Figoulade brings Vézénobres' flagship fruit to the forefront

Liliane Allemand et Lise Fossat présentent le nouveau sirop de figue. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Des animations et une trentaine d’exposants sont attendus, au cœur de la cité gardoise située eu sud d’Alès, le 15 août.

“A large fresh fig market”!”“This is how Liliane Allemand, president of the association “Remarkable site of taste, fig of Vézénobres”, sums up in a few words what the Figoulade is, this festival launched 25 years ago and which will be held on Thursday, August 15, in the heart of the medieval city of Vézénobres. And let us be reassured, there will clearly be fresh fruit, even if, says Lise Fossat, from the Maison de la Figue, “it is hot and the figs (whose last harvest dates back a few weeks, Editor's note) are not ripening”. Because that simply means that they just take longer to reach maturity… "There will be some!", she assures us.

From 9am to 6pm, in the medieval city

For this great celebration of the emblematic production of Vézénobres, "around thirty exhibitors will be present", specifies Liliane Allemand. They will be set up on the Fay-Peraut and Temple squares, in front of the town hall and on the terrace of the Maison de la Figue. From 9am to 6pm, everyone will find fruit, therefore, but also fig-derived products, nurserymen presenting various varieties of plants, as well as other products. And this Figoulade will even be an opportunity to discover the new fig syrup produced in Vézénobres.“Offered for three weeks, it comes from the conservatory orchard and is composed of around a hundred varieties of figs“, specifies the president of the association.

Egypt is already in the spotlight

This day will be punctuated by a multitude of activities, the first of which is the exhibition of paintings and sculptures by the Egyptian Ali Salem, in the municipal council chamber. This is scheduled as part of Fig Days, on September 21 and 22, whose guest of honor is, this year, Egypt. The other two exhibitions will be devoted to the region's wild edible plants, at the Maison de la Figue, and to 24 portraits of personalities illustrating the pillars of the Alès Agglomeration Territorial Food Plan (PAT), at the same location and in the city.

A scenographic space to know everything

In addition to the possibility of eating on site (reservations are recommended for gourmet picnic baskets), a few activities will be offered to the public. Thus, the scenographic space of the Maison de la Figue, which offers, on 200 m2 dedicated to the fruit, an immersive experience, will be open to all free of charge. The fig will be presented there in many facets and through different perspectives. Without ignoring its culinary, artistic and cultural aspects.

Within this same establishment, as part of the exhibition dedicated to wild plants, everyone will discover, among the 25,000 plant species that thrive in the Mediterranean basin, those that can be cooked and consumed, through a continuous projection and a tactile game (free entry).

Discovering the conservatory orchard

One of the highlights of this Thursday will be the presentation of an emblematic place in Vézénobres: its conservatory fig orchard. There, on a two-hectare plot of land, there are nearly a thousand fig trees, representing a hundred varieties. It will then be possible to discover them, or even taste the emblematic fruit. Two departures to visit the site have been set up: at 9:30 a.m. and at 11 a.m., from the Maison de la Figue (price: 5 euros, free for children under 12).

Information on 04 66 83 62 02 and on the website www.maisondelafigue.com. I subscribe to read the rest