I will be taking the next 2 weeks off from blogging to take a long-overdue honeymoon.  Destination: the south of France.

Since France isn’t exactly the most celiac-friendly of destinations, in anticipation of my trip, I’ve done a little bit of research to help me eat my way safely through this bastion of regional culinary delights.  If ever you find yourself planning a similar trip, perhaps it will be of use to you, too:

• I downloaded the Gluten Free Passport: a nifty list of French phrases to help me communicate my “blé-free” dietary needs at a restaurant
• I discovered that local health food stores (“magasin bio”) are my best bet to find gluten-free baguettes (!) and crackers to serve as delivery vehicles for the region’s famous cheeses, honeys and confitures.  In fact, a google search for “magasin bio aix en provence”  turned up the names and addresses of multiple health food stores near the place we’ll be staying.
• Rather than dwell on all of the delicacies I’ll be missing out on, I compiled a list of gluten-free regional specialties that I plan to seek out.  These include:
  • Socca, a chickpea flatbread traditionally topped with savory deliciousness like anchovies and onions.  (Eat it along with me by trying out Mark Bittman’s recipe for it here)
  • Summer soups, like Soupe au pistou (vegetable soup with garlic/basil/olive oil) or bouillabaisse (seafood soup in a saffron broth that features locally-caught fish like red mullet (rouget), sea bass (loup), eels and all manner of shellfish … but I’ll have to pass on the toast that it’s traditionally served with)
  • Salads!  The Salade Niçoise originated in Nice, which was in the south of France last time I checked.  (But you certainly don’t need to visit France to enjoy one; here’s a classic recipe for the dish popularized by Julia Child herself.)
  • Calissons, a glazed, flourless-cake-like almond confection flavored with melon or orange that originated in Aix-en-Provence
  • And of course, the fish are locally caught, the lamb is locally-raised and grass-fed, the fruits and vegetables are all locally-grown and the herbs that flavor everything are literally grown in each restaurant’s backyard.  It’s long trip to make in order to be able to truly experience local cuisine, but I can’t wait…

I promise to take lots of food pictures and share some recipes upon my return.  But meanwhile, feel free to peruse the archives to visit some of my favorite posts until I’m back on the blogging circuit the week of 7/20:

• On a summer smoothie kick?  Learn about why adding some ground flaxseed into the mix is so beneficial.
• Check out this tasty recipe for Shakshouka, a light, healthy and vegetably Moroccan brunch dish
• If you’re eating more salads now that it’s summer, try topping yours with my grandma’s Salmon Croquette recipe for some extra protein and omega-3′s
• Have you moved your gym workout outdoors?  If so, try replacing the electrolytes you’re sweating away with Coconut Water, nature’s so-called sports drink

Related posts:

1. The Gluten-free Grammys
2. Not your mama’s (Gluten-free) Matzoh Balls