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PGI — Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
A fragrant little treasure of the Provençal garrigues, this thyme with concentrated essential oils exhales the warm, pungent freshness of the Southern Alps.
Spice or condiment from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, PGI (IGP) since 2018.
Wild thyme has grown naturally across the Provençal garrigues since antiquity: as early as the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder was already evoking the "stony countryside filled with thyme" of the Gallia Narbonensis province. Known locally as farigoule, frigoule or férigoulo, it is part of an ancestral culinary and medicinal tradition, prized as much for its aromatic qualities as for its bactericidal properties, which helped preserve meat. The organised trade in thyme truly took off from the mid-20th century, when growing urbanisation prompted households to buy what they had previously gathered themselves; cultivation subsequently developed from the 1970s onwards, initially complementing and then partially replacing wild foraging, which had become insufficient. The product specification was approved in 2015 and the PGI, recognised at European level on 19 February 2018, enshrines the excellence of this phenolic thyme (Thymus vulgaris) cultivated or gathered wild in Provence.
Thym de Provence grows on stony, well-drained clay-limestone soils — the typical garrigues of Provence — under a Mediterranean climate characterised by hot, dry summers, mild winters, abundant sunshine and the Mistral wind, which maintains low humidity levels. This heat, dryness and sunshine stimulate the plant to secrete a distinctive essential oil, rich in carvacrol (minimum 15%) — a warm, pungent phenol that distinguishes Thym de Provence from so-called "mild" thymes with a pure thymol chemotype.
Thyme, known locally as farigoule, frigoule or férigoulo, is an emblem of Provence: as early as 1848, Provençal democrats adopted it as a symbol of the democratic Republic. It runs through regional literature, from Alphonse Daudet (Tartarin of Tarascon) to Jean Aicard (Maurin des Maures) and Marcel Pagnol (Les Bucoliques), who made it a hallmark of the Provençal landscape and cuisine. Harvesting and drying perpetuate a craft structured from the 1950s onwards by collectors, followed, from the 1970s, by the development of cultivation organised into cooperatives.
Appearance
Small grey-green leaves, slender stems, dry and crisp in appearance, tiny pink florets.
Aroma
Characteristic intense aromas, warm, pungent and subtly spiced. Olfactory signature: dominant carvacrol, a minimum of 15% in the essential oil (warm phenol), with secondary herbal and floral notes.
Taste
Warm and pungent flavour, slightly bitter (herbal depth), long aromatic persistence. Absence of sweetness. Pronounced heat (active carvacrol).
Texture
Dry, crisp leaves that crumble into powder between the teeth.
Thym de Provence derives exclusively from the species Thymus vulgaris L., in its phenolic form (essential oil dominated by carvacrol/thymol), distinguishing it from the "mild" thymes with a pure thymol chemotype used in market gardening. Three varieties are authorised under the specification: VP 83, an endemic population thyme of local origin, and two selected varieties, Carvalia and Thymlia — all must yield an essential oil with at least 15% carvacrol.
Thyme grown in open fields or gathered wild, within the demarcated PGI area (8 departments in south-eastern France).
First cut in spring, before the onset of flowering; a maximum of two harvests per year, in dry weather.
Aerial parts (leaves + slender stems, no woody parts).
In an open or closed circuit, at a temperature not exceeding 40 °C, for a maximum of 7 days.
Removal of debris and foreign matter, separation of leaves and stems.
Glass jars, kraft bags, dry containers.
Protected from light and moisture.
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Serving: Dry, at room temperature, away from light.
Drinks: Hot infusions, Provençal iced tea, herbal aperitifs, pastis.
Since: 2018
Area covered: 8 departments in the south-east: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), Hautes-Alpes (05), Ardèche (07), Bouches-du-Rhône (13), Drôme (26), Gard (30), Var (83), Vaucluse (84)
Key requirements: Species Thymus vulgaris (phenolic form); harvest in spring before flowering, twice a year maximum; drying < 40 °C, 7 days maximum; carvacrol content ≥ 15%
The product specification was approved by the decree of 12 August 2015, and the PGI has been recognised at European level since 19 February 2018. The Association Interprofessionnelle des Herbes de Provence (AIHP), which has led the project since 2009, is its Organisme de Défense et de Gestion (ODG).
Agricultural cooperative
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Request a listingAgricultural cooperative
Les Aromates de Provence is an agricultural cooperative whose headquarters and processing facility are located in Trets, at the foot of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire (Bouches-du-Rhône). Its members cultivate their plots in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and in the Drôme provençale — thyme, savory, rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram — before the cooperative processes the harvest at its Trets site. It notably markets Thym de Provence PGI (IGP), a Label Rouge blend of herbes de Provence, and a certified organic range, in professional packaging (500 g to 2.5 kg kraft bags) as well as in sachets for retail customers.
For visitors passing through Bouches-du-Rhône, the cooperative directs them to the "Cellier Lou Bassaquet" point of sale in Trets, and to its commercial partner for sales to private individuals outside the region.
| Address | 926 Chemin des Vertus — Quartier Pierre Longue — CD12, 13530 Trets |
| +33 4 42 61 52 38 | |
| lesaromatesdeprovence.fr | |
| Facebook page | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2002. |
