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By Kimberley Lovato

Very few places on the planet conjure up an image by mere mention of the name. Beverly Hills = Mansions and movie stars; Malibu = Surfing, Barbie; Paris = Romantic interludes under the Eiffel Tower with the accordion version of ‘La Vie En Rose’ as background music. But what about St. Tropez? I immediately flash back to my not-so-smart tanning days when I lathered on the Bain de Soleil (SPF 2) in hopes of obtaining the coveted “St. Tropez Tan” promised by those bronzed beauties and the dreamy song in the 1980’s TV commercial. And of course, St. Tropez brings to mind her most famed resident Brigitte Bardot. But what about the food?

Neighbour Marseille has her Bouillabaisse; Nice her Salade Niçoise; Provençe her Pastis, but did you know that St. Tropez, too, has a culinary claim to fame? It’s the Tarte Tropézienne.

This dessert is peculiar, more because of the story behind it than its ingredients, which are relatively simple: eggs, flour and powdered milk. To me, it looks like a custard hamburger. Two brioches (buns), sugar sprinkled on top (sesame seeds), and a thick layer of custard in between (beef). But don’t tell the people of St. Tropez I said that. There is a real mystique about LaTarte Tropézienne, and strong sense of protectionism about the ‘original’ versus the imitations, which are abundant around here.

La Tarte Tropezienne

During a visit to neighboring Sainte Maxime I noticed several stands in the market square selling Les Tartes Tropéziennes. At first I thought it was a gimmick. You know, fool the foreigner by giving the cake a chi-chi name, when really---it’s a custard hamburger. Tarte Tropézienne sounds much more enticing, non? The tartes are round, about the size of a dinner plate, but I saw smaller individual sizes too. To eat the tarte, you slice it like a pie. Do NOT pick it up like a sandwich and bite into it, or you might get expelled from France permanently.

After several sightings of the ubiquitous tarte, I decided to ask a waitress at a popular people watching café about the confection. She was insistent that we only buy ‘the original’. “You must not buy the copies,” she urged. Like contraband DVD’s from China, tarte piracy is a serious crime around here. She even went so far as to write down the name of the creator of La Tarte Tropézienne, Alexandre Micka. I was surprised she knew the name. I mean, do you know who created apple pie or bread pudding? But as is the case in Provençe, if you take the time to listen, or in my case translate with a dictionary, there is usually an interesting story to follow.

The original Tarte Tropezienne shop on Place des Lices in St. Tropez

Micka is not French (quelle horreur) but landed in Provençe from Poland after World War II. He brought with him some of his grandmother’s recipes, including one for her ‘cream cake’. Micka opened a bakery in St. Tropez, on the Places des Lices, where heated games of pétanque are played and where a wonderful weekly market takes place. Amongst the croissants, pizzas and other breads, Micka also sold his cream cakes from this shop. The cake was made from scratch and completely by hand, down to boiled sugar in copper cauldrons.

During this time, Micka was asked to cater for a film crew working in nearby Ramatuelle, on a film called “And God Created Woman” with then unknown actress Brigitte Bardot. His cream cakes were a hit, and Micka was asked to produce more and more each day. Rumor has it that it was Bardot herself who suggested Micka rename his dessert. ‘Custard Hamburger’ was NOT among her suggestions, by the way. She suggested ‘The Tarte of St. Tropez’, and voila, La Tarte Tropézienne was born. Whether or not the story is true, only Alexandre and Brigitte know for sure. But isn’t part of what makes food taste so good, the legend that surrounds it?

Over the past 50+ years, La Tarte Tropézienne has become not only the town’s most famous pastry, but also a chain of patisseries of the same name. The company kept the original process, and still makes La Tarte Tropézienne entirely by hand using only the freshest ingredients (plus some secret ingredients too, says another rumor). In 1985, Micka passed his business on to a manager, Albert Dufrêne, who bought the now famous name and recipe.

I finally tried my own Tarte Tropézienne. Of course I bought it from the shop on Place des Lices. It was delicious. Really. And not just because Brigitte was once here, but I do admit that was part of the allure. Now if I could just find my tube of Bain de Soleil.

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