While champagne continues to be its most famous product, Reims has numerous culinary treasures. The history of the City of Coronations is rich in delicious episodes.
The inhabitants of Reims, also known as the "gingerbread eaters" !
As early as the Middle Ages Reims emerged as the French capital of gingerbread after Henry IV granted statutes to the city's gingerbread maker's guild.
In 1430, the baker's and gingerbread maker's guild of Reims greeted Joan of Arc and Charles VII with delicious offerings.
What is the distinctive characteristic of Reims' gingerbread? It is made from rye flour instead of wheat flour.
Biscuits (twice baked).
The biscuit-making tradition dates back to the end of the 17th century. Towards 1690 bakers from the Champagne region invented a recipe intended to take advantage of the heat of the baker's oven after the bread had been baked, to bake and rebake sweet delicacies. These were the very first biscuits (twice baked).
The Biscuit Rose (pink biscuit) of Reims
It is one of the oldest French biscuits and one of the last genuine "bis-cuits".
The inhabitants of Champagne are fond of dipping it into their glass of champagne (in the past, it was essentially enjoyed by dipping it into a glass of red wine). It has a very distinctive feature in that it doesn?t break, even when moistened!
Why pink? Although they were initially white, the biscuits became pink to hide the tiny black particles extracted from the vanilla pod that speckled their colour.
Where can you find these specialties ?
They are still concocted by some of the city's passionate pastry cooks and Maison Fossier. A traditional biscuit factory fashioned by two and a half centuries of history that offers a wide variety of biscuits, including croquignoles, macaroons, etc.
Soon, the new company "Pain d'Epices de Reims" will relaunch the industrial production of nonnettes (spiced buns) and couques rémoises (sliced gingerbread).
Still today, there is no shortage of creations.
Pastry cooks from Montagne de Reims recently perfected the Le Sablé du Phare pastry.
You can also discover the new Reims specialty, Café de Reims. It is an original drink that combines the subtlety of Montagne de Reims whisky and the strength of coffee with a touch of whipped cream and the delicate flavour of crumbled biscuit rose de Reims. Patrick Poivre d?Arvor, who was born in Reims, has agreed to serve as sponsor for this new drink!
