Montélimar, France
Travel Blog • Ben Keene • 07.14.06 | 11:25 AM ET
Coordinates: 44 33 N 4 45 E
Distance from Beziers: 143 miles (230 km)
Yellow jerseys and stuffed lions are fine prizes, sure, but after completing the longest leg of the Tour de France, wouldn’t a weary cyclist rather cross the finish line and be greeted with something sweeter, say a year’s supply of world-famous nougat? Well, resourceful riders should have little difficulty satisfying their sweet tooth on Saturday, when Stage 13 ends in the medieval town of Montélimar. It’s the nougat capital. Located due south of Lyon in the Languedoc region, Montélimar has been manufacturing this popular confection since the 17th century by combining almond, pistachio, lavender honey, vanilla extract, and egg white. The almond trees that yield nougat’s main ingredient actually aren’t a native species, but have taken to the dry soil and temperate climate in the foothills of the Rhône Alps.
—.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World.
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz