Serr Knife

The Communal Bread Ovens Of Serre Chevalier

The communal bread oven features centrally in each Serre Chevalier village; many are still in use today.

The communal bread ovens occupy a key position in the rural villages of the Guisane Valley. They date back to mediaeval times when landlords were obliged to provide them for the villagers. However, most of the bread ovens in the valley were actually built between the 17th and 19th century by the villagers themselves. They are a simple design – often just one vaulted room with the oven at the back. Purely utilitarian, any ornamentation and intricate decor are unusual. The local bread ovens were used regularly until the middle of the 20th century. Life in the villages was poor and food was often scarce.

Bread was made every three weeks from Easter through to the end of the autumn. Winter made it difficult to collect enough wood for the ovens, so instead huge batches were made in the autumn and stored in the larders, separated by wooden slats to prevent mould from forming.

Two people would be appointed each year to be in charge of heating the ovens and cooking the breads. They were paid in bread and money. Sticks of wood were collected by the villagers, tied together and used for heating the ovens up. After 18 to 36 hours of pre-heating, the coals would be scraped out and the oven was ready to use. Each family would prepare their dough at home and bring their risen loaves directly to the oven. The local ovens vary in size. The most common sized oven takes about 80 loaves. The Monetier oven can fit up to 200 loaves at the time and was presumably used for the big autumn batches. The rye bread was easy to preserve due to the dry air conditions in the valley. Once it had dried, a sharp knife was used for cutting it, and it was then dipped in pea or bean soup. The bread ovens were a great place for catching up on the gossip, just like the water fountains and village fairs.

Today two hamlets, Le Bez and Villard-Late, stoke their ovens up once a year for the bread festival. The bread is sold to visitors and games are organised. The Chantemerle oven has been working regularly since 1976, where some dedicated locals gather once every three weeks to cook their bread according to ancient tradition. Their only concession to modernity is an electric mixer bought secondhand from a bakery.

In Monetier, the bread-oven has been used as a tourist attraction since 1996. Two batches will be made during the Christmas holidays. Anyone can come along and try bread-making, as well as sampling some local specialities, such as cabbage pie. In the February holidays, children are invited to muck in and help cook their tea. The Monetier association ‘Ie Quadrille du Tabuc’ finance their summer shows through a bread sale on Easter Day. The Monetier bread oven is also used for the village fete at the end of June as well as for one off charity events, making them as communal as ever.

Serre Chevalier is a fascinating place to visit in the winter or summer. As it is a busy ski resort in the winter, there does tend to be lots of apartments available for rent in the summer.

If you would like to be in the center of Serre Chevalier, have a look for Chantemerle apartments which is right next to the main ski lifts or the cable car which is used in the summer.

About the Author

Jane is based in Santa Monica, California, USA, but travels extensively throughout Europe. She enjoys, travel, history, skiing and snowboarding. She tries to combine the things she likes with her work, so I write articles about things I find interesting that I discover in my life.

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