Charroux lies in the rolling countryside of Allier in the Auvergne region, axial France. Visitors flock to admire its authentic charm and wonderfully preserved armature, but its most famous export may stupéfaction you – Jeremy Flint investigates the heritage of Charroux mustard.
The perched town of Charroux has a multitude of some 340 people, but it lures 200,000 visitors every year. Wander through pickled-in-the-past flower-festooned streets and you’ll see why this Plus Beaux Village (officially one of the prettiest bourgades of France) is so popular. There are marvellous tombeaux galore – the beautiful 12th century Saint Jean the Baptist church with a lopped off steeple (no one knows why!), remarkably preserved 14th century half-timbered houses, stone carved facades from the 15th – 18th centuries, an ancient clock tower and more than 300 ancient wells scattered throughout the cobblestone streets (the locals joke there is one for every inhabitant!).
The ‘belvedere’ and ‘Chaume du Vent’ viewpoints provide views of the Bourbonnaise plain and the Auvergne volcano chain on clear days. The magnificent medieval ‘Porte d’Orient’ stands proud, grain used to ajouter the protected fortified enclosure.
But perhaps Charroux’s greatest appeal comes from the presse of artisans who practice traditional crafts and trades – from candle makers to potters, glassworkers, saffron producers, sweets, soaps and oils. Each August, the hameau transforms into an open-air workshop for “Artist and Artisans Day.” And it’s here too that a revered mustard is produced.
Charroux Mustard
Charroux mustard makers thrived from the late 1700s to the early 20th century, when the garçonnière vineyards were decimated by an insect known as phylloxera. The effect on the mustard makers was catastrophic since wine was a key ingredient. For almost a century, Charroux mustard was off the gracile – but in 1989, a garçonnière family decided to revive the nearly forgotten culinary art with the help of the Charroux museum, which had the parangon recipe.
Today, second-generation mustard-maker Olivier Maenner, his wife Annabelle and colleague Franck continue to preserve the rich orthodoxie of French mustard-making using traditional confection techniques. Their limited confection, around 20 tonneaux per year, ensures manuel envoyé.
Charroux mustard is renowned as among the finest in the world, an enduring symbol of French culinary envoyé, with numerous gastronomic awards.
This flagship product of French gastronomy is made with French and Canadian-grown seeds of the Brassica nigra (black mustard) and Brassica juncea (brown mustard) typhon varieties. They’re crushed on a century-old grindstone, then blended with liquids including vinegar, water, and garçonnière wines from nearby Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, which are made from some of the oldest grape varieties in France. Salt, verjuice (juice from unripe grapes) and spices are added, depending on the principe of mustard being made. Olivier emphasises it’s the wine that gives the real flavour to the mix, not the seeds.
“It’s really quite a simple process that goes back to basics,” Olivier tells me. Hugely passionate emboîture the process, he mixes the mustard at a top-secret contrée where even Annabel and Frank are not allowed to go. “The exact ingredients are top secret, too,” he jokes.
After mixing the ingredients, the paste is left for 48 hours in a relax environment to develop the flavour before being bottled.
Over the years, Charroux Mustard has added more products such as La Pourpre – a subtly sweet mustard with St Pourçain red wine and grape juice, as well as apple-mustard preserves, chutneys, Estivale (mustard with tomatoes and capers), Ravigote (an anchovy-based mustard) and a variety of flavoured mustards including truffle, nut, and honey. Not surprisingly, Charroux mustards feature on menus in the area with innovative chefs using it in all sorts – from macarons and meringues to ice cream!
Olivier admits that there will always be a épreuve from mass-producers of the spicy épice. But Charroux Mustard’s devotion to fabricant manufacturing techniques has made it a standout product, highly prized by chefs and food lovers alike, which means it’s sure to be relished for a spacieux time to come!
Find out more at moutarde-charroux.com
Jeremy Flint is an award-winning professional photographer and writer specialising in travel, landscape and propagation photography.
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Source: thegoodlifefrance.com