Although the town of Vence is renowned for a variety of reasons (its medieval village, which has seen some of the most famous painters pass through its doors, its impressive views over the Baous of the Alpes Maritimes, and in particular the view from the Baou des Blancs which overlooks it…), it’s impossible to visit Vence without sampling the town’s flagship speciality: the craquelin from Vence. This pastry, made with sugar, caramelised almonds and puff pastry, has become the emblem of the town and the Vence region in just a few decades. Although this pastry has been exported to many other places, it is in Vence that you will find it on every street corner, particularly in the bakery of its creator: Maison Palanque.
The history of the Craquelin from Vence
It all began in 1927 when baker Joseph Palanque, in his Maison Palanque bakery at 37 avenue Marcellin Maurel, decided to revisit a special honey-based cake that he had discovered on his previous trips to Brittany. The result is the Craquelin from Vence, a brioche with a surprising flavour made from brioche dough, a light touch of honey, sugar, caramelised almonds and puff pastry. Since then, this brioche has won the hearts of the people of Vence and become a sacred emblem for the local people.
La maison palanque: a family business
Since 1927, the torch has been passed in turn to the sons and grandsons of Jospeh Palanque. It is now Gérard Palanque who is carrying on the family tradition, and it was he who decided to export the highly successful patisserie abroad.
Whenever I’m in Vence, I’m bound to drop into this bakery at the entrance to the historic town to sample this sweet made in Vence. The great thing is that you can find it in several different sizes: small, medium and large.
Useful information
📍37avenue Marcelin Maurel Vence 06140
🌏 https://www.patisseriepalanque.com
📞 04 93 58 02 24
🕐Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6am to 7pm and Sunday from 6am to 1pm
📧 gerard.palanque@gmail.com
