{{Expand French, Marché de Provence, date=May 2017, topic= Fruits et légumes de Vaucluse

Provençal markets or markets of Provence have become one of the regional emblems of

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

. Traditional markets held in a town or village are events that are both a celebration of local identity, and a collective ceremony in which everyone is both the participant and spectator, as well as a meeting place where everyone is equal and no one is excluded.

Tourism and tradition

Very often, the traditional markets – some date from the Middle Ages – occupied squares and little streets and their main goal was to channel the provision of food supplies in towns and villages and to keep informed as well. With the rise of mass tourism during the 20th century the festival of colours and smells provided by the local fruits and vegetables, as well as spices and

Herbes de Provence (; oc, label= Provençal, èrbas de Provença) is a mixture of dried herbs considered typical of the Provence region of southeastern France. Formerly simply a descriptive term, commercial blends started to be sold under this name in the 1970s. T ...

, itself became an attraction.

Summer season

In the summer, the traditional holiday period, one will find tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, black and green olives, onions, apricots, peaches, figs, grapes, etc., not to forget local

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

such as the Cavaillon melon, candied fruits from Apt, calissons from

Aix Aix or AIX may refer to: Computing * AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems *An Alternate Index, for a Virtual Storage Access Method Key Sequenced Data Set *Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point Places Belgium ...

, nougat from Sault, strawberries from Carpentras or fish from the coasts. The Provençal market also offers local specialities such as essential oils of lavender from

Haute-Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, cut and dried flowers, and all kinds of soap products. Finally, it is also the chance to discover truffles, lavender honey, cordials, jams, olives,

designation of origin Designation may refer to: * Designation (law), the process of determining an incumbent's successor * Professional certification * Designation (landmarks), an official classification determined by a government agency or historical society * Designa ...

oils and fine wines from the Rhone Valley and

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

Bibliography

*Dixon and Ruthanne Long, ''Markets of Provence: A Culinary Tour of Southern France'' (1996) *Marjorie R. Williams, ''Markets of Provence: Food, Antiques, Crafts, and More'' (2016) Provence Food markets Tourist attractions in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur