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Poitou-Charentes
"The herb of angels" — that was its medieval moniker, bestowed when this tall umbellifer with fluted green stems was believed to ward off plague and evil spirits. In Niort, they chose instead to candy it in sugar. The result lives up to its name: celestial.
Confectionery from Poitou-Charentes.
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Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica) is native to northern Europe — Scandinavia and Greenland. A plant of cold wetlands, it found in the marshes of Poitou — the Marais Poitevin, known as the "Venise verte" — an ideal setting: constant moisture, rich soil and cool waters. It has been established there since the 12th century, introduced by monks who came to cultivate this vast wetland for the plant's medicinal properties.
In the Middle Ages, angelica was regarded as a protective plant: legend attributes the revelation of its medicinal virtues to the Archangel Raphael, earning it the name archangelica — the archangel's herb. From the 14th century, it was cultivated in monastery gardens across Central Europe as a preventative against the plague. In Niort, an anecdote recounted by its producer has it that in 1603 inhabitants were already chewing its stems to ward off infection.
It was the nuns of Niort, during the 18th century, who were credited with inventing candied angelica confectionery: they came up with the idea of incorporating candying into their techniques for processing the plant, producing translucent green batons, crisp then melting, with a unique aroma — herbaceous, faintly aniseedy, sweet and enchanting.
Success was immediate. By the end of the 18th century, the trade in angélique confite de Niort was flourishing. A report by Préfet Dupin, dated 1827, states: "In 1789, Niort dispatched nearly 1,000 myriagrams (10 tonnes) of candied angelica, both within France and abroad." The Continental Blockade, by driving up the price of sugar, caused production to drop to 100–150 myriagrams as early as 1821 — yet candied angelica remained a luxury sweetmeat, highly prized even amongst Parisian aristocratic circles. On 13 October 1852, an imperial eagle sculpted from candied angelica was presented to Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte during a visit to Niort; in 1900, the speciality was showcased at the Exposition Universelle.
In the 20th century, production of angélique confite de Niort went into decline: sugar rationing during the Second World War interrupted cultivation, and urban development gradually pushed the fields from the foot of the Donjon out to the fringes of the commune. The torch passed from hand to hand — the Quintard distillery, on Avenue Gambetta, was still processing 60 tonnes of angelica stems in 1950, before Établissements Fallourd, arriving in Niort around 1953, took over the business.
In 1979, Pierre Thonnard took over and revived the artisanal production of angélique confite de Niort, drawing on an old technique recovered from one last remaining producer in Niort. He grew the angelica himself on the Île de la Roussille, three kilometres from his workshop on Avenue de Sevreau, under the traditional conditions of the Marais Poitevin. Today, this savoir-faire is also championed collectively by the Association de Promotion de l'Angélique Niort-Marais Poitevin, founded in late 2000 on the initiative of local stakeholders, which unites growers, confectioners and liqueur makers around an annual Fête de l'Angélique held every May in Bessines.
Appearance
Translucent green batons, around ten centimetres long, slightly glossy and ribbed. Their colour varies from tender green to deep emerald green depending on the harvest stage and the duration of candying.
Taste
The initial sensation is sweet, followed by a complex and distinctive flavour: herbaceous, lightly aniseedy and camphoraceous, with a subtle vegetal bitterness on the finish that recalls the plant's wild origins.
Texture
To the touch, the surface is slightly sticky, the baton firm yet not hard. In the mouth, the texture is crisp then melting — the sugar having fully penetrated the stem fibre.
Fresh stems stored in a dilute sulphur dioxide bath, then scalded and peeled
Immersion in a light sugar syrup, with a gradual increase in concentration
Repeated baths in increasingly concentrated syrup, until the sugar has fully penetrated the stem fibre
Batons drained then glazed (candied)
Air-dried or dried in a gentle drying oven to set the surface
In wooden boxes or bags, as whole batons, pieces, or moulded into various shapes inspired by local flora and fauna
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Candied angelica is traditionally used in confectionery, jam, baking and liqueurs — its vivid green colour makes it a decorative ingredient sought after by confectioners.
Serving suggestion: plain, at the end of a meal, with coffee or tea; or paired with a chilled Pineau des Charentes blanc, whose vinous sweetness complements the herbaceous aroma of the angelica, or infused in a green tea.
Angélique confite de Niort currently holds no official certification (PDO (AOP)/PGI (IGP)) — it does not feature among the 37 products registered under a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The speciality is championed by the Association de Promotion de l'Angélique Niort-Marais Poitevin, founded in late 2000, which brings together growers, confectioners and liqueur makers, and benefits from the support of local authorities (Agglomération and Ville de Niort, Conseil départemental des Deux-Sèvres, Conseil régional de Nouvelle-Aquitaine).
Artisan confectionery
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