It is well known that le marché (the market) is cheaper than le supermarché (the supermarket) and offers better and fresher products. But what is truly remarkable about French markets is their cultural role in French society. Faire son marché (to do one's marketing) is part of the French art de vivre (art of living). Shopping at a market means favoring quality over quantity. French people go to a market to taste and to smell and often buy only small quantities of food, enough for the next two meals or so.

French markets are usually découverts (open air), although in large cities there are a handful of marchés couverts (covered markets), otherwise known as les halles . A market actually called Les Halles used to be Paris's largest food market, where restaurant owners would shop for fresh products at the crack of dawn. No wonder that the neighborhood called Les Halles used to be called le ventre de Paris (the belly of Paris).

With its strong reliance on garlic, olive oil, and herbs, the cooking of Provence is very distinct from the rest of French cuisine. The same goes for Provençal markets. More than anywhere else, they are a feast for the senses. Provençal markets are also unique because of the Mediterranean joyfulness of its merchants and their unique eye-catching products.

The 4 fundamentals of la cuisine provençale :

• Tomates ( tomatoes )
• Ail ( garlic )
• Huile d'olive ( olive oil )
• Herbes de Provence (" herbs of Provence ")

Did you know that:

• Provence stretches from the Italian border in the east to Languedoc in the west?
• Provence's historic language is not French, but "Occitan"?
• Provence inherited the Roman legacy of olives, wheat, and wines?