Mirabelles de Lorraine

Appearance & taste

Mirabelles de Lorraine are round or oval fruits, yellow or golden yellow when fully ripe, small, with a diameter of more than 22 mm and a stone that comes away easily. Their sugar content averages 16 °Brix for dessert fruit and 15 °Brix for fruit for processing. According to the specification, they should be yellow and sweet, in contrast to the green and tart mirabelles of other regions. They are sold fresh or frozen, whole with or without the stone, or halved and stoned.

Production

The fruits come from clones of the varieties “Mirabelle de Nancy” and “Mirabelle de Metz”, which were entered in the official variety catalogue in 1961. The orchards have at most 400 trees per hectare, on soils with at least 30 % clay. Harvesting takes place at optimum ripeness within a short period of about six weeks between early August and mid-September.

Harvesting, sorting and grading take place in the area. Fresh fruit is also packed there because it is very delicate and can be crushed in transport; frozen fruit is stoned and frozen in the area. According to the specification, without freezing the mirabelles would only be available for two to three months a year.

Origin & history

In Lorraine plains, valleys and slopes known as “cuestas” alternate; the soils are clay-limestone. The winters are harsh, with frost often lasting into spring, and the summers relatively warm with dry spells. Rainfall averages about 750 mm a year, and up to 2,400 mm on the summits of the Vosges. The slopes protect the fruit from frost and wind, warm days and cold nights let it ripen, the sun gives it colour, and the clay soils store water for dry spells.

According to the specification, the mirabelle has been grown since the Middle Ages; the specification speaks of a growing tradition five centuries old. Mirabelle festivals are held in the last week of August in most municipalities of the region, and the fruit features in many recipes of Lorraine cuisine.