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"" II tttttttt oooooooo oooooooo kk mmmmmm yyyyyy f rrrrrrrr ssssssss tttttttt ssssssss oooooooo llllllle oooooooo tttttttt rrrrrrrraaaaaaaa vvva eeeeeeee llllllle tttttttt rrrrrrrr iiiiiiii pppppppi www iiiiiiii tttttttt hhhhhhhh TT rrrrrrrr iiiiiiii pppppppi U S A F rrrrrrrraaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn cccccccc eeeeeeee aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn dddddddd hhhhhhhh aaaaaaaa dddddddd tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee mmmmmm oooooooo ssssssss tttttttt iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn cccccccc rrrrrrrr eeeeeeee dddddddd iiiiiiii bbb llllllle eeeeeeee eeeeeeee xx pppppppi eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr iiiiiiii eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn cccccccc eeeeeeee EE V EE R !! 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GG r a c ee ,, S ee p tt . 22222 00 22222 33 Trrrrrraaaaaaaaveeeeeeellllllll lllllllliiiiikkeeeeeee aaaaaaaa llllllllooooooccccaaaaaaaallllllll rrrr eeeee aa d ss oo mm eeeee rrrr eeeee v ii eeeee w ss P rrrr ooooo v eeee nnn c eeee ––– N ooooo rrrr m aa nnn ddd y ––– B ooooo rrrr ddd eeee aa u x ––– D ooooo rrrr ddd ooooo g nnn eeee vv iiiii sss iiiii ttt oo u rr w eee b sss iiiii ttt eee T rrrr ii p U S A F rrrr aa n cc eeeee . cc oo mm B aa sss eee d iiiii nnn A rr l iiiii nnn g ttt oo nnn , vv aa E x p llllllll oooooo rrrrrr eeeeeee ttttt hh eeeeeee cccc uu llllllll ttttt uu rrrrrr eeeeeee , ttttt rrrrrr aaaaaaaa dd iiiii ttttt iiiii oooooo nnn ss aaaaaaaa nnn dd hh iiiii ss ttttt oooooo rrrrrr y oooooo f F rrrrrr aaaaaaaa nnn cccc eeeeeee llllllll iiiii kk eeeeeee aaaaaaaa llllllll oooooo cccc aaaaaaaa llllllll ... ... ... C aaaaa rrrrr eeeeeeee ffff uuuuu lllll lllll y ccc rrrrraaaaa ffff tttttttt eeeeeeee d ssssssss mmm aaaaa lllll lllll ----- gg rrrrr ooo uuuuu ppp tttttttt ooo uuuuu rrrrr ssssssss w iiii tttttttt hhh mmm uuuuu ssssssss tttttttt ----- ssssssss eeeeeeee eeeeeeee ssssssss iiii tttttttt eeeeeeee ssssssss , ooo ffff ffff ----- tttttttt hhh eeeeeeee ----- b eeeeeeee aaaaa tttttttt eeeeeeee nn ----- ppp aaaaa tttttttt hhh gg eeeeeeee mmm ssssssss & eeeeeeee xx ccc lllll uuuuu ssssssss iiii v eeeeeeee eeeeeeee xx ppp eeeeeeee rrrrr iiii eeeeeeee nn ccc eeeeeeee ssssssss . "" TT hhhhhhhh iiiiiiii ssssssss www aaaaaaaa ssssssss aaaaaaaa ffff aaaaaaaa bbb uuuuuu llllllle oooooooo uuuuuu ssssssss tttttttt oooooooo uuuuuu rrrrrrrr .... .... .... TT hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee yyyyyy pppppppi rrrrrrrr oooooooo vvva iiiiiiii dddddddd eeeeeeee dddddddd eeeeeeee xx cccccccc eeeeeeee pppppppi tttttttt iiiiiiii oooooooo nnnnnnnn aaaaaaaa llllllle cccccccc uuuuuu ssssssss tttttttt oooooooo mmmmmm eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr ssssssss eeeeeeee rrrrrrrr vvva iiiiiiii cccccccc eeeeeeee ffff oooooooo rrrrrrrr 9 dddddddd aaaaaaaa yyyyyy ssssssss !! TT hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee iiiiiiii tttttttt iiiiiiii nnnnnnnn eeeeeeee rrrrrrrraaaaaaaa rrrrrrrr yyyyyy www aaaaaaaa ssssssss j uuuuuu ssssssss tttttttt www hhhhhhhh aaaaaaaa tttttttt II www aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn tttttttt eeeeeeee dddddddd , aaaaaaaa nnnnnnnn dddddddd tttttttt hhhhhhhh eeeeeeee ssssssss mmmmmm aaaaaaaa llllllle llllllle g rrrrrrrr oooooooo uuuuuu pppppppi ssssssss iiiiiiii z eeeeeeee aaaaaaaa llllllle llllllle oooooooo www eeeeeeee dddddddd uuuuuu ssssssss tttttttt oooooooo aaaaaaaa llllllle llllllle bbb eeeeeeee cccccccc oooooooo mmmmmm eeeeeeee ffff aaaaaaaa ssssssss tttttttt ffff rrrrrrrr iiiiiiii eeeeeeee nnnnnnnn dddddddd ssssssss ...."" C GG R 22222 8 ,, A uu g uu s tt 22222 00 22222 33 piment d’Espelette and salt and pepper were added. When the frying pan had reached its optimum temperature, the knights poured in the egg mixtures and started stirring with huge wooden paddles (usually used for canoeing). As the giant cook off took place, and the frenetic activity hit a lull, I chatted to some of the volunteers; a couple from the brotherhood in Malmedy in Belgium took turns between helping to put slices of sourdough bread on hundreds of paper plates and holding their baby daughter; a lady from Quebec had come as the solo representative from the Canadian contingent to see old friends; and a retired GP from Fréjus explained to me that each of the world’s seven giant omelettes has its own flavour - in Provence, they use olive oil and add fines herbes. After half an hour, it was time to serve. A military operation saw the volunteers serve the omelette on to 6,000 plates which were quickly distributed with wooden forks to the spectators gathered around the square. I admit, I didn’t have too high hopes on the taste of the omelette, which is really scrambled eggs after all that stirring, but it was excellent. Incredibly tasty, warming and filling. I’d have gone in for seconds but after another half an hour the pan was almost empty. The crowds had had their fill and were now wandering off. I tracked down a chevalier to thank him for welcoming me into the arena, but first asked how they managed to make such a delicious omelette at this size. He reluctantly told me he thought that year’s omelette was a little lacking in salt, which floored me - they’d just cooked a 15,000-egg omelette, an incredible achievement in itself. But this was France, and flavour was everything. Find out more about the event at: omelettegeante.fr What makes a real salade niçoise? What type of cheese is officially France’s stinkiest? Why does the sandy carrot have such a superior flavour? And who exactly are the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette? Leading expert on French food and culture Carolyn Boyd shares the stories behind the country’s most fascinating foods and ingredients. Spanning every region of France and divided into 200 separate vignettes, each entry blends history and travel, personal anecdote and recipes. Amuse Bouche is a book to be devoured: a beautifully illustrated, joyous celebration of French food, and a charming, practical guide to inspire your own travels - whether you’re a proud Francophile or don’t know your ficelle from your flûte. Amuse Bouche is published by Profile Books, £18.99 Hardback and eBook. Available online and in bookshops. 88 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 89