France is a land of milk and honey for food lovers. In every region, in every department, there are culinary specialties to discover and make the acquaintance of passionate producers. The awareness of food is particularly pronounced in France. Regionally protected specialties abound. But behind many of the products now bearing an AOP label lies a long road that producers have had to travel to protect their product from the abuse of a good name. Long before AOP and the older French designation of origin, AOC, Appellation d’origine controlée, the Roquefort region managed to protect its famous blue cheese. It was a real stroke of marketing genius when the Parliament of Toulouse decided on August 31, 1666, that only cheese originating from Roquefort could call itself Roquefort. In contrast, Dijon mustard lost its name over 100 years ago. Today Dijon mustard is produced all over the world, but it can still be called after the city in Burgundy. Also the Paludiers in the Guérande did not pay attention and did not have their Fleur de Sel protected. So today fine sea salt flowers are scooped around the globe and were allowed to call themselves Fleur de Sel. One could certainly write a thick book about the many dramas that have taken place around the Appelation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) label, which is now awarded by the European Union. Champagne, truffles, cheese, cassoulet, olive oil and even white beans, all good foods are surrounded by exciting stories that look far into history and also tell you a lot about the lives of people in past centuries. Why, for example, was absinthe so wicked? If one looks into the history it becomes clear, it was a defense strategy of the winegrowers. Protectionism with a hard line. So if the world is full of culinary stories, often going way back in time, France is a bit like an epi-center of food stories. Here come some of them:
Der Tatort: Schwarzbrennerei, Transhelvetica #60.20, Aug. Sep. 2020, S. 92.
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