Fete de la Mirabelle 2017 in Metz, France

Have you already been to the Fete de la Mirabelle in Metz, France?

We live in Metz now, so it was only natural that we went and celebrated this feast with the people of the city. The Mirabelle is a fruit which is a variety of plums and it is the fruit symbol of Lorraine. The region of Lorraine is responsible for at least 80% of the country’s Mirabelle production!

Aside from eating the fruit as it is, we also enjoy them in tarts. I have yet to try recipes for jams, cakes, and perhaps in a sweet-salty dish. What I like to do is get them when they are in full season, which is from mid-August to mid-September and store them in the freezer. This way I can make Mirabelle Tarts all year long. 😊

The city of Metz organizes every year a week long celebration to honor its fruit symbol. There are concerts, workshops, and a beautiful firework (which we completely missed but we were able to get some glimpse from our balcony). I, however, made sure not to miss the parade last Sunday.

So last Sunday, at around 3PM, we arrived at Place de la Republique in the city center. I believe the parade starts from Place d’Armes goes down Rue des Clercs, Place de la Republique, Rue Serpenoise, to finally finish at its starting point. When we arrived, there were many people patiently waiting for the decorated floats. It was unbelievably hot so we tried to keep cool as much as possible.

The last time we watched the parade, the theme was circus. I’m not sure what this year’s theme was. There were space shuttles, stars, planets – so perhaps the theme was space?

Anyways, this year’s Miss Mirabelle also joined the parade. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a good look at her or even take a good picture. 😞

When the parade was over, we decided to walk to the Marché situated at the Esplanade. Lots of local food products as well as handmade items.

First thing first – the food:

French Saucisson. Who can resist?!

Local charcuterie.

They were passing out free samples and if I’m not wrong, I think this was a Mirabelle Brioche. It was very good – light and puffy accentuated with the Mirabelles. I immediately regretted not buying one!

Carola was giving out free samples of their Mirabelle-flavored water. Perfect in this hot weather.

Sweets and Candies

Saffron from Lorraine. I had no idea there was saffron around here. But, why not?

And of course, the queen of the day, The Mirabelle. 😊

Then we went to the tables on the other side. These were mostly handmade products.

Framed Mini Comics. What a neat idea! I took home a business card because I am seriously thinking of getting one. Maybe the Tintin one.

Cute handpainted plates.

On the other side – the square-, there was also a fair with lots of rides and food. Because Baby Girl was with us, we just had to go and take a look around.

What a good afternoon that was! I’ve really been noticing changes in the city of Metz lately. There are more and more tourists coming in. Sometimes I walk in the city center and I hear different languages in the air. This is something that wasn’t so common 3-4 years ago. It’s obvious that the local government has really made a point to develop the city of Metz and promote tourism in the past years. I hope all these efforts will soon pay off.

xoxo Elodie