Dieulefit

Brian and Greg decided to take the "day off" so Keith and I drove north to Dieulefit to take in the local market. Dieulefit, meaning "God made it", was a very pretty village nestled in the nearby hills and is well known for its arts, specifically its pottery and ceramics. As in most of the markets we've been to in France, there are vendors selling fruits and vegetables, meats and poultry, fish, pasta, breads, cheeses, eggs and then of course, specialties of the region - olives, prunes, walnuts, strawberries etc. Depending on the market, you might also find artisans selling their wares and occasionally vendors flogging cheap imported goods. In Dieulefit, in addition to our usual purchases of fruits, cheese, meat and vegetables, we found some delicious honey (Keith loves the flavour of the honey here) and some interesting and flavourful, slightly flattened, large meatballs called caillettes. Caillettes are made with hand-ground pork, chopped pork liver, Swiss chard, spinach and spices; they are then wrapped in pig’s caul fat (the thin membrane that surrounds the stomach) rather than in a casing. We heated them through and served them with a piece of fresh baguette as an appetizer. They were a big hit! 

Here is a poissonnier (fishmonger) cleaning scallops for a customer.

Nougat is a specialty in this part of the world. Although I am not a big fan, it certainly seems to be popular.

Keith is just walking by one of the many local pottery stands. In town, there were many more small independent pottery and ceramic magasins.

A street in Dieulefit.

Following the market, we found a lovely restaurant to enjoy a salad and a glass of wine. It was a beautiful day, so we took our time driving back stopping along the way to take pictures of the countryside between Dieulefit and Valréas.

When we arrived home, it was still warm and sunny so we spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun on our patio and reading our books. Another day in paradise!

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