Promenade around Maussane les Alpilles

We are now in the home of the olive oil of Les Baux de Provence, an AOP, appellation d'origine protégée, which replaces the former AOC, or appellation d'origine controlée.  My two favorite olive oil producers are here. Le Moulin Jean Marie Cornille produces three sorts of olive oil, all from a combination of different olive varieties. I prefer the Fruité Noir,  produced from black olives, which has a delightfully fruity taste of chocolate, preserved black olives and artichokes.

Next door to le Moulin Cornille is the attractive boutique of Jean Martin, which makes delicious tapenades, soups, sauces and other Provencal products, all without any preservatives.

Nearby is the Mas des Barres, also an AOP Les Baux, which produces a slightly peppery oil, much like the olive oil of Tuscany.

Not far away is the ancient village of Les Baux, ancestral home of the Grimaldi family (now of Monaco). Les Baux is a beautiful hillside town, whose main street climbs up to the now mostly destroyed chateau. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

And also close by Maussane is another favorite restaurant of mine, Le Bistro du Paradou, in the village of Le Paradou.. There is only one menu, although rarely there might be a choice of the main course, composed of an entrée, a main course with its accompaniments, an extraordinary assortment of cheese, and a dessert, plus all the good Côtes du Rhone red wine you want, all included in the fixed price menu.  Friday is always aioli, that provençal dish of morue, vegetables, and freshly gathered snails, accompanied by a garlicky mayonnaise-like sauce.

The top photo is of a bottle of the Moulin Cornille olive oil. And the bottom photo is of the Mas de Barre olive oil mill.