Eating pompes, a traditional form of olive oil brioches, every day? In Provence, that would be like having galette des rois (a traditional French cake eaten only in January) year-round. Yet, on this April Sunday morning, the olive oil brioche was being passed from hand to hand at Carlotta With, a Marseille establishment opened in 2018 that serves as a lunch spot, bakery and deli counter. “Traditionally, pompe à huile is made by bakers only during the holiday season, as it’s one of the 13 desserts for the Provençal Christmas Eve,” explained founder Charlotte Crousillat. She turned this Christmas ritual into a breakfast and snack staple for residents of the (very) steep Vauban neighborhood, just steps from the Bonne Mère (the nickname for Marseille’s Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica).
Slightly flat, instantly recognizable for its cross-scored top and orange blossom aroma, the pompe (about €3.50 each) can be enjoyed on the spot or taken home in a basket. Some stick with the plain version, simply glazed with olive oil; others prefer more indulgent twists such as the doowap, packed with chocolate pieces, or the chichi, fried then rolled in sugar. “A creation inspired by the famous doughnuts from the beach huts of the nearby port of l’Estaque,” said the 34-year-old Marseillaise, who has been partnered since 2022 with her friend Clémentine Saussier. Together, they deliver about 100 classic pompes each week to the Sézane ready-to-wear boutique and are preparing to open a second location on the Corniche – naturally named “Pompe.”
The enthusiasm is such that nearly 200 brioches come out of the bakery each morning. The recipe: a simple blend of flour, sourdough, yeast, sugar, eggs, citrus zest and a distinctly fragrant orange blossom water. “Our trick for making the pompe even lighter is to work the dough with olive oil, a bit like making mayonnaise. We add it in a thin stream, little by little, dozens of times during kneading,” she said in front of a shiny, almost elastic dough. She also noted that pompe dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was made with the last dregs at the bottom of the vats at the time of the new olive harvest.
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