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Languedoc-Roussillon
Born in 1150 in the dispensary of an apothecary at the faculté de Médecine, Grisettes de Montpellier sweetened the journey of eight centuries of pilgrims before vanishing — only to re-emerge from an attic, far from home, and finally return to their native soil.
Confectionery from Languedoc-Roussillon.
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Tradition places the birth of the Grisette in 1150, in the dispensary of an apothecary at the Montpellier faculté de Médecine. It brought together two Languedoc specialities renowned since Antiquity for their therapeutic virtues: honey — that of Narbonne, already praised in the 13th century — and liquorice, a Montpellier speciality. Consumed from the 12th century onwards to soothe sore throats and hypertension, it was sold in apothecaries at a price too high for everyday consumption.
Its medicinal use did not prevent it from circulating as small change: from the 12th century, merchants in Montpellier's Notre-Dame-des-Tables district used it to make up the exact change in their dealings with the many pilgrims on their way to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, whose long march was comforted by its aromas.
Lastly, it owes its name to the fine 19th-century ladies of Montpellier, stylish and flirtatious, dressed in grey — a nickname shared with the city's young seamstresses, the 'petites mains' who were then known as grisettes.
After several centuries of success, the Grisette disappeared. In 1964, whilst clearing out the attic belonging to descendants of the writer Paul Valéry's family, the agricultural engineer Raymond Muller came across a handwritten sheet dated 1851, revealing the forgotten recipe for the honey-and-liquorice sweet. Won over by its delicate flavour, he established his confectionery and revived this sweet over eight centuries old — remaining its sole maker for fifty-three years.
For a large part of this period, however, production took place far from its Languedoc cradle: in the Paris region, using honey imported from Turkey.
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In September 2017, the brand changed hands: Lionel Lopez and André Sembelie bought it, with the declared ambition of turning it into 'the true showcase of the city of Montpellier'. Manufacturing then returned to the Montpellier area, more than eight centuries after the sweet's creation. The workshop where the sweets are produced today holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant distinction, which rewards excellence in industrial and craft know-how.
Today, Grisettes can be found in the shop at the Montpellier tourist office, as well as in more than a hundred shops across Occitanie and the rest of France — delicatessens and supermarkets alike.
Appearance
Small grey-to-black beads, the size of a pea, dusted with white sugar.
Aroma
Pronounced aromas of liquorice and honey.
Taste
A sweet, aniseed flavour with an inimitable taste, in which honey softens the bold character of the liquorice.
the resulting paste is worked and then divided into small beads.
the beads are rolled in white sugar before packaging.
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The Grisette can be enjoyed on its own, like any small sweet, or dropped into a cup of coffee to lend it subtle notes of liquorice. Some stir it into apricot jam, whose sweetness pairs well with honey and liquorice, or use it to flavour yoghurt or a dessert cream. More unexpectedly, it also enhances a slow-cooked lamb or beef dish. Sold in charming collectible tins, it remains, more than eight centuries after its creation, the iconic gastronomic souvenir of Montpellier.
Grisettes de Montpellier do not hold any official quality mark (PDO (AOP), AOC, PGI (IGP), TSG (STG), Label Rouge or Organic). The workshop where they are made today holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) distinction, which rewards excellence in industrial and craft know-how — a recognition of the enterprise, not a regulatory quality mark for the product itself.
No producer is listed for this product yet.