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Picardy
Fruits rouges de Noyon
Every first Sunday in July, for the duration of a market, Noyon once again becomes the French capital of red berries.
Fruit from Picardy.
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AI-generated illustration
Picardy
Every first Sunday in July, for the duration of a market, Noyon once again becomes the French capital of red berries.
Fruit from Picardy.
AI-generated illustration
Noyon's red fruit market took off in the nineteenth century, spurred by the arrival of the railway in 1849. Originally held in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville every day except Saturday, from June to mid-July, it opened from 04:00, heralded by a bell-ringing commissioner. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants were sold there before being transported to Noyon railway station for dispatch to Paris, northern France and England. The First World War interrupted this tradition, which was only revived in 1987 in the form of a major market held on the first Sunday in July.
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In Noyon, the passion of artisan Yvon Berthelot gave rise to the "cœurs de Noyon", red fruit sweets which, melting in the mouth, release a jam centre — a reminder that the region has long been considered the capital of red fruit. Today, the annual market brings together around a hundred exhibitors — growers, artisans and food trade professionals — offering strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, cherries and redcurrants in all their forms, whether fresh fruit, jams or confectionery.
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The terroir of these red fruits extends around Noyon, along the Divette valley and near the Canal du Nord. Production, a speciality of the Noyonnais from the late nineteenth century, declined after the First World War; raspberries and blackcurrants nevertheless continue to be celebrated there at the start of every July.
Appearance
A palette of vividly coloured small fruits — the bright red of strawberries and raspberries, the deep red of cherries, the glossy black of blackcurrants, and the translucent red of redcurrants.
Aroma
Clean, distinct fruity scents, with varying degrees of tanginess depending on the fruit.
Taste
A sweet-tart balance that varies from one fruit to another, from the sweetness of a ripe strawberry to the sharper acidity of blackcurrant and redcurrant.
Texture
Juicy, melting flesh, punctuated by the tiny seeds or pips characteristic of each fruit.
one of the four fruits sold from the market's inception in the nineteenth century.
likewise sold from the market's inception.
sold from the market's inception; today one of the two fruits still celebrated at the beginning of each July.
the fourth fruit sold from the market's inception.
today, alongside raspberries, one of the two fruits showcased at the start of each July.
part of the fruit is made into jams or confectionery, such as the cœurs de Noyon.
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Fruits rouges de Noyon can be enjoyed fresh or made into jam, just as the market's exhibitors showcase each year. Local confectionery prolongs the memory: cœurs de Noyon, sweets created by artisan Yvon Berthelot, release a melting jam centre in the mouth. The unmissable highlight remains the market on the first Sunday in July, where strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, cherries and redcurrants appear in every guise.
Fruits rouges de Noyon bear no official quality mark (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge): their reputation stems from local tradition rather than formal specifications. It rests upon the Noyon red fruit market, revived in 1987 after disappearing for decades, and on the artisanal confectionery of "cœurs de Noyon".
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