BARLEY SUGAR FROM MORET

A legendary sweet

A sweet and delicate flavour, a history with twists and turns, and a recipe that’s been kept secret for more than 300 years: the barley sugar of Moret-sur-Loing has all the ingredients of a legendary sweet! Created in Moret under the reign of Louis XIII in 1638, by the Benedictine nuns of Notre Dame des Anges, barley sugar has had a turbulent destiny, closely related to that of the priory. While this sweet made with sugar and a barley brew with soothing properties was initially eaten by preachers, it rapidly became popular with the king and his court. However, production was halted during the turmoil of the French Revolution in 1792. With the convent closed, it was believed that the recipe had been lost forever. Then, on her deathbed, one of the Benedictine nuns entrusted the precious recipe to her confidante, making her swear to pass it on when a new congregation came to Moret. The promise was kept, production resumed and barley sugar sticks and sweets were a success once again. It remained popular from then on: Napoleon was very partial to it and Sarah Bernhardt would not take to the stage without warming up her voice with some barley sugar. While it has not been made by nuns since 1972, barley sugar is still produced in Moret according to the seventeenth-century method, with no added colourings or flavourings. There is a museum devoted to the sweet at the Provencher mill on an island in the middle of the Loing. You can learn more about its history there, before taking a well-deserved snack break at the shop on Place Royale.

France’s oldest sweet was invented in Moret in 1638

 

To see/to do

Barley Sugar Museum 

On the Moret-sur-Loing bridge, Moulin Provencher.
Free visit from Friday to Sunday (and holidays) from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., from may to september
price: € 2.
Balad'Pass 77 card accepted. Guided tour for groups
Tuesday to Saturday, March to October.
Information: MSL tourist office

"La Maison du Sucre d'Orge" (Barley sugar house)

This shop sells the famous barley sugar, in the form of sweets and sticks, as well as a wide range of confectionery, including the poppy sweets of Nemours and chocolates.
Open April to September Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am -12:30 / 3pm-7pm
Sunday 10:30-12:30 / 2:30 pm- 6:30pm
October to March
Tuesday to Saturday : 9.30-12.30 / 3 pm-7pm.
Place Royale, 77250 Moret-sur-Loing, Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne
Tél. : +33(0)1 60 70 24 53
Site : www.deslischocolat.com
Facebook : Des Lis Chocolat

The barley sugar of Moret has found its way into local gastronomy!

You can taste it in cheese or saucissons. This speciality has been combined with many culinary preparations.

 
 
La Maison du sucre d'orge
 

Addresses 

Fromagerie de Moret

At the cheese shop of Moret-sur-Loing (5 Rue de l’Église, Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne), you can discover the following:

  • Fontainebleau cheese flavoured with the barley sugar elixir of the nuns of Moret. A delicious (and local) marriage of cream and liqueur that brings out notes of dried fruit. This dessert will excite your taste buds (to be consumed in moderation).
  • Le Morétain, with the barley sugar of the nuns of Moret.

5 rue de l’église, Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne
Facebook: fromageriedemoret

Certain restaurants use barley sugar in their dishes, which will be indicated on the menu, for example at the Jardin des Lys (14 rue du Peintre Sisley) or the Poterne (1 rue du Pont) in Moret-sur-Loing.

Other sweets

1001 glaces

This artisanal ice-cream maker opens in the summer with a huge range of original flavours, including local specialities, such as Nemours poppy and Gatinaîs rose and saffron. All ice-creams are made in the shop.
13 rue de l’église,
77250 Moret-sur-Loing, Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne
Phone: +33 (0)9 51 62 58 51
Email: contact@1001glaces.fr
Website: www.1001glaces.fr
Facebook: 1001 glaces
Open from Wednesday to Sunday: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. June - July - August: 7 days a week: 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Annual closing period: October/November/January/February/March

Cœur de choc

Artisan chocolate maker
100% organic chocolate and ingredients, with no lecithin and naturally gluten-free. “ Opens by appointment.
1 rue Roger-Genty, Montigny-sur-Loing (Sorques)
Phone: 06 23 43 04 37 / 06 14 15 83 86
Email: contact@coeurdechoc.fr
Website: www.coeurdechoc.fr
Facebook: Cœur de choc

La boutique du quai

Pastry & Chocolate factory
Saint-Mammès train station, Route de la Gare, Saint-Mammès
06 14 56 84 99
romuald.chocolaterie@gmail.com
Tuesday to Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

À la reine astrid (at queen astrid's)

Manufacture of chocolate and praline from the cocoa bean.
Openings:
Closed on sunday and monday
Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. then from 2:50 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. then from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
4 rue de l'Eglise, Moret-sur-Loing
06 17 74 36 99
Email: moret@alareineastrid.fr
Facebook: a la reine astrid





Contact us

All of Moret Seine & Loing Tourist Office team is at your disposal.

  • Address:
    4 bis, place de Samois, Moret-sur-Loing, 77250 Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne France
  • GPS coordinates: 48.373839, 2.814830
  • Phone:
    01 60 70 41 66
  • Email:
    tourisme@ccmsl.com