
Confectionery Glossary
Each PETIT POCHON includes a descriptive booklet listing the sweets’ ingredients,
as well as a historical note on their origin and tradition.
An invitation to explore both gourmet delights and French culture

Crispy anise biscuit
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Flour, GLUTEN*, sugar, EGG*, green anise (1.8%), natural anise flavoring (1.2%). May contain other nuts, milk, and gluten*.
The Anis Bredele is the first Alsatian biscuit mentioned in texts dating back to the 16th century. Originally, it was called “Anisbrod” (anisette bread). Its main ingredient, anise, was the first spice, along with ginger, to be used in Alsace, both in baking and in cooking.
Anise-flavored dragée
Composition :
sugar, natural star anise flavouring, green anise seed (0.2%).
Born in the 9th century in the abbey of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
This candy was originally a digestive remedy created by monks, who coated small anise seeds with sugar.
Prune paste mixed with almond paste with a touch of Armagnac
Composition and ALLERGENS*: Prune paste (30%), sugar, ALMONDS*, Armagnac (40% vol.), humectant: E420, invert sugar, glucose syrup, EGG WHITE*, unleavened bread (potato starch, water, sunflower oil), colours: E120, E132 (<1%).
May contain other nuts, milk, gluten, soy and sulfites*
Prunes, known since ancient times, originally came from China and reached Syria via the Silk Road.
They were already cultivated by our Gallic ancestors, but it was the Romans who perfected the techniques of growing and drying them, spreading prunes throughout the Mediterranean region.
Mint candy
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, glucose syrup, natural mint flavouring.
Around 1830, an apprentice candy maker made a mistake while preparing the berlingots: he accidentally dropped some mint into the mix. His boss grumbled, “What a blunder!” … but the customers loved it.
Since then, there’s only one “blunder” that’s always forgiven: the Bêtise de Cambrai!
Flaky sweet with Dauphiné walnut
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar 57% - Wheat glucose syrup* 27% (contains sulfites) - Almonds* 7% - Walnuts* 7% - Honey* 1% - Flavorings 1%.
May contain other nuts, milk and sulfites*
Known as the land of walnuts, the Dauphiné region is home today to the largest walnut grove in France. The cultivation of walnut trees dates back to the 11th century, a time when certain taxes were paid in bushels of walnuts.
Passed down through generations, this tradition has shaped both the landscape and local know-how. A symbol of abundance and wealth, the Dauphiné walnut has greatly contributed to the economic prosperity and reputation of the entire region.
Provins rose–flavored puff pastry treats
Composition:
Sugar, glucose syrup, honey 10%, Provins rose alcoholate 3.1% (alcoholate 60% vol, honey and Provins rose) rose flavouring.
Legend has it that around 1240, upon his return from the Crusades, Thibaut IV, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre, brought back from the East a rose of exceptional quality: the Rosa Gallica.
Carefully cultivated in Provins, this rose became famous for its medicinal and aromatic properties. Over the centuries, this flower contributed to the renown of the city.
Violet-flavored candy cane
Composition:
Sugar, glucose syrup, natural violet flavouring 0.4%, acidifier (citric acid), colour E120, natural colours (beetroot red & medicinal vegetable charcoal).
Crispy layered sweet with a creamy hazelnut and almond praline filling
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, glucose syrup, ALMONDS*, HAZELNUTS*, acidifier: citric acid, vanilla flavoring. May contain traces of milk and egg white*
Created in 1951, the Brique du Capitole is an iconic confection from Toulouse. Its name pays tribute to the bricks that give the “Pink City” its distinctive hue and to its famous Place du Capitole.
Used since Gallo-Roman times, terracotta bricks have made Toulouse renowned and reflect a unique architectural tradition preserved through the centuries.
Violet-flavored praline candy
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, glucose syrup, caramel (sugar, water), ALMONDS*, HAZELNUTS*, natural violet flavouring 1.0%, acidifier: citric acid.
May contain other nuts, milk and sulfites*
The Toulouse violet owes its origin to a love story.
In 1850, an officer in Napoleon III’s army brought back a delicate violet from Parma as a gift for his fiancée in Toulouse. This gesture sparked a local tradition that turned the violet into the city’s fragrant emblem.
A Provençal confection featuring a candied fruit center with almonds, topped with royal icing
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Candied fruits (melon and candied orange peel, lemon), ALMONDS*, sugar, EGG white*, unleavened bread (potato starch, sunflower oil).
According to legend, the Calisson was brought to Provence and perfected by a chef of King René in the mid-15th century. In 1454, during René of Anjou’s second marriage to Jeanne de Laval, the royal confectioner is said to have offered some to the future queen.
The queen, reputed to be rather reserved, is said to have smiled, enjoyed the sweet, and remarked in Provençal: “Di calin soun” (“These are hugs”).
Creamy caramel made with Guérande salted butter
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Glucose syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed MILK*, BUTTER* (fresh milk) (10%), milk powder, Guérande salt (0.8%), Guérande fleur de sel (0.3%). May contain traces of nuts*
In 1977, Henri Le Roux had the idea of combining Guérande butter with gently caramelized sugar and cream. This created a unique caramel, both smooth and delicately salted, truly reflecting the terroir and the Breton spirit.
Guérande salt, used for centuries, was a strategic and economic staple, employed to preserve food long before refrigeration existed. It gives this treat all its authenticity.
Delicious coffee-flavored candy filled with creamy caramel
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated vegetable fat (coconut), concentrated MILK*, cane sugar molasses, coffee extract, acidity regulator: calcium carbonate, salt, sodium bicarbonate, natural flavorings. May contain traces of nuts*
In 1887, in Douai, the passionate confectioner Victor Piteau had the idea of pouring the remaining coffee and chicory onto caramel. After cooling, he discovered a surprising treat: a hard coffee-flavored shell encasing a soft, melting center.
The locals called it “chuque,” a word in the Ch’ti dialect meaning “sugar,” which has since become an iconic part of the North’s sweet heritage.
Flaky raspberry confection with a rich pistachio praline heart
Composition and ALLERGENS* : Sugar 56%, WHEAT glucose syrup* 26% (contains SULPHITES* ), PISTACHIOS* 8%, ALMONDS* 8%, Flavorings 1%, Colouring foodstuffs: carrot and blackcurrant (concentrate) 1%.
This confectionery is an iconic creation of the Bonbons Barnier company, founded in 1885 in Rouen by Pierre and Marius Barnier.
The company quickly established itself as a benchmark in French artisanal confectionery, thanks in particular to its expertise in working with cooked sugar and the use of quality natural ingredients.
Crispy thin waffle with brown sugar.
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
WHEAT flour* (100% French), BUTTER* 21.7%, sugar, brown sugar 13.5% (Belgium), whole EGGS*, salt, emulsifier: SOY lecithin* raising agents: sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate.
Since the 19th century, thin waffles, or “strinj,” have been prepared by grandmothers at the beginning of the year to offer their best wishes, a symbol of affection and generosity, and were known as “little New Year’s gifts.”
Vergeoise, a brown beet sugar typical of northern France, adds a caramelized, malty flavor that gives the waffles their unique taste and makes them a true family and culinary tradition.
Sweet licorice and honey candy coated in sugar
Ingredients:
Sugar, glucose syrup, licorice, honey flavouring, anethole. Colourings: E153.
Grisettes have been made since the Middle Ages from licorice and honey. According to legend, in the 12th century, merchants in the Notre-Dame-des-Tables district used Grisettes as small-change currency when trading with the many pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela…
Nougat with anise, honey and candied orange flavors, coated in cocoa
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Nougat (sugar, glucose syrup, ALMONDS* , candied orange peel (orange peel, glucose syrup, dextrose, sugar, preservatives: E202 (SULFITES)* , acidity regulator: E330, honey, unleavened bread, EGG albumin* , natural anise and vanilla flavorings, milk chocolate 15% (sugar, cocoa butter, whole MILK powder* , cocoa mass, emulsifier: SOY lecithin* , natural vanilla flavoring), cocoa powder, sugar.
Other nuts may be present*
In 1997, Jean-Marie Fouque had the desire to create a unique delicacy, one capable of preserving the memory of Marseille, his sun-drenched city with its African and Oriental influences. He invented La Marseillote, a confection carried by the mistral wind, which releases a burst of aromas with each bite, exploding on the palate. It evokes the sea, the sun, and the history of the city.
Soft nougat from Montélimar
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, ALMONDS*, Glucose syrup, Honey, PISTACHIOS*, Potato starch, Icing sugar, Unleavened bread (Water, starch, olive oil), EGG whites*. Natural vanilla extract.
May contain traces of soy, milk, and other nuts*
In 1595, the Occitan word “noga,” derived from “nut,” appeared in a pharmacy treatise, attesting to the ancient use of dried fruits.
In the 16th century, the agronomist Olivier de Serres from Ardèche introduced the first almond trees to Montélimar.
Their fruits, finer and longer-lasting, replaced walnuts and pine nuts. Mixed with golden honey and sugar, these almonds gave birth to the soft, fragrant nougat that would make the town famous.
Soft Montélimar nougat enrobed in dark orange-flavored chocolate
Ingredients and ALLERGENS*:
Honey and glucose syrup, EGG whites*, cooked sugar, vanilla, ALMONDS* and PISTACHIOS*, potato starch, unleavened bread (water, starch, olive oil), natural vanilla and orange extract, cocoa mass, dark chocolate. May contain soy, milk, and other tree nuts*
Candy made from five natural plants with digestive and soothing benefits.
Ingredients:
Glucose syrup, sugar, natural extracts of verbena, sage, burnet, bilberry, peppermint essential oil, natural coloring: chlorophyllin
Created in 1950 in Les Gets by a Savoyard herbalist, this lozenge was designed to relieve digestive discomfort.
Made from five carefully selected plants known for their digestive and soothing properties, it helps ease heartburn, bloating, acid reflux, and nausea. Thanks to the antiseptic and antibacterial qualities of mint and sage, it also soothes an irritated throat. Passed down from generation to generation, this recipe is a cherished heritage.
Nougatine caramel with almonds and hazelnuts, enrobed in blue chocolate
Composition and ALLERGENS*:
Sugar, white chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, whole MILK powder*, emulsifier: SOY lecithin*, natural vanilla flavouring), ALMONDS*, HAZELNUTS*, brown sugar, dextrose, concentrate of: spirulina, apple, radish and blackcurrant.
The first slate quarry was opened in 1406 at a site called Tirepoche. From that time, slates were mainly used to roof the region’s monuments and houses, giving the towns a look that was both elegant and long-lasting.
A specialty of Angers, the Quernon d’Ardoise pays tribute to these historic quarries by echoing, in its shape and color, the iconic rooftops that crown the city’s houses.
The composition of the Petit Pochon changes with the seasons, depending on arrivals and new products.
_edited.png)