Nougat from Provence from Nougaterie Silvain
The Silvain family from Saint Didier have been beekeepers and almond farmers for generations. Since they harvest almonds themselves and have honey bees, they were looking for a way to refine their valuable almonds and lavender honey. That's why they decided to found the Nougaterie Silvain in 1985.
Nougat consists mainly of almonds (or other nuts and candied fruits) and lavender honey.
Silvain family almond farmers & beekeepers
Today, the nougat factory is still a family affair. Claire takes care of sales, brother Jean takes care of the bees and the almond trees, and cousin François processes honey and almonds into nougat in the factory.
The family's almond trees grow not far from the nougaterie around the village of Venasque. The lavender fields where the bees collect the lavender honey are also in the region. In order to have enough almonds and honey for production, they also work closely with three other local beekeepers and almond farmers. This ensures the origin of the high-quality raw materials they need to make their famous nougat.
How do you actually make nougat?
Nougat from Provence has been a tradition for generations. The Nougaterie Silvain has perfected and modernized this craft.
To make nougat, honey is carefully heated in large copper kettles for many hours. To make white nougat, beaten egg whites are added. The almonds are roasted and only added to the mixture at the end. After a few hours, the nougat reaches its final consistency, which is crispy or silky soft depending on the recipe.
Nougat from Provence is a living cultural heritage
The Nougaterie Silvain has the quality mark ' Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant' for living cultural heritage. Here in Provence, nougat is one of the 13 Christmas desserts that are traditionally eaten at Christmas. However, it would be a shame to only eat it at Christmas. A sweet made from such high-quality ingredients is a delicious substitute for various industrial sweets...
Nougat from Provence and Calisson from Silvain are available in our shop!
Depending on availability, we have a selection of different nougat from Provence and Calisson in our shop .
