The Year in Books: November with Encore Provence by Peter Mayle

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In November, I’m reading Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France by Peter Mayle. Having recently visited New Orleans and driven throughout Quebec this past year, I’ve found that I’m devouring books about France and French culture. Although of course the French culture in North America is vastly different than that in actual France, they are similar enough to inspire me to read all of Peter Mayle’s books (including French Lessons, among others).

Market goers could visit a different market every day for several weeks, as there is no such thing as a non-market day in Provence. Why, Mayle lists markets in Bédarrides, Cadenet, Cavaillon, and Forcalquier just on Monday alone. And those are only the ones he knows about! I would love to go back to France, rent a villa, and spend my days shopping at the markets and cooking up (and eating) the local ingredients. The only thing that causes dismay is the thought of missing out at the amazing restaurants. Peter Mayle discusses how even small restaurants out in the country can have fantastic, quality food and and an eager following. He muses that in these restaurants, the food tastes better on Sundays, when the morning is undisturbed by work and the afternoon free of guilt.

The author also describes the quintessential French café, an institution that is commonly copied around the world but these imitations never truly live up to the real thing. He describes how a customer is allowed to keep his or her seat for as long as he or she wants to occupy it, writing, reading, or even working. Before everyone had their own cell phone, cafés would even take calls for regular customers!

Of course, a Peter Mayle book is not complete without a brief description of a local delicacy as well as general instructions as how to make it. Here, he describes one food specialty of the region: a thick and cheesy peasant food called aligot:

• two pounds of potatoes
• one pound of tomme d’Aubrac, the fresh local cheese
• half a pound of sour cream
• one or two cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper

1. Boil and puree the potatoes, add the sour cream and cheese, stir as if your life depended upon it.
2. If you have difficulty extracting the ladle from the saucepan, you’ve overcooked the recipe. Have a glass of wine and start again.

Check out what other bloggers are reading in November at Circle of Pine Trees.