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Holiday Markets
 Provence is famous for its variety of markets year around but something very special takes place during the holiday season.
Similar to the regional produce, crafts, and flower markets, the Holiday markets are scattered throughout the villages of Provence offering handmade holiday crafts and decorations.
The Holiday market in Marseille is held on La Canebière, from the end of November through December. This main thoroughfare leading down to the historic port is transformed into a festive wonderland, with rows of small wooden chalets where local artisans exhibit their crafts.
If you’re looking for other large festive markets make a stop at the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-de-Provence or at La Place d'horloge in Avignon. Both of these Holiday markets are similar to the one held in Marseille in that most local crafts will be displayed and sold throughout a number of wooden chalets along the pedestrian thoroughfare.
You’ll find more traditional holiday markets in smaller villages throughout Provence. One of these is the festive celebration held in the village of Sénas the last weekend in November each year. Here you’ll find stalls spread out along the main street selling a mixture of hand-crafted gifts and decorations. Sénas is a historic village near St Remy de Provence. Many of the stall holders dress in elaborate historical costumes and perform traditional dancing to entertain the holiday crowds.
With the accordion music from the dancers ringing in the ears, visitors to the Sénas market can enjoy strolling through the decorated stalls, which No market in France would be complete without food and Sénas is no exception.
If you’re in Provence during the holiday season stroll the with a cinnamon spiced aroma from the hot wine, vin chaud, and the scent of roasting chestnuts guides visitors around the market, past stalls stacked with seasonal offerings, bursting with nuts and dried fruits. Other tantalizing tastings on offer are the tangy spiced gingerbread, pain d'epice and creamy fois gras, a Provençal favorite at this time of year.
Cacho-fio:
Lighting the Yule Log
 As you may or may not know food plays a huge role in Provençal holiday celebrations. Following a full holiday feast, the honor of lighting the Yule log, falls upon the most senior guest at the dinner table.
Traditionally the bark of a fruit tree is sprinkled three times with wine or olive oil, before being placed in the hearth for the "bouta cacho-fio": the lighting of the fire, while reciting "A l'an qui vient, si li sian pas mal, qué li sieguen pas mén" (To the coming year: if it does not find us greater, may it not find us diminished). The bark used typically comes from a pear, cherry or olive tree.
Decorate for a Provençal Holiday
 Staying home for the holidays but want that Provençal holiday feel? Here are a few decorating tips to achieve the festive look from the South of Provence. In your decorations or table settings use earthy neutrals paired with vibrant shades of yellow, green, blue, red and purple. These are the typical color combinations found in Provençal fabrics. Prepare a few dried arrangements of lavender or immortelle in old rustic pitchers, baskets, pots, window boxes or even hung upside and tied in a ribbon from the ceiling to add to the French Provençal theme of your home. Finally, open your home to the scent of Provence. Set up small bowls or sachets of lavender in the closets or drawers, or even on your coffee table as a potpourri of the Provençal landscape.
Read more in the Provençal Holiday Booklet
Provençal Holiday Recipes
 Fougasse
The Fougasse is a traditional flatbread of Provence. There are variations on the Fougasse and many are likely to have additions in the form of olives, cheese, fruit, herbes de provence, or other regional specialties.
Ingredients:
For starter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For dough
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon anise seeds, lightly crushed
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons orange-flower water (preferably French)
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/3 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (preferably French) plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading
1 1/2 teaspoons flaky or coarse sea salt
Make starter:
Stir together sugar and warm water in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast)
Whisk flour into yeast mixture until combined well. Let starter rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, 30 minutes.
Make dough:
Add sugar, salt, crushed anise seeds, water, orange-flower water, zest, 1/3 cup oil, and 11/4 cups flour to starter and beat at medium speed until smooth. Mix in remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, at low speed until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, sprinkling surface lightly with flour if dough is very sticky, until smooth and elastic (dough will remain slightly sticky), 8 to 10 minutes.
Form dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Pat out each half into an oval (about 12 inches long and 1/4 inch thick), then transfer to 2 lightly oiled large baking sheets.
Using a very sharp knife or a pastry scraper, make a cut down center of each oval "leaf," cutting all the way through to baking sheet and leaving a 1-inch border on each end of cut.
Make 3 shorter diagonal cuts on each side of original cut, leaving a 1-inch border on each end of cuts, to create the look of leaf veins (do not connect cuts).
Gently pull apart cuts about 1 1/2 inches with your fingers. Let dough stand, uncovered, until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Brush loaves with remaining tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake, switching position of baking sheets halfway through baking, until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes total. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to warm or room temperature.
Apple Tart
This apple tart recipe appeared in Gourmet in the 70's or 80's, contributed by an author writing about holiday foods of Provence. It's very simple, with few ingredients and no spice, just the pure flavors of apples and orange-flower water which adds a hint of exotic cologne fragrance. It's not very sweet and has a nice buttery crust. It's great served with coffee or hot tea.
Servings: 10 slices
Ingredients:
For Filling:
5 Granny Smith apples (about 2 1/2 lbs.), peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons orange-flower water
1 recipe pate brisee (recipe follows)
1/4 cup sugar
3 Granny Smith apples (about 1 1/2 lbs.), peeled, halved, and cut crosswise into thin slices
For Pate Brisee:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (¾ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) cold vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
Make the filling:
In a large heavy saucepan cook the apples and orange-flower water, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the apples are very tender and are the consistency of a chunky puree.
Make the Pastry:
In a large bowl blend the flour, butter, vegetable shortening, and salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add 6 tablespoons (or less) ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated and form the dough into a ball. Knead the dough lightly with the heel of the hand against a smooth surface for a few seconds to distribute fat evenly and re-form it into a ball. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 1 hour.
Assembling the tart:
Roll out three-fourths of the dough 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface, fit into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim, and prick the shell. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the bottom of the shell and chill the shell for 30 minutes. Spread the cooked apple filling in the shell, arrange the apple slices decoratively over it, and sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar.
Roll out the remaining dough 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface, cut it into ¼-inch-wide strips, and arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the apples, pressing the ends of the strips onto the rim of the shell. Sprinkle the lattice dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and bake the tart in the bottom third of a preheated 350° F. oven for 50 minutes, or until the apple slices are very tender and the crust is golden brown.
Discover more recipes in the Provençal Holiday Booklet
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