The origin of Mirabelle plum remains a mystery: introduced by Saint Nicolas according to the legend, imported by the Romans during their occupation of Gaul, according to certain historians, by the Duke of Anjou in the 15th century, and by René II, according to others.
Either way, Lorraine has more than 10,000 hectares of orchards and produces 40,000 tonnes of Mirabelle plums annually, of which more than half comes from the Meurthe-et-Moselle.
The Mirabelle plum can be cooked in numerous ways: in tarts and jam primarily, but also in compotes, gratins, doughnuts, in syrup, candied or as fruit jelly. Not forgetting the famous brandy, of course, made using ancestral know-how.