Uncommon markets

Elizabeth David, the famous food writer, was instrumental in making the British aware of the delights of Provençal food.

She loved the area, saying: “Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train.”

My thoughts entirely – except I’m more likely to get in a car and drive from grey northern Europe along the A7 ‘Autoroute du Soleil’ for my fix of Provence.

A region which has never had set borders, Provence has been called a state of mind rather than a geographical entity. Today, it officially comprises six départements but its unofficial borders remain elastic as more towns clamour to proclaim themselves ‘the gateway to Provence’.

But it’s somewhere around Nyon and within sight of Mont Ventoux, that the light, heat, smells, landscapes and architecture change. There are cypresses, olive trees, farms huddled around a central courtyard to protect against fierce mistral winds, small hill villages, the herbal aromas of the garrigue (stony scrubland) and the sound of cicadas. These are the landscapes made famous by Van Gogh, Gaugin and Cézanne. Here you’ll find the stony ground where the characters in Marcel Pagnol’s Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources struggled to survive.

The region bursts with colour and heady fragrances – and so does the food. This ‘cuisine of the sun’ is pungent, with strong, robust full-on flavours, with garlic, olive oil, herbs and tomatoes at its heart. The exceptional quality of local ingredients means they are prepared simply – and the best place to buy them is in a Provençal market.

Stalls are piled high with succulent fruit and vegetables – shiny peppers in all colours, mis-shapen red and green tomatoes, dark purple aubergines, tiny courgettes, pyramids of artichokes, bright green basil and bunches of wild herbs, jewel-like cherries, and fragrant strawberries, raspberries, peaches and melons.

Some stalls will specialise in only one product – maybe 15 different types of lettuce, or dozens of bowls of different olives and dips. Under blue and white awnings you’ll find the fish stalls, and cheeses can be bought from large travelling vans or from a local farmer, often selling just 12 small rounds of perfect goat’s cheese.

Freshly-cooked meals are available from the travelling rotisseries, with chickens and other birds sizzling on the spit, their juices dripping down to coat sliced potatoes. There are flat pans of paella, or moules à la Provençal (mussels with white wine, tomatoes, onion and garlic), and slices of pizza, French style, from the pizza truck. Buy a loaf of crusty bread from the boulangerie and you have the makings of a great picnic, or a relaxed meal back at your holiday home.