence, in nal recipe. The Second World War was sounded the death fact as it did everywhere else in France and Western Euro- knell for soap factories in Marseille, Salon, Toulon and pe, so did the need for Marseille soap. The political cli- Arles. After the war, the emergence of new products such mate was also favorable for this expansion because Fran- as detergents and the first washing machines seemed ce was at odds with Spain at the time and could hardly to condemn Marseille soap to a limited production. count on raw material supplies from the other side of the Pyrenees. …A well known ambassador 108 soap factories in Marseille and 14 in Salon de Pro- An edict to the rescue vence during the height of production and only 3 and 2 In Marseille in 1660, seven soap factories brought the respectively today. It looked like the end of an era. Not annual production to nearly 20 000 tons. The reputation true says Julie Bousquet, great-great-grand-daughter of of the soap went beyond the limits of the realm, beyond Marius Fabre, the founder of one on the last two soap the Channel, the Netherlands, beyond even the Holy Roman factories in Salon in 1900. As she reminds us, “Traditio- Empire, and the buyers were legion. Inspired by the suc- nally made Marseille soap is becoming more and more popu- cess of a booming industry, there appeared a number lar in France and the rest of the world, notably in Japan of fake products on the market using the common name – the main importer.” So it’s a leading product in the Pro- of Marseille soap. The situation was such that Louis XIV vençal economy and thousands of fans of all nationali- took steps to prevent fraud with an edict signed by Col- ties come to discover at its fragrant source! bert the Younger, Minister for the Maison du Roi. The edict specified, among other things, the rules for soap-making Uses and health benefits - that it should be free of animal fats and that only pure olive oil should be used. Besides this, manufacture must Whether it is white or green, Marseille soap is, first and foremost, a forerunner of ecological products; it stop in summer because the general heat was bad for is100% biodegradable, ideal for skin care and recommended for sensitive skins. Besides this, it is indispen- the storage of the product as it was then.