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Centre-Val de Loire
‘A roasted almond, sugar caramelising all around it: in Montargis, this sweet treat is attributed to a duke’s officer of the mouth, and the town has made it its gourmet emblem.’
Confectionery from Centre-Val de Loire.
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Maison Mazet, which makes them in Montargis, states that its recipe is the one created in 1636 by the Duke of Praslin's officer of the mouth. Accounts name Clément Jaluzot, the duke's head chef — César de Choiseul, Count of Plessis-Praslin and Marshal of France, according to one of them — who reportedly wished to offer a new sweet treat to the Court under Louis XIII.
Accounts differ regarding the scene itself. According to one, the officer's children confessed that after roasting some almonds, they coated them in sugar: melting and then caramelising, the glucose encased the almonds, and the sweet was born. According to another, the cook observed a commis roasting almonds in molten caramelised sugar, and that was how the recipe came to him. The officer of the mouth is said to have named it 'prasline' in tribute to his master.
Tradition adds that the duke offered this sweet to the ladies of the court in exquisite boxes to win their hearts, and also used it to build friendships at Court and play politics.
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In 1903, the confectioner Léon Mazet and his wife, Jeanne Vieillard, the daughter of a chocolate maker, moved to Montargis, buying Monsieur Huet's confectionery shop along with the recipe for the prasline held by his boutique on Rue du Loing, today's Rue du Général-Leclerc. The confectionery house dates its presence in the heart of the town back to that same year of 1903. The sugar industry, for its part, mentions a purchase of the duke's residence as early as 1902.
In 1920, the couple had a neo-Gothic building erected on Place Mirabeau for a new boutique, 'Au Duc de Praslin'. Six years later, in 1926, the trademark 'Prasline de Montargis' was registered.
Pralines de Montargis are sweets typical of the town, in the Loiret, in the Centre-Val de Loire region; a travel article describes them as the symbol of Montargis since the 17th century. A directory of restaurants and inns in the Loiret lists them among the specialities to take home as a souvenir of a getaway in the department.
Maison Mazet retains its historic boutique in Montargis, a 'masterpiece of architecture' in its own words. Its production workshop is in Amilly, in the Montargis urban area. In 2012, its prasline was sold in 1,800 retail outlets in France and exported to 36 countries.
Appearance
An almond encased in cooked sugar, irregular in shape. The caramelised sugar is brown, but it can also be coloured pink; the surface is shiny, 'varnished' with gum arabic.
Taste
Caramel and almond, flavoured with natural vanilla; the almonds must remain golden inside.
Texture
An irregular, 'rocky' coating, obtained through the sanding process, which distinguishes it from the coating of a dragée.
they are lightly roasted, toasted, then thoroughly dried.
in a copper pan, the sugar, water and vanilla pods are cooked to around 110 to 115 °C according to accounts.
the sanding process gives the sugar its irregular surface; it is coloured brown or pink.
the sweets are coated in gum arabic, which makes them glossy and protects them from moisture.
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Prasline is enjoyed as a snack: a Loiret directory recommends it for 'peckish moments' and to take away as a souvenir. Confectioners tint and flavour it in various ways, and it is increasingly used in making desserts.
No official quality sign (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge) covers pralines de Montargis. Their name is a trademark: 'Prasline de Montargis' was registered in 1926, within the history of maison Mazet. This house, which has made it its flagship product, has been classified as an 'Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant' since 2016 — a company distinction, not an appellation.
No producer is listed for this product yet.