Today's main entertainment: the annual "Salon du Chocolat" at the exposition center at Porte de Versailles in the 15th arrondissement. You're hit with the scent of chocolate even before you walk in the door. Several vendors are selling crepes and waffles, so those scents make the air even sweeter (which is hardly possible).
Boy, these Frenchies sure know and love their sweets - this two-floor 400-exhibitor giant "salon" is not limited to chocolate, far from it! I took a few photos to prove it. The funny part is that when I got home I realized that I hadn't taken any shots of the bewildering variety of chocolate (and other) candy vendors and their products, just of the ancillary stuff! Oh, well, trust me. There was a massive amount of chocolate there. This event goes through Sunday...I wonder how much the vendors be taking home with them. Hey, maybe I should head out there again on Sunday afternoon to see if I can pick up a few really good deals! (Nah, today's crowd was almost overwhelming...I can't imagine what it will be on Sunday!)
By the way, you can click on any photo in this blog to enlarge it.
Some ancient candy-making machinery. Not sure what it was for, but it sure looked serious!
Mounds of colorful spices, rices, salts and peppers
Giant round loaves of spicebread, a big treat here. It is served with cheese, sausages, foie gras (and anything else that might strike your fancy!).
Chocolate clothing. Yup, a style show is apparently a traditional feature of the exhibit each year. Only in France!
My favorite "Canelé" cakes, a specialty of Bordeaux, and something few bakers seem to get right (they are a bit tricky to get absolutely tender inside and nice and crispy outside). I grabbed a box of eight of the minis, and I'm happy to report that they're perfect! I see that this vendor, Canelé Lemoine, has a shop in Paris...must add that to my standard itinerary!
Crowds lining up for foie gras sandwiches
Grilling the foie gras
A cooking competition
Racks upon racks of chocolate-making supplies, molds, tools, fountains, etc.
More spicebread, this time baked in giant square loaves. I bought some of this guy's honey-raisin-prune variety. Yum yum!
A whole world of nougatine awaits you
And mountains of dried fruit
A Champagne tasting booth. Here you could pay 8 euros and try all of their varieties. There are other booths with chocolate (and other) liqueurs to drink &/or to use in candy making. Lots of wines too - they do go well with chocolate. So there's no excuse for going home either hungry or thirsty!
Giant slabs of chocolate piled on top of each other like tectonic plates
Crowds gathered for the demo by chefs from the Ferrandi cooking school in Paris. There was almost a stampede when they offered copies of the recipes.
The demo begins. There were also several smaller workshops on specific topics throughout the building. And a song-and-dance show on the 2nd floor (as if all of this chocolate and sugar didn't have us wired enough already!).
This appeared to be hands-on training in front of an audience. The participants looked only slightly bewildered!
I bought my ticket online in advance for 13.5 euros - it provided entry and lots of sampling. But can you believe that I didn't buy any chocolate at the show? Actually, many of the great vendors have shops in my 'hood, and I'm guessing that their prices are about the same. I did manage to snag some wonderful dark "miel de foret" (forest honey) and some whimsical macaron earrings (in addition to my Canelés and spicebread), though. So it was an entertaining and successful afternoon as far as I'm concerned. But then I'm easily entertained!
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