A small grey-brown sweet the size of a peppercorn, made from honey and liquorice and rolled until the surface goes matt. It tastes of dark honey first, then of liquorice root, and it is the city's own.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
The grisette belongs to the same medieval world as the Montpellier medical faculty, founded in 1220 and still the oldest working school of its kind. Apothecaries in the Ecusson traded in spices, honey and liquorice as pharmacy rather than confectionery, and prescriptions for coughs and sore throats were dispensed as sweets. The name is usually traced to the grey working dress of the women who sold them. What survives is a honey and liquorice ball with none of the fruit or nut of later French confectionery, an unfashionable flavour that has kept the sweet a local rather than a national item.
Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Day trip · 3.5 hours
In a typically Mediterranean landscape, discover two of the region’s greatest treasures on this unforgettable half-day experience combining fine...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Join us on this fantastic food tour to taste and learn everything you've ever wanted to know about French gastronomy. Savory and sweet specialities...
Day trip · 4 - 4.5 hours
Discover St-Emilion on a guided village tour, followed by a guided visit and tasting of 3-4 wines with a French aperitif platter at a Grand Cru...
Halles Castellane is Montpellier's iron-and-glass central market on Rue de la Loge, 25 stalls of cheese, oysters and produce a minute from the Comédie.
TipSeveral stalls shuck Bouzigues oysters to eat on the spot with a glass of Picpoul; go before noon for the full spread.
The Marché des Arceaux lines Montpellier's Saint-Clément aqueduct on Tuesday and Saturday, up to 80 producers selling organic vegetables, cheese and flowers.
TipThis is where the city's chefs shop; arrive by 09:00 on Saturday before the best producer stalls sell through.
Not on this list, but among the highest we score in this city. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
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