Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Strawberries for the Jet Set


It's officially strawberry season in France and these ads for the highly prized gariguette variety from the town of Plougastel in Brittany are everywhere in the metro.  (That's a traditional Breton bonnet on the strawberry.)  You will pay 20 euros or more per kilo for these babies., and I can tell you that I am far too cheap to be able to tell you whether they're worth the premium.  Those less serious about their fruit can pay in the neighborhood of 1 to 3 euros per box (about a quart) depending upon the part of town where you make your purchase.  And believe me, those are still pretty darn good.

5 comments:

Ksam said...

Fraise + Breizh = Freizh!! One of the things I really love about the French is how clever they are with their jeux de mots.

Paulita said...

I think we tried those strawberries last year while we were visiting friends in Nantes. Perhaps they are cheaper in the provinces. Only problem is, that I didn't understand enough French to know how spectacular they are so I didn't enjoy them the way I should have.

Starman said...

Luckily, I'm not much of a lover of strawberries.

Amy said...

Do it. Splurge. Get them! Get a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, too, while you're at it and indulge in them together. You'll remember having done that in Paris FOREVER!

Dan said...

I'm visiting France at the moment, and when I saw these in the stores I knew I had to try them. I paid 3.50 euros for 250gm - really not a burdensome price. The berries are about the size of small American commercial berries, and have a distinctive slender, pointed shape. As for the flavor - they were very good. Certainly better than American grocery store berries but they were not something I will remember wistfully or crave in the future. Those feelings remain with the strawberries I got from the Santa Monica farmer's market, which had low acidity and the most intense flavor I've ever encountered. So try a few, but be objective. It wasn't a peak event for me.

Related Posts with Thumbnails