The Carpentras Berlingot, Sweet Gold

Food

For the winter vacation, go and discover the famous Berlingot of Carpentras. The city’s master confectioners, of which only two remain, perpetuate an artisanal and ancient craft.

By Claire Vincent - Photos José Nicolas - February 11, 2012

Beneath the lid of the metal box are shiny candies striped with yellow, red, green and orange… and tasting of candy flavors. There were always some in the treat cupboard at Grandma Andrée’s, when as children we spent our vacations in her house in the Luberon. With my brother, we chose them by color: green for him, red for me. The Carpentras Berlingot became our very own version of Proust’s “petite madeleine.” According to the legend, a master chef working for Clément V, the first pope of Avignon, invented it.

He is said to have created an after-dinner sweet for the sovereign from leftover caramel supplemented with mint and lemon and served in the shape of little sticks. Clément V’s real name being Bertrand de Goth, the candy was named Berlingot. We next pick up its trail in Carpentras where, around 1840, many confectioners used leftover candied fruit syrups to make sweets. The use of the Letang candy machine to cut the ribbon and the famous metal box to extend shelf life gave a great boost to sales!

Through their impetus, the Berlingot has taken on new flavors: strawberry, cherry, chocolate… which join the classic flavors of aniseed, mint, and orange. They are prepared in four stages. The cooking: in a cauldron,the sugar is mixed with the extract that will give it its flavor. The pulling: the still-hot sugar is poured on to a marble slab. A portion is kept aside and shaped into a white ribbon that will later be twisted with the colored sugar paste. The kneading: the sugar is twisted. The cutting: the strand is put through a machine that slices the paste into little tetrahedrons. Once cool, it’s ready to melt in your mouth. Now we’re off to discover the Mont Ventoux Confectionary for the winter vacation!

Discover

Mont Ventoux Confectionary

1184 avenue D. Eisenhower

84 200 Carpentras

04 90 63 05 25

www.berlingots.net

Today, only two companies hold the secrets of fabrication of the sweet ingot, the Confiserie du Mont Ventoux directed by Thierry Vial and the Carpentras confectionary headed by Serge Clavel. Both sons of confectioners, they carry on the tradition, but with two different approaches. The first works the sugar by hand, in the manner of the master chefs of yesteryear. The latter bought machines from the old Raquillet confectionary that, refurbished, operate every day!

© Brad Pict - Fotolia.com