Violets and orange flower water

"There is nowhere else in France a sky with a deeper blue than the sky of Collioure…"

HENRI MATISSE

A Summer’s day trip from Toulouse. I left my friends behind in the steaming city and took the train to the legendary Côte Vermeille where the sky was an impossible shade of blue. Sadly, I was no pioneer; thousands of other people had discovered it before me.

Collioure is only 20 minutes from Spanish Catalonia. Its streets are full of small restaurants, art galleries, souvenir shops and chic boutiques. Henri Matisse painted pictures of the quay side and village which pulsated with light and colour and Patrick O'Brian, the author of nautical tales, made it his home for 50 years. Sadly it is no longer an active fishing village but its beauty has not faded. 

Fifteen years later, I returned last spring. No car and a train strike left me at the mercy of the daily buses to Perpignan. And two weeks to discover and forage for food.

My first foray was disappointing; the local shop was bare and I couldn’t remember how to ask for sour dough bread in French. 

It took me a day to find the market. Held two days a week up the hill on the town square, when I arrived at 10am it was already bustling with local people come out of hiding to do their shopping. 

On this particular April morning there are fresh local cheeses, herbs & salad leaves, the first tender little broad beans, bunches of salad onions large enough to braise. 

 

There’s a man selling locally caught sea urchins, a meat van selling the local sausages, cured meats & rabbit, bread stalls with huge crackling loaves cut & sold by the kilo. There are baskets of beautiful rose hued bulbs of garlic, and delicate banana shallots. A biologique stall displays eggs, huge artichokes and strings of onions.

 

Nestled between, there are men selling the first strawberries of the season; two varieties one small & pointed, the others a deeper red, large & overflowing their little baskets. Yes they're expensive but strawberries in April; I breathe in the scent & I buy a punnet of the smallest for my breakfast. Radishes are selected, still with the earth on their red & white heads; craggy local tomatoes, creamy waxy potatoes perfect for a salad. 

French produce is labelled with its place of origin. Otherwise it’s clearly labelled; Italy, Morocco, Spain.

 

Local women set up stalls with bunches of local herbs and salad leaves which disappear rapidly from their carefully arranged baskets. 

The price of the asparagus almost takes my breath away. A woman next to me shopping with her wicker basket full of mussels says 'plus chere' & it is. The stallholder answers, first of the season madam....  

 

Just as I'm leaving I spot a jar of coloured marshmallows on a tiny unassuming patisserie stall. Are they rose & violet I ask hopefully? They are.  Wonderful; made by the stall holders’ girlfriend, a pastry chef. Orange flower water is the other flavour & one that resonates in this area. I’m offered samples; it would be rude to refuse. It’s equally difficult to resist eating them all at once.

 

A pain au raisin overlooking the sea; the harbour coming to life with of all things, army frogmen landing on the beach. My deeply scented strawberries and violet marshmallows won’t last three days until the next market day.

Collioure is a small village. There are at least five bakeries. One has the sweet aniseed flavoured bread I bought on my first day trip. The morning trip to the baker becomes a welcome routine.

The butcher is yet to be found open. Two greengrocers seem to pander to tourist tastes rather than local needs. No fishmongers that I can find.

At the entrance of the traiteur on a flat wicker tray are a pile of what look like flat sugared doughnuts. They're the local speciality, Bunyetes, flat, fried ’pancakes’ which swell in oil, become crisp, and are served dusted with granulated sugar, much like beignets or doughnuts. Flavoured with orange flower water, Bunyetes are  traditionally made and eaten at Easter all over Catalonia.

 They're delicious; subtly orange, light, non greasy. Perfect for a slightly windswept day.

All over the town there are reproductions of paintings at the locations they were created, with frames for you to view the scene.  Picasso, Derain, Dufy, Chagall & Charles Rennie Macintosh all came here drawn by the clarity of light.

A dozen ice-cream parlours near the harbour and beach have brazen luridly coloured confections heaped up in piles like beehive hairdos in bubblegum shades.
In the back streets is an artisan shop specialising in Catalan confectionary. Their glace and sorbets are hand made and amongst the lovely natural flavours (fig, sheep’s milk yogurt) violet is delicate and subtle. Candied and glacé fruit, and various types of nougat are sold by the gram.
Saveurs d'Antan    4 r Pasteur
66190 Collioure

In another back street I stumble across a traditional Catalan biscuit shop where the divine crisp almond, cinnamon and aniseed croquant biscuits are made on site to a secret family recipe (it’s always a secret family recipe). I bring some back; my friends exclaim at their deliciousness and I wish I’d brought more. Naturally I can’t get the recipe but ground almonds and egg white figure highly.

Le Croquant à l'Ancienne. Spécialité de la Famille Pons. 8 rue Berthelot 66190 Collioure. Tel : 04 68 98 08 90

In Medieval times Collioure’s reputation revolved around the salting of anchovies, sardines and tuna. Salting is a hard way of making a living and, generation by generation, the anchovy salting families have become fewer and fewer. In 1870 there were 140 boats and 800 fishermen. Now, in Collioure, only two anchovy salting families remain.

Fresh Anchovies are salted whole by hand fresh from their arrival in port.

They are left in salt, producing their own brine with their juices. Withdrawn from salt after a few days, they are then again preserved in salt for three months in order to give the anchovies their unique flavour.  The skill and artistry with which the anchovies are arranged in their jars and indeed the entire preceding labour intensive production line should ensure a heightened appreciation of the fiddly little fish.

Once again I wish I’d bought more; I’ve not since come across any anchovies like them and know of no other place where these fish are preserved whole in salt.

Sea food is a speciality of the area; I spent ages trying to find the name for razor clams before giving up and pointing to a dish on a customers’ plate. It’s couteaux (knives). And they were delicious. 
 

Along the coast in Port Vendres, fishermen sell their morning catch at little tables on the quayside. The numerous seafood restaurants are kinder in price than those in Collioure and many serve a reasonably priced set lunch. 
 

The butcher finally opened on my last day. He’s happy to offer tasters of the locally made salamis, I’m equally happy to buy.  

C.Cantie - J.Rierra  25 Rue Pasteur

La Guinelle
It’s worth seeking out the vinegar made by Nathalie Herre, the vinaigrière.
(Saint Sebastian Street, near the Market Square)
 The rare white vinegar of Banyuls, the red, with scents of red fruits, and the Vermeil spicy cinnamon and cloves (for desserts).
All of her vinegars are organic and sulfite-free, made outdoors in oak casks.
Look out for Ceret cherries in spiced vinegar.

One I missed;

Le glace

Olivier Bajard ; 16 rue de la République

http://www.olivier-bajard.com/

DESCLAUX ANCHOVY SALTING WORKSHOPS
Collioure - Tel. 00 33 4 68 82 05 25
www.anchoisdesclaux.com
 
ROQUE ANCHOVY SALTING WORKSHOPS
Collioure - Tel. 00 33 4 68 82 22 30
www.anchois-roque.com

The anchovy shop; Maison Roque 17 Route d'Argelès,

 
All this in one little village. And that's without mentioning the caves and wines...

Banyettes

1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
4 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
4 eggs
A few drops orange flower water
1 Tablespoon lemon zest, grated fine
1 lb all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 litre of good vegetable oil, such as sunflower or corn
Fine white sugar

Mix the yeast with the cooled butter to dissolve it. Beat the eggs well with the orange flower water. In a large bowl, incorporate the two mixtures, adding the flour to make a smooth ball. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour; if too dry, add a bit more melted butter or a little water. Place the dough on a floured surface, and knead well, picking up the dough and throwing it down onto the surface. You cannot hurt this dough by mistreating it. Work it until it is very smooth and elastic, as you would work brioche dough. Place in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double, about 2 hours. Divide the dough into golf ball-size pieces. Let rest, covered with a towel, for 10 minutes. Roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin, making the disc as thin as possible, even transparent in some places. Heat the oil to boiling in a skillet or deep fryer wide enough to hold 2 banyettes, or cook them one at a time in a smaller skillet. Slip the discs into the hot oil, being careful not to get burned by the splatter. When one side is golden brown and crisp, turn the banyettes and cook the other side until golden. This will take very little time, so watch carefully that they do not burn. Remove to absorbent paper, and sprinkle liberally with sugar immediately. Bon appétit!