Every year, beginning in mid-February, thousands of farmers, wine makers, cheese makers, sausage makers, and an arks’-worth of animals, makes it way to Paris for the annual Salon de l’Agriculture. The salon began in 1870 in a country that was, and still is, justly fond of its agriculture, which is celebrated on tables, in steaming cauldrons, on picnic blankets, in restaurants, and ready-to-slice on cutting boards, all across France.
The best of France converges on Paris and last year, there were nearly three-quarters of a million visitors, filling up the massive, grand halls of the Porte des Versailles, on the edge of Paris.
There are exhibitors from twenty-two countries in addition to France, as well as foods from tropical French regions. And four thousand animals are trucked to Paris from the provinces to bring the taste – and smell(!) – of the country, to Paris.
Like many agriculture fairs, there are competitions, too, honoring everything from the liveliest livestock to the best wines in France. But to me, it’s really an astounding place to enjoy the best of France in one hectic visit. However, it’s impossible to see it all in one day unless you have the stamina of one of those massive bulls in the pens, or the men who stir (and stir and stir and stir) the giant pots of cheese and potatoes.
When we first entered the main building, happy to escape the drizzle outside, the windows weren’t steamed up from the humidity of the rain, but from thearôme of the animals and their, um, by-products.
Fortunately the smell doesn’t permeate the food hall where we spent most of our day. My friends Susan Loomis and Kate Hill both came from their homes out in the country to visit the salon, in the city, which sounds odd – but on the other hand, who doesn’t want a trip to Paris?
via:http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/03/salon-de-lagriculture/
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