Mirabelle plum

History and origin

The mirabelle plum, a fruit resulting from a probable cross between a plum tree and a blackthorn tree in Anatolia or northern Persia, is associated with Lorraine although it was introduced there in the Middle Ages as a royal gift. It was mentioned for the first time in 1569, when the inhabitants of Metz offered candied mirabelle plums to Charles IX and Catherine de Medici. Although present in Alsace, Haute-Saône and even in Quebec, Lorraine remains the world’s largest producer of this delicate fruit, emblematic of the region, appreciated for its sweetness and its rich flavors.

Variety and cultivation

The clay soil of Lorraine is ideal for the mirabelle plum, a small yellow plum with a layer of edible bloom. Two varieties dominate: the Metz mirabelle (small, orange-yellow, ripe in August) and the Nancy mirabelle (larger, orange-red, ripe in mid-August). The harvest is mechanical with sorting on site.

Did you know?

The decline of the Lorraine vineyard at the end of the 19th century resulted in an increase in the production of Mirabelle plums whose alcohol obtained by distillation could serve as a substitute for wine.