Gourmet interview with Les Mirliflores
Gwenaëlle and Lisa, two friends who are very creative, combine heritage and gourmet taste in their biscuit-making. But not just any biscuits, those of our ancestors, made using forgotten recipes!
Much more than a history of the land
The two girls met while studying Heritage in Cahors, with the goal of working in castles or museums, creating tours and organising exhibitions. But we find them in an old farm, where they've been since 2017 making delicious biscuits.
"We thought that the biscuit would work well to tell the story of history via recipes from different eras. A biscuit company linked to historical pastries, that was our idea. For example, a few months ago, the Musée d’Orsay asked us to create three boxes based on the Impressionist painters Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir."
When History gets involved…
These two entrepreneurs began by making four test recipes that each came from a different period in history: the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 18th century and the First World War. But how did they find these recipes from these specific eras?
Historical research in the archives, looking at old books that had been republished or digitised, this was a large part of our work. We try to get as close as possible to the original recipe, but we always say that it is an interpretation because we don't have the same raw materials, nor the same equipment. For example, we've been looking for a Gallo-Roman recipe for a while, but at that time they only used oil because butter didn't exist, and they used honey instead of sugar. However, the biscuit doesn't last as long with those ingredients. It's a challenge!
Just a century away...
Today, Les Mirliflores offer five kinds of biscuits and a range of drinks that are also linked to history, as is explained on the product labels. Their recipes are often connected to discoveries, such as the 18th century one that, for example, tells of the origin of chocolate.
“Most of these recipes were aimed at people who were well-off, who could afford these products. The recipe from the Middle Ages comes from medicine. The biscuit was supposed to provide magnesium. The WWII recipe is for biscuits created by families to send to the men who were at war. These are among our favourites, flavoured with hazelnuts and orange blossom. There are also chocolate "minstens", which are like a mi-cuit marzipan. Then, there is a traditional crunchy macaron and a recipe with Toulouse violet, spices and almonds.” Yum, we just had to try them!
An exchange of goodwill with Mother Nature
With around 10,000 boxes of biscuits sold per year, the craft biscuit company Les Mirliflores has won over the hearts of those with a sweet tooth and a taste for history. Very attached to their roots and to local expertise, the two young women buy from local producers whenever they can.
We won prizes in the region, Tarn trophies in the "local produce" category.
Because when it comes to biscuits, you like to have a choice, you may as well try them all! With the "Historical Biscuits" pack, you will be able to taste 6 types of biscuits, all as delicious as each other. Cinnamon/almonds, violet, chocolate, hazelnut, orange blossom, combinations to make your mouth water.
Interview with the discoverers of lost recipes!
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