We are opening a new Fooding section with the presentation of legendary dishes or products that are part of the French or global gastronomic heritage. We start gently with a treat, Le Négus, created in Nevers during the Belle-Epoque.
Maison Grelier & Lyron, a candy maker established in Nevers (Burgundy) in 1893, had a tradition of creating a new candy each end of the year to which it gave the name of a significant event that took place during the past year.
In 1900, the official visit to France of the Emperor of Abyssinia Menelik II, nicknamed the Negus, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, inspired the artisan confectioners who created a soft chocolate caramel coated in cooked sugar, and whose brown color referred to the matte complexion of the sovereign. There is also a coffee version which bears the name Abyssin.
Maison Grelier & Lyron was bought by one of its workers in 1909 who renamed the confectionery La Maison Au Négus. Four generations succeeded one another and the House was bought in 2013 by the Ménard group, owner of the famous brand À La Mère de Famille. More than a century after its creation, the buyers strive to perpetuate the tradition and still make the little candy by hand in their workshops. This little national treasure is exported as far as Japan.
You can get the small green metal boxes in the remarkable original boutique with its neo-Moorish inspired decor, on La Mère de Famille e-shop or in their Parisian boutiques. The Négus is also distributed exclusively at Témoins in Caen, Au Duc de Morny in Deauville, Maison Pillon in Toulouse, Henriet on the Basque coast, Auzou in Normandy, Buissière in Limoges, Les Palets d'Or in Moulins and La Chocolatière in Tours.
Au Négus
96, rue François Mitterrand 58000 Nevers
aunegus
picture credit © au négus de nevers
