A few years ago, the Frayssinet village bread oven was in a sorry plight . A small group of volunteers ,including Bill and Gerald,spent their spare time making repairs to the chimney and they completely rebuilt the roof.
On Bastille Day the fire was lit and bread was baked just as it had been for hundreds of years. Villagers brought picnics to share with their neighbours and the loaves of traditional fresh baked ‘Pain de campagne’ were brought steaming to the tables. This bread is too delicious to resist and now this celebration happens on Bastille day every year.It seems appropriate to remember one cause of the revolution was no bread for the people.There has been a public holiday on Bastille day ever since.
Pain de Campagne
working in the bread oven
picnickers shelter from the summer sun under the farmers polly tunnel
Here is some Bastille Day information from the web;
Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris in 1789. The prison stood as an ancient symbol of royal tyranny and oppression; as such, it made for a perfect target for French citizens fed up with royal extravagance, secrecy, and despotism. An armed mob of about 600 people stormed the prison on July 14th of 1789 and wrested it from the control of the monarchy, sparking the French Revolution. The day has been celebrated officially as the French national holiday since the 1880′s.
The Mayor of the village greets everyone personally- here he has a friendly chat with Bill
Voila! crisp on the outside, soft and spongy inside, a slight taste of the wood smoke -delicious.
