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Lorraine
Bonbon des Vosges au bourgeon de sapin
Two or three buds per fir tree, picked in May in the Hautes-Vosges, for a sweet that tastes of the forest.
Confectionery from Lorraine.
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Lorraine
Two or three buds per fir tree, picked in May in the Hautes-Vosges, for a sweet that tastes of the forest.
Confectionery from Lorraine.
AI-generated illustration
Each spring, in May, the buds of the silver fir — the white fir that blankets the ridges of the Hautes-Vosges — emerge 'tender green' from their scales. Their harvesting obeys a strict rule passed down by local gatherers: no more than two or three buds per tree, so as not to disrupt the forest's balance. Caution is essential, as the buds of conifers other than the silver fir are not edible and some can even be deadly — identifying the tree before picking is no minor detail.
From this harvest first come a fir syrup and a fir essential oil, with a flavour described by locals as 'that of our mountains' — a syrup that local tradition holds to be beneficial for the voice and vocal cords. It is this same highly concentrated essential oil that subsequently flavours Vosges sweets — dosed cautiously by confectioners, so powerful is its aroma.
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Transforming this essential oil into sweets falls to the artisan confectioners of the Vosges, who keep alive know-how passed down from generation to generation. The sugar is cooked over an open flame in large cauldrons before being mixed with the fir essential oil; the resulting paste is then kneaded by hand, 'following the method of yesteryear', before being cut into individual sweets.
In Plainfaing, the Confiserie des Hautes-Vosges — run since 1986 by the Claudepierre brothers — thus makes its 'Bonbon des Vosges au bourgeon de sapin' from sugar, glucose syrup, natural flavouring, menthol and Vosges fir essential oil, without colourings; the essential oil comes from the immediate surroundings of the confectionery. Other Vosges houses, such as the Confiserie Géromoise in Gérardmer, offer their own version of the fir bud sweet, sometimes as an organic variant, alongside other flavours from the same family (bergamot, bilberry, poppy, violet).
Taste
The flavour of fir dominates, described by the inhabitants of the Hautes-Vosges as 'that of our mountains'; the menthol in the recipe accentuates its freshness.
Texture
Hard, brittle sweet, obtained by cooking the sugar over an open flame.
, in May, with a maximum of two or three per tree.
, from buds harvested in the Hautes-Vosges.
, with maize glucose syrup.
, menthol and natural flavourings, without colourings.
, following the traditional method.
, in a recyclable transparent bag.
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The fir bud sweet is enjoyed on its own, sucked slowly to allow the resinous aroma to unfold on the palate. Vosges confectioners readily present it as soothing for the throat, particularly in the event of a cold or after a walk in the forest in cold weather. It pairs well with a fir or thyme herbal tea, whose woodland aromas echo one another.
Artisan
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