Originally a specialty of Reims in the Champagne region of France, pain d’épices (or spice bread) has now become firmly entrenched in French culinary life. As the story goes, the original pain d’épices traveled to France from as far as Vienna via the Mongols as a combat ration. In its simplest form pain d’épices is a dense cake made with rye flour, spices, and honey. As its popularity grew, so did the number of variations through the addition of different dried ingredients. The one modern variant that really enchanted us, because of its taste and versatility, was the pain d’épices with figs.

Perfect for that quick snack or for breakfast with butter, it travels well so take it camping or hiking. It is stunning as an accompaniment to a good blue on a cheese platter and its delicious with foie gras too!