New Gourmet Food Line from Versailles

Travelers to France know that the best gifts to bring home are of the gourmet variety. Tea from Mariage Frères, artisanal chocolates from Jean-Paul Hévin, macarons from Pierre Hermé… Not to mention the pretty packaged treats at Fauchon and Hédiard. (Forget the long-haul flight; some friends even stock up on buttery croissants from boulangeries where the bakers are Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.)

Now we’ve learned of a new gourmet food line that’s sure to elicit a string of effusive mercis. None other than the Palace of Versailles (yes, that royal playground) has unveiled a high-end food brand that’s supposed to reflect the tastes of Louis XIV, the monarch famous for—among other things—his garden laboratory where jardiniers experimented with horticulture to appease a hedonistic palate.

Products from the label, called Château de Versailles Epicerie Fine, include jam, soup, foie gras, pickled vegetables, candy, and chutney.

The coolest part of all: The chateau is working with the company Oh! Légumes Oubliés (“Oh! Forgotten Vegetables”) to source local and organic produce.