the essential
Anise bread was traditionally placed in churches during Nativity services. Blessed, it was offered to the unbaptized needy after mass: hence the expression “it’s blessed bread”. But it's over: the Christians of the Hautes-Pyrénées must go to the Gers to find independent bakers able to help them make this offering. Not for long: the tradition could be reborn, in Bigorre…
Pain anis or pain azyme ? The first disappeared from bakeries as the second gained market share in Hautes-Pyrénées.
It's not for lack of looking for it: it's impossible to find pain anis in Hautes-Pyrénées. However, this product was a staple of Christmas celebrations until the last century. In the 1970s in Notre-Dame-de-La-Sède: as soon as the pains anis from the baker of L'Isle-de-Noé (32) dropped off at the entrance to the cathedral, we turned on our heels towards the pastry shop on Boulevard Henri-IV. A good gesture to recognize the good heart of the priest, but we should not push it further.
“You must be one of the last witnesses of the tradition of blessed bread“, underlines Gérard Crozat. This deacon from the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes is the only one who was able to spontaneously enlighten us on the origin of the pain anisotherwise wrongly called pain azyme.
“As the Nativity celebrations approached, the bakers were invited to make anise bread. For whom, why? For the unbaptized who did not have the right to receive communion. Once this blessed bread (hence the expression), it was graciously offered to them in the Narthex of the cathedral or church. You can imagine that with this scent of anise, the unbaptized children had only one desire: to return to church.”
The tradition of blessed bread (with anise), for Christmas, has disappeared from the narthexes of the Hautes-Pyrénées. However, some Catholics still evoke it at Easter, speaking of pain azyme. “Confusion among Catholics is common. It is not uncommon to see people having breads blessed at Easter”, without any link with tradition or with the origin of the product.
Indeed, the blessing of matzo is a celebration of Jewish Passover. And the pain azyme is in no way comparable with the pain anis : this is a bread without yeast or leaven. Where can Catholics find them? To communion, since thehost is a pain azyme. As for anise bread (blessed) and its symbolism, it has disappeared from the kitchen, replaced by Bigourdan Christians by its ersatz: anise cake. Tastier, sweeter, more profitable for the bakers, and taken home for dessert: the needy should not get a taste for it.
“Starting next year, I’ll be producing some”
Vincent Laborde manages “Le Fournil de Saint Anne”, in Tarbes. The baker is also a sacristan at Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède. And he promises: “from next year, I will offer aniseed bread. The story is so beautiful, and a shame that it was lost. I can't wait to read your article. Immediately, I will get closer to the family Larroucau to find out how to relaunch aniseed bread at Christmas.
Child of a mobile gendarme in Mirande, Vincent Laborde was born and baptized in the sub-prefecture of Gers. “For me, the Larroucau bakery, in L'Isle-de-Noé, is an institution, my childhood. At their place, the torteau is on Sunday and no other day: it's impossible to deviate from it. I am happy that you are writing an article on aniseed bread. I can't wait to read it, and next year I will go and train at Larroucau (if he is willing) to revive the tradition in Tarbes.”
