ORBIS city intelligence

Buying in Nancy: Bergamote, Macaron and the Cheese Between

Two confections belong to this city rather than to France generally, and three shops sell them. Bergamote de Nancy is a hard boiled sweet flavoured with bergamot. Macaron de Nancy is the older plain macaron. Do not expect the coloured Parisian sandwich under that name.

Maison des Soeurs Macarons: the primary door, guarding the recipe since 1793 S1

The Nancy macaron has been made at 21 rue Gambetta since 1793, with bergamote and chocolate alongside it. Start here, since no other house on this page carries a date within a century of that.

Ask how the macaron differs from the Parisian version before buying a box, because the two share a name and very little else.

Lefevre-Lemoine: the second opinion, founded 1840 S2

Macarons de Nancy and bergamottes are sold here too, at 47 rue Henri Poincaré. Compare them against Soeurs Macarons, which worked the same sweets fifty years earlier.

Buy a small quantity from both rather than a large box from one. Ask how each keeps, since bergamote lasts far longer than the macaron does.

Alain Batt: chocolate-weighted, and forty years at it S3

Artisanal chocolate has been made here for more than forty years at 30 rue du Tapis-Vert, with bergamote and macarons alongside. Come here after the other two, since this house is the newer arrival of the three.

Buy chocolate last on any walk through this city. It travels poorly in a warm bag, and a box carried around all afternoon will show it.

Les Freres Marchand: the necessary counterweight, on Grande Rue S4

In a city this sweet a cheesemonger is what saves the day. Head to 89bis Grande Rue in the old town, where charcuterie is sold alongside the cheese.

Ask what is ready to eat today rather than choosing by name. Carry a cool bag if the weather is warm, since the rest of this walk takes another hour.