Pomme Coquette du Conflent
Some people also call this apple ‘Spanish White’: it has a thick peel which does not shrivel, and is thus suitable to be conserved over time. This classic apple is very sweet and never acidic. The fruit has a flat, slightly asymmetric shape, with a brilliant yellow peel that can have shades of pink if exposed to the sun. These sensory qualities make the apples quite sought-after. The pulp is white with areas that verge towards green, is very consistent and sweet, not very juicy, and has a discreet and understated aroma.
This apple’s natural origin is in the Rotja Valley, Conflent – an ancient region of northern Catalonia, part of the Eastern Pyrenees department – but the coquette apple has adapted well to the nearby Têt valley and its tributaries, from the towns of Marquixanes to Olette. Cultivation developed following commercial exchanges with northern Africa, after World War II.
The orchards are cultivated in irrigated fields. This is a late blooming apple and thus, as it also conserves quite well, can be eaten until the period that cherries bloom. The most famous traditional recipe that uses this fruit is the Coquette Apple Cake.
Today there are only four or five active producers, two of whom (who have the most trees planted over the most area) are over 80 years old and have nobody to cultivate their orchards in the future. The estimated yearly production over the past few years is about 20 tons, whereas in 1950 it varied between 800 and 1,000. There are also a few isolated trees cultivated by amateur hobbyists.
Back to the archive >Sa région d’origine naturelle est la Vallée de la Rotja, mais la pomme coquette s’est bien adaptée dans la Vallée de la Têt et autour des affluents de Marquixanes à Olette, dans les Pyrénées Orientales. C’est une pomme dont la culture s’est développée lors des échanges commerciaux avec l’Afrique du Nord, après la guerre de 39-45.
Les vergers sont toujours établis sur des prés irrigués. Il s’agit d’une pomme tardive, ce qui renforce ses propriétés de conservation, et permet une consommation qui s’étend jusqu’à l’arrivée des premières cerises. La recette la plus connue utilisant cette variété est la tarte aux pommes.
Aujourd’hui il n’y a plus que 4 ou 5 producteurs, dont 2 (les plus importants en surfaces et arbres) sont octogénaires et sans repreneurs des vergers. Ces dernières années, la production annuelle est estimée à environ 20 tonnes, alors qu’en 1950 elle était de 800 à 1 000 tonnes. Il y a cependant encore des arbres isolés chez quelques particuliers.
