Fruit Jellies

Quince, fig, apricot, raspberry: every fruit has its origin

All the fruit in our fruit jellies is grown in France, and each one carries its terroir. The quince paste from the Drôme Provençale, the most Provençal of them all, also comes as a generous slab to slice. Our fig paste from Provence contains 85% fruit, the apricot paste and the pear come from Haute-Provence, the raspberry from France and the blackcurrant from Burgundy. That is what sets a fine fruit jelly apart: the generous share given to the fruit, an origin you can name, and a hand-cut finish. As a bar, in a gold sleeve, in a pouch or in a gift box, the choice of flavour is yours.

Cooked in the cauldron, unchanged since the founding of the house

Our fruit jellies are made the time-honoured way in our workshop. To preserve all the fragrance of the fruit, it is gently heated and stirred in an open cauldron with fruit pectin and sugar. A light veil on the surface signals that the setting is under way: the paste is then poured into frames, left to rest overnight, and cut with metal cords before being rolled in sugar. The expertise of our confectioners brings out fruit of unique quality, and every gesture has been handed down since the confectionery was founded in 1920.

Fruit jelly: a delicacy with a very long history

If we chose to make fruit jellies, it is no accident. This delicacy, loved since childhood, is steeped in history and authenticity, in the image of the values we wish to pass on through the collections of Le Roy René.

In the West, fruit jelly appears in the Middle Ages, on the return from the Crusades, first in the form of what was called dry jam. Its origins are older still: in Antiquity, fruit was already being preserved with honey, boiled in large vessels. This candying method was refined century after century until the arrival of sugar, which made a smooth paste possible. The fruit was moulded and cut so as to keep all its flesh, which is why it was known as dry jam.

Fruit jelly as we know it is thought to date back to the 10th century, but its first official mention comes in the 15th century, in Clermont-Ferrand, under the name of pâtes d'Auvergne. It was at that region's initiative that a recipe was officially registered in 1947: a true pâte de fruits must contain between 67% and 100% fruit pulp. For decades, Auvergne was the iconic home of fruit jelly; today the Vaucluse has taken its place, and fruit jelly remains an iconic delicacy of the south of France. That is why, for Le Roy René, it was essential to use quince from the Drôme Provençale and figs from Provence.

Fruit jellies to give: gift boxes, sleeves and the Christmas table

In Provence, quince paste traditionally takes its place among the 13 desserts of the Christmas table, alongside calissons and nougats: find this tradition in our box of the 13 desserts of Provence. For gifting, the box of fruit jellies gathers our flavours in a collector metal tin, the gold sleeve makes an elegant present, and our gourmet gift boxes pair them with the house's other delights. The curious will also rediscover the famous pavé d'Anjou with Cointreau, cooked in the cauldron and guitar-cut.