AI-generated illustration
Franche-Comté
“The sweetness of the cherry and the bite of kirsch”: this Fougerolles morello cherry can be nibbled all on its own, slipped into a coupe of champagne, or tucked into a Black Forest gateau.
Fruit from Franche-Comté.
AI-generated illustration
At the foot of the first slopes of the Vosges mountains, Fougerolles offers cherry trees what Anecdotrip describes as an ideal setting: a very specific microclimate, numerous springs, and plateaus between 300 and 500 metres in altitude. The area was once covered with apple and pear trees; it was at the end of the 17th century that cherry growing took hold here, linked to the distillation of cherry eau-de-vie. According to tradition, a man of Piedmontese origin, Sébastien Grandjean, introduced the crop around 1680.
The fruit was first distilled: cherry eau-de-vie, christened with its German name kirschwasser then kirsch, was mentioned as early as 1630. From farmhouse production, it moved into the industrial distilleries of the 19th century, and kirsch de Fougerolles today holds an AOC. In Fougerolles, the Écomusée du Pays de la Cerise occupies a former 19th-century distillers' estate, surrounded by its orchard.
The Peureux distillery was founded in 1864, specialising in particular in the production of kirsch. It was not until 1968 that the company created a speciality of morello cherries macerated in a blend of kirsch and liqueur. Wikipédia, which notes that they are produced in Fougerolles by the Grandes Distilleries Peureux, attributes their creation to the collaboration between Claude Peureux, then CEO, and Pierre Baud, his laboratory manager.
Yet a variety still had to be found that could withstand stoning, with flesh that stayed sufficiently firm after maceration.
AI-generated illustration
The answer came from elsewhere: the Balkan Oblachinska variety, native to Serbia according to Wikipédia, which the Pays de Villersexel tourist office notes is grown and harvested solely in the Balkans. Round rather than oblong and easy to stone, it is the only one, writes Wikipédia, with enough flavour and resilience for its flesh to remain firm throughout the slow maceration process. Produced in Fougerolles, Griottines therefore owe their fruit to the Balkans.
In 1972, Mickael Azouz, world chocolate champion, used the morello cherries to create the first chocolates with Griottines, which according to Wikipédia marked the start of their renown. The “Griottines” trademark was registered in 1980. In 2005, Bernard Baud, son of Pierre Baud and CEO of Grandes Distilleries Peureux, decided to rejuvenate the speciality's image: the partnership he forged with a Parisian design agency resulted in a jar inspired by cosmetic codes, packaged in a translucent red gift box.
Appearance
small, sour cherries, round rather than oblong, stoned in such a way as to retain their shape.
Taste
“the sweetness of the cherry and the bite of kirsch”, writes Le Gourmeur.
Texture
flesh that stays firm after maceration; the company praises their “tenderness” and “crunch”.
the company's “Original” version, in various sizes: “from 35 cl to 1 L for the most indulgent”, plus a 5 cl format and ten mini-jars in its online catalogue.
the company's catalogue also offers “Saint James”, “Cointreau”, and “Traiteur” Griottines.
harvesting is done solely by hand, with the fruit gathered without stems.
back in Fougerolles, the fruit is sorted once again to retain only those measuring 18 to 20 mm.
AI-generated illustration
Griottines can be eaten just as they are — they can, says Le Gourmeur, “quite simply be nibbled all on their own” — but the producer also pictures them at aperitif time, in cocktails, and on the plate, in both savoury and sweet recipes. They can be dropped into a glass of champagne, served as tapas with Comté or over vanilla ice cream, and are traditionally used in making Black Forest gateaux. Chef François Lachaux, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, devises recipes for terrines and cakes with them, alongside his brigade, in the laboratory of the Institut Griottines in Fougerolles.
Macerated in a 15% vol liqueur, they remain an alcoholic product.
"Griottines" is a trademark, registered in 1980, which the Peureux company writes as Griottines®: neither PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP) nor Label Rouge protects the speciality. Fougerolles' AOC is that of kirsch, one of the alcohols used in the maceration.
No producer is listed for this product yet.