Journalist for a day. Bergamot, a Lorraine candy that has been protected for 25 years

HISTORICAL AND ATYPICAL

Bergamot, translucent and delicately amber, is part of the gastronomic heritage of Lorraine. Gilliers, head of office of the Duke of Lorraine Stanislas Leszczynski, worked the essence of bergamot in barley sugar from 1750. It was then the confectioner Lillig who, in 1857, gave the candy its characteristic square shape.

The essence of bergamot has antiseptic properties, so in winter the candy can be used to soften the cough: it is an interesting selling point even if, of course, the bergamot remains above all a delicacy. And it is also a divisive product: in general, the atypical flavor of this citrus fruit seduces or displeases radically, as underlined by Mr. Génot.

PROTECTION OFFERED BY IGP

The aim of the European IGP label is to reassure consumers about the origin and recipe for the candy. It also allows Bergamot de Nancy to be protected all over the world by setting itself apart from competing products of lower quality. With this label, she will not know the misfortune of Calisson d’Aix, a Provençal confectionery, which had to fight to recover its appellation, deposited by a Chinese industrialist.

To benefit from the Bergamot de Nancy appellation, the candy must be made in one of the four departments of Lorraine and respect the IGP specifications. In particular, it imposes control of the glucose, sugar and bergamot essence used, cooking over an open fire, rigorous weight and size criteria, as well as individual packaging.

The label represents a relatively high cost for the four confectioneries that have it (Maison des Soeurs Macaron, Maison Jean Lalonde, Confiserie Stanislas and Confiserie Des Hautes Vosges). They have to bear administrative and control costs. However, the results are quite positive. It is a question of protecting the French culinary and cultural heritage and, according to Mr. Génot: “this association of the four producers leads to rich exchanges on a common project”.

In 2021, when Place Stanislas was voted the French favorite monument, the sale of the candy increased significantly. His success is definitely linked to that of his hometown!

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