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Normandy
“On the place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc perished in the flames on 30 May 1431, a Rouen chocolatier devised a teardrop-shaped confection — a caramelised almond coated in dark chocolate, rolled in bitter cocoa.”
Confectionery from Normandy.
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Rouen bears in its heart the indelible scar of 30 May 1431, the day Joan of Arc was burnt alive on the place du Vieux-Marché following her trial held in the city. The memory of the Maid of Orléans is omnipresent there, from the cathedral to the tour Jeanne-d'Arc, from the museum to the heart of the cobbled old town.
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It was in this spirit of commemoration and tribute that Rouen chocolatier Jean-Marie Auzou, whose historic shop stands on rue du Gros Horloge — a historic thoroughfare of Rouen —, devised an original local confection some forty years ago: a gourmet souvenir befitting the heroic figure of Joan. He created a caramelised almond coated in dark chocolate ganache, then rolled in unsweetened bitter cocoa — in the shape of a teardrop, rounded on one side and pointed on the other, evoking the tears of the martyr.
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The Larmes de Jeanne have since become Rouen's benchmark confectionery speciality: in a survey conducted in 2025 among readers of L'Essentiel Rouen (109 respondents), 48.6% cited them as their favourite Rouen sweet, ahead of sucre de pomme (27.5%) and 100 clochers (23.9%). Sold today in seven Auzou shops, including the historic boutique on rue du Gros-Horloge, they remain a gourmet souvenir prized by visitors passing through the Norman city.
Appearance
Teardrop-shaped confection — pointed on one side, round on the other. Dark, slightly powdery surface, dusted with unsweetened bitter cocoa.
Aroma
Intense chocolate and bitter cocoa, toasted hazelnut notes from the roasted almond. Deep and alluring aroma.
Flavour
A progression on the palate: the bitterness of the cocoa, the melting richness of the dark chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa), then the crunch of the caramelised almond.
Texture
Three distinct layers — powdery cocoa on the surface, melting chocolate in the middle, crunchy heart of caramelised almond.
Almonds are roasted at high temperature to develop their aromas and intensify their nutty flavour.
Almonds are coated in sugar cooked to the amber caramel stage, then cooled.
Couverture chocolate is melted and blended with crème fraîche to produce a smooth, intense ganache.
Each caramelised almond is coated by hand in dark chocolate ganache.
The confection is shaped by hand or moulded to achieve the characteristic teardrop form.
Each teardrop is rolled in unsweetened bitter cocoa for its final coating.
Production takes place in the Auzou workshop in Val-de-Reuil (Eure), which produces daily all the pastries delivered to the maison's shops.
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Larmes de Jeanne are best enjoyed at room temperature, in one or two bites. They pair readily with an intense black coffee or a smoked tea (Lapsang Souchong) — a pairing suggestion, not an official recommendation from the producer. Their chocolate intensity makes them a confection reserved for dark chocolate lovers. They should be stored out of the refrigerator, at around 18°C, away from moisture, air and light, in their original packaging.
Les Larmes de Jeanne do not benefit from any official INAO protection (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP)). They are a contemporary artisanal creation, a confectionery speciality of Chocolaterie Auzou that has acquired de facto renown in Rouen and Normandie.
Artisanal chocolate and confectionery maker
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