Gingerbread
Mulot & Petitjean
13 Place Bossuet
Dijon
France
21000
Tel: 33 3 80 30 07 10
La Rose de Vergy
1 Rue de la Chouette
Dijon
France
21000
Tel: 33 3 80 61 42 22
contact@rosedevergy.com
Les Ruchers du Morvan
Port-de-l'Homme
Château-Chinon
France
58120
Tel: 33 3 86 78 02 43
Concierge.com's insider take:
Gingerbread (pain d'épice) is a specialty of Dijon, and connoisseurs agree that family-run Mulot & Petitjean, founded in 1796, bakes some of the tastiest examples of the spicy, honey-sweet treat. The original boutique in downtown Dijon—still with its 19th-century decor—sells everything from individually wrapped gingerbread bites to giant loaves. Near Dijon's Notre-Dame church, rival bakery La Rose de Vergy serves excellent coffee and tea along with gingerbread sweetened only with artisanal honey. But the most flavorful, wholesome, fluffy gingerbread of all—with a whopping 70 percent honey—isn't from Dijon. It's baked by organic honey-makers Dominique and Jean-Jacques Coppin and sold at their shop, Les Ruchers du Morvan, located on an isolated hillside in the Morvan regional park, near Château-Chinon. The Coppins' honeys, particularly the Fleurs Sauvages (guaranteed wildflower honey), are some of France's best.—David Downie
Mulot & Petitjean open daily 9:30 am to 7 pm, summer; Mondays through Fridays 9:30 am to 7 pm, the rest of the year. Additional shops are located at 1 Place Notre-Dame, 16 Rue de la Liberté, and 1 Place Carnot, Beaune.
La Rose de Vergy open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:30 am to 7 pm.
Les Ruchers du Morvan open daily 9 am to 7 pm (or by appointment) spring through fall; Mondays through Saturdays 9 am to 7 pm, winter.