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Candied fruits are one of the most popular desserts during end-of-year holiday meals in Provence. How are they produced? Report in an artisanal confectionery.
Bright colors, a bright and appetizing texture. Cherries, melon, plums, figs or pineapples, etc. These fruits have all been candied in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), where it has been a tradition for five generations. The Corsican clementines are first immersed in hot water and pricked. “The purpose of this operation is to soften the fruit, so that it can receive the syrup”, explains Jérémie Savignac, confectioner.
Clementines transform and change color in a bath of sugar and glucose. “It’s seven to eight broths over three weeks to a month”, specifies Pierre Lilamand, manager of the Lilamand confectionery, which produces 50 tonnes of fruit per year. The goal is to remove the natural water from the fruit and the natural water from the syrup. After two months minimum in tubs of syrup, the fruits must be drained before the final step: the icing.