13 August 2008

Summertime in Menton - the Flat Peach


Les pêches plates as they are called in France - or the Donut Peach in America.

The original flat peach variety was introduced to the United States from China in 1869 but it never became very popular. New varieties of the flat peach have been gaining in popularity since the 1990s and have been fairly recently seen in the south of France. They are grown in France, Italy and Spain.

The flat peach comes with white or yellow flesh, as do their bigger cousins, of course - the round peach - but these have a very subtle flavour, delicate perfume, and are particularly sweet. Apparently they are easy to grow in our climate and are really catching on. Last week I saw about six stalls selling them in Menton market. Yesterday, when I took this photograph, only one, but that's because the season is coming to an end.

17 comments:

  1. c'est délicieux les pêches plates (malheureusement, cela ne dure en France, qu'une courte saison), elles sont plus sucrés que les pêches normales (en gâteau, c'est bon) et quand on les mange, on s'en met moins sur les vêtements ;o))

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  2. Olivier - yes I read too you can eat them without getting juice all over yourself! Good point!

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  3. Mmmm! Good info. Our market day is Friday. I know what I'll be looking for:)

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  4. That is really odd but interesting looking fruit. First time I've heard of them.

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  5. How weird!!! Never seen them before - looks like someone sat on them!!!

    Bet they taste wonderful though!!!!

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  6. These would look nice beside square watermelons from Japan.

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  7. The color and texture is just lovely in this photo. Those little flat guys are cute. Sort of like someone let the air out of them.

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  8. to have them sliced and covered with cream.....

    c'est bon

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  9. What a shame we will miss the season! I love fresh peaches and these in your photo look so enticing Jilly.

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  10. Never seen a flat peach. The stuff you learn on CDP.

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  11. We have them here in Nashville. . . .I think probably because GA and AL are such big peach-growing states. They are quite a bit more expensive.

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  12. I love shots of local fruit. I can almost smell them!

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  13. Les peches plates appear yummy, but I wonder about the round ones in front... They have those little sticky labels that identify them as, what? Imported? Organic? Who was it who wrote that soon we'll be peeling tiny labels off of each individual grape??

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  14. Would definitely love to try these. I don't believe I've ever seen these kind of peaches, probably because as you said they just didn't become too popular here in the US. Bring 'em back I say. ;-)

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  15. Just lovely! I took photos of peaches at a farm stand in California a week or so ago...so lovely to taste, no matter where they grow or what they look like

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  16. I've seen flat peaches in the market but never tried them before.

    Love the photo!!

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  17. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits but I confess I have never tasted these flat ones..."Donut Peach", what a great idea!

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