Echalote d’Anjou

Echalote d'Anjou is a fresh shallot of the Alium cepa species grown in the French region of Maine-et-Loire, with its light clay and limestone soils and mild climate. The shallots are pink and the bulbs must be firm and compact, with no defects like scratches or bruises on the flesh.

It is slightly long in shape and the skin on the bulbs is delicate, thin and shiny with a yellow to copper color. The distinct, intense aromas, sharpness in smell and taste differentiate it from other similar products. The sharpness comes from the natural drying in the fields, so the aromas become more concentrated in the bulbs.

Because they are harvested by hand only when fully ripe, they have a long shelf-life of several months.