‘Vincuit’, heritage of Bresse’s past

Don’t be mistaken, we are not talking about a sort of wine, but actually jam without a single drop of alcohol!

So the locals of Bresse are liars then ? No, quite the contrary.

Bresse celebrates its apples and pears

‘Vincuit’ is today made during the special celebrations of this ancient tradition, and this practice reminds us, as we go about our modern lives always in a rush, that our ancestors lived in harmony with their environment and took their time. In the Bresse of olden days, nothing was wasted. In the orchard, when the fruit fell from the trees and couldn’t be consumed directly, it was used to make ‘vincuit’. The apples and pears from the orchard were stewed for a whole day in a huge copper pot.

‘Plume’ and ‘Vanlage’,

the two steps to follow for this unique recipe

Preparing the fruit was traditionally known as ‘Plume’, and this was when the apples and pears were peeled and cut into pieces. Then it was time to cook them. To make sure they didn’t caramelise, the fruit had to be stirred continuously with a ‘pétouillon’ (giant wooden stick), for almost twenty hours! This brought friends and neighbours together and they would take it in turns.

THE POTS OF VINCUIT WERE THEN READY AND WOULD LAST THE WHOLE YEAR.

Just enjoy the vincuit on a good Bresse waffle !

La Fête du vincuit

Une journée festive entre tradition et savoir-faire locaux

La paria, the little cousin

The term itself indicates that these preparations did not contain any sugar at all, even if the true origin of the word is still a mystery. Variations exist from one village to another. Thus one also speaks about pariah, in particular on the side of Saint-Etienne du Bois.

Fete De La Paria Credit Maison Pays En Bresse (20)

Fête de la paria

Every year, since 1994, on the third Sunday of October, the Maison de Pays en Bresse eco-museum in Saint-Etienne-du-Bois perpetuates the tradition of making paria. The opportunity for you to test the famous “pétouillon”!

Surprise