Baking our Val d'Eygues Navettes with orange blossom

All about navettes

In Provence, if someone mentions Navette, don’t just think of a means of transport because it could be biscuits! Because it’s a fact... in Provence, if there is one iconic sweet specialty, it’s definitely the Navette!

A flagship treat of Provençal gastronomy, it is most often associated with Marseille since that’s where the recipe was born in 1781. A recipe made from wheat flour, sugar, egg, butter, and orange blossom water that has charmed lovers of traditional biscuits from generation to generation.

What is the origin of the Navette biscuit?

That’s the million-dollar question! There are two legends that have been told in Provence forever. The first says its story is linked to a wooden statue of the Virgin that supposedly washed ashore at the Old Port of Marseille around the end of the 13th century. Bringing protection, it is celebrated every Candlemas, on February 2nd, with delicious Navettes blessed by the city’s archbishop near the Abbey of Saint Victor.

The second legend tells that the Navette’s shape comes from a small boat representing the boat that brought the Saintes Maries to the shores of Provence 2,000 years ago.

Delicious Navettes from Provence

Navettes aren’t only made in Marseille! At Biscuiterie de Provence, we have our own recipe for orange blossom Navettes: the Val d'Eygues Navettes! Using the same original ingredients, we chose to use fine extra churned butter which gives them a slightly sandy texture. This unique texture, less crumbly, adds a lot of indulgence to the biscuit and appeals to both little and big sweet lovers... So, want to try some?