Dijon - France

While stationed in Beaune, we take a one-day trip to the historic city of Dijon and discover among other things, its famous ginger bread and blackcurrant liqueur.  Along with some historical buildings, this place is full of surprises and promises.


 Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Fallot Mustard Display

 The Ginger Bread...


Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Dijon Ginger Bread

 of varying flavours...

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Two Ginger Bread Varieties

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Entrance of Cassissium,  the Cassis Factory

Dijon is still famous for its Dijon Mustard which originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, the acidic green juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe.  In general, mustards from Dijon today contain white wine rather than verjuice.  Most Dijon mustard brands such as Amora or Maille are no longer produced in Dijon since 2009.  One factory – “Moutarderie Fallot” that still produces mustard is located in Beaune.  There, you can visit the premises and even have a go at making your own mustard.  Over 90% of mustard seed used in the current production is imported, mainly from Canada.

 Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Fallot Mustard Museum



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Entrance of the Fallot Mustard Museum

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Reception Area at the Fallot Mustard

The city is also well known for its crème de cassis, or blackcurrant liqueur, used in the drink known as "Kir", a mixture of crème de cassis with traditionally, a dry white Burgundy wine called Bourgogne aligoté.  Located between Beaune and Dijon, the Cassissium cassis factory is another discovery stop during that day.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Shop at Cassissium



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Oak Barrels



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Some of the Old Equipment Used to Produce Cassis



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Today's Modern Cassis-Making Equipment

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Holding Tanks for the Cassis

Dijon is situated in eastern France and is the capital of the Côte-d’Or department.  The city is filled with elegant medieval and Renaissance buildings.  It is situated at the heart of a plain drained by two small converging rivers: the Suzon and the Ouche.


Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Where is Dijon



Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Dijon Architecture

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Church of Notre Dame





The church of Notre Dame is famous for both its art and architecture.  Popular legend has it that one of its stone relief sculptures, an owl (a chouette) is a good luck charm.  Visitors to the church touch the owl with their left hands to make a wish.  The “Chemin de la Chouette” takes you along some of the most famous landmarks of the city centre.  The Grand Théâtre of Dijon, built in 1828 was declared a historical monument of France in 1975.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Grand Theatre de Dijon

The earliest archaeological finds within the city limits of Dijon date to the Neolithic period.  Dijon later became a Roman settlement named Divio.  The province was home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th centuries and Dijon was a place of tremendous wealth and power, one of the great European centres of Art, Learning and Science.  The Duchy of Burgundy was a key factor in the transformation of medieval times toward early modern Europe.  The Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy now houses the city hall and a museum of art.





Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Dijon City Hall

In 1513, the Swiss army invaded Burgundy and besieged Dijon.  The siege was extremely violent but the town resisted the invaders.  During the siege, the population called on the Virgin Mary for help and saw the town's successful resistance and the subsequent withdrawal of the invaders as a miracle.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Place Francois Rude

The city has retained varied architectural styles from many of the main periods of the past millennium.  Many still-inhabited town houses in the city's central district date from the 18th century and earlier.  Dijon architecture is distinguished by, among other things, its toits bourguignons made of tiles glazed in terracotta, green, yellow and black and arranged in geometric patterns.  The historical centre of the city has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2015.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Dijon House



Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Dijon Roof Tiles

Burgundy is a world-famous wine growing region and notable vineyards such as Vosne Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin, are within 20 minutes of the city center.  The town's university boasts a renowned oenology institute.  The road from Santenay to Dijon is known as the "route des Grands Crus", where eight of the world's top ten most expensive wines are produced.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Burgundy Vineyard

Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Leaving Vosne Romanee



Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Gevrey Chambertin



Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Route des Grands Crus Sign



Daniel Food and Wine Tours:  Burgundy Wine Map

I look forward to your company at the next post,