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,
