Hot roasted chestnuts were one of many attractions at Fair Day, and Eluiza and I took full advantage of them.
Chestnuts are quite popular in France. They are used to make a condiment that can be spread on bread. They are also used in soup.
Chestnut trees are in parks and the nuts fall to the ground available for anyone to pick them up. **
French chestnuts tend to be bigger than those I've seen in Michigan.
CORRECTION FROM A FRENCH FRIEND: the variety of chestnut you find in public parks is called horse chestnut (in French marron d’Inde) and it’s not edible! It’s usually picked by children to fight in playgrounds and often teachers and school nurses have a hard time when such fruit cover the ground ! The variety we eat comes from l’Ardèche (south of Le Puy) and is cultivated; anyhow along the roads, in that part of our country, you may pick some fruit when they have fallen out of the private field.
Every year on November 2, the fair comes to town. It involves dozens of vendors who sell clothes, shoes, outerwear, underwear, kitchenware--even cars--as well as cheeses, deli meats, vegetables and fruits.
The fair is held in one of the main parking lots of the city off the main road. It only lasts one day, but it was well worth the visit.
For more info on the cows of France, click here.
One farmer from Provence (southeast France) brought nougats with him. They are made of honey and almonds. Très cher, mais très bon!! It was worth the cost, however, just to watch him cut the huge wheel of nougat.
Life in France is good!! Life in Le Puy is interesting. There's always something going on.
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