Medieval-style producer guilds, a glut of festivals and strict controls on quality and origin all combine to make sure that traditional gastronomie is honoured and protected
It’s a Saturday morning in October and Rouen’s Fête du Ventre – the festival of the tummy – is in full swing. The main street, Rue Jeanne d’Arc, is lined with food stalls where red-aproned cheesemongers are proffering cubes of neufchâtel and camembert cheeses, and cloth-capped charcutiers are pulling great cords of black pudding on to their weighing scales. The aroma of grilled scallops, sizzling burgers and pongy fromage fills the air. Around the corner in the Place du Vieux Marché, a samba band is warming up to march through the streets in celebration of this annual food festival, which this year marked its 25th anniversary.
In 2021, Rouen was declared a City of Gastronomy by Unesco in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development, organic agriculture and high-quality food. It’s a badge the city wears with pride, especially this weekend. Market stalls’ awnings and banners are emblazoned with logos and slogans that show how their foods are organic, produced locally and recognised by the government body that protects their geographic origin.
