Sego and I are back on track exploring some of the markets we have not been to on the French side of the Riviera. This week we visited the Forville market in Cannes, a pretty suprising visit it was. We were expecting something a little smaller than the Cours Saleya market in Nice, and what we found was a charming and very professional covered market.
We found the place to be very down to business, no bells and whistles, serious market with local producers, produce resellers, and fresh local fish.
In the center aisle this week we met an amazing woman who sells fresh eggs of all varieties. She gave us many of the following tips on how to gauge the vendors who come here, and was super nice.
Local producers are located in the center aisle and best days to catch them are Friday through Sunday. Fall is a difficult season for locals because they are busy planting some crops for the following year. They can be easily identified because they usually sell only one or two specific products, in contrast to resellers who offer a whole host of products.
We also found some great cheeses, including these organic cheeses displayed with their own lighting system worthy of an old masters still life. In addition to these fancy cheeses were two vendors of local and regional goat cheeses of every imaginable sort: Tome, Fresh, Hard, Pasteurized, Blue…
There was an amazing seller of mushrooms from near and far. The prices were not as high as many other markets we have visited, although many did carry a hefty price tags (80 euros per kilo!!). We were excited to see the famous “trompettes de la mort” which we tasted recently at Clovis in their jaw-dropping foie gras.
In addition to the produce, there is a first class fish market of local catch. The day we came there were some beautiful Daurade Royal (Sea Bass) that was more than tempting.
Interms of local items we want to experiment with, we found local kaki fruit and squash all ready for some seasonal treatment!
If one sign of a good market is how hungry it makes you, then Forville market ranks up there with some of the best we have seen, I was munching on purchases before we left the building!
Location:
Marché de Forville, centre of the old city of Cannes
Parking:
Forville or Pantiere parking garages are reasonably priced and right next to the market
Opening hours:
5:30am to Midday, open every day except Mondays