Very few places on the planet conjure up an image by mere mention of the name. Beverly Hills = mansions and movie stars. San Francisco = the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars. Paris = the Eiffel Tower. St Tropez?
I immediately remember my not-so-smart tanning days when they lathered on the Bain de Soleil (SPF 2) tanning oil in hopes of obtaining the coveted “Saint Tropez Tan” promised by the dreamy song in the 1980s television ad. And of course, Saint Tropez brings to mind beach parties and its most famed resident, Brigitte Bardot, zipping around the narrow streets on her vespa.
But can a place bring certain food to mind, too? Certainly in France! Marseilles has its Bouillabaisse, and Nice its Salade Niçoise, and Provence its Pastis (I know it’s a drink but go with me), but did you know that St. Tropez, too, has a culinary claim to fame? Say bonjour to La Tarte Tropézienne.
This dessert is intriguing, more so because of the story behind it than its ingredients, which are relatively basic: eggs, flour, and powdered milk. Quite simply, it looks like a custard hamburger. Two brioches (buns), sugar sprinkled on top (sesame seeds), and a thick layer of custard in between (beef). The tartes are round, about the size of a dinner plate, and to eat it you slice it like a pie. Under no circumstances should you pick it up like a hamburger or you may get expelled from France permanently.
There is a real sense of protectionism about the “original” versus the imitations, which are abundant. After several sightings of the ubiquitous tarte, a helpful waitress at an oft-frequented café offered this advice: “You must not buy the copies,” she insisted. “Only the original.” Like contraband DVDs from China, tarte piracy is a serious crime around here. She even went so far as to write down the name of its creator—Alexandre Micka. Surprising, to say the least, considering most of us (myself included) have no idea who created apple pie. But as is often the case in southern France, there is usually an interesting food related story to be heard over a chilled rosé.
Micka is not French (quelle horreur) but landed in France from Poland after World War II. He brought with him some of his grandmother’s recipes, including one for her cream cake. He opened a bakery on the famous Places des Lices, where heated games of pétanque take place under one hundred-year-old plane trees, and a wonderful Tuesday market takes place. Amongst the croissants, pastries, and other breads sold at his shop, Micka also sold these cream cakes. In the mid-fifties, Micka was asked to cater for a film crew working in nearby Ramatuelle, on a movie called, And God Created Woman with an unknown actress named Brigitte Bardot. His cakes were a hit, and Micka was asked to produce more and more of them for the demanding crew. Rumor has it that it was Bardot herself who suggested Micka rename his dessert. “Custard Hamburger” was NOT among her suggestions, by the way. She suggested, “The Tarte of Saint Tropez,” and voila-voila, La Tarte Tropézienne was born. Whether or not the story is true, only Micka and Bardot know for sure.
Over the past fifty-plus years, La Tarte Tropézienne has become the town’s most famous pastry, as well as a chain of patisseries of the same name. I recently bought my own Tarte Tropezienne. Of course I bought it from the shop on Places des Lices. It was delicious. Really. And not just because Brigitte was there, though I do admit that was part of the allure and the images I conjured up all those years ago of St. Tropez lived up to my expectations.
Now if only they only sold tubes of Bain de Soleil.
