They are one of southern France's favourite treats. But the traditional almond calisson sweets from Aix-en-Provence may be about to get an unwanted Chinese makeover. To the horror of French candy connoisseurs, a businessman in the eastern province of Zhejiang has registered the trademarks "Calissons d'Aix" and "Kalisong", a distinctly Chinese rendering of the famous marzipan-like confectionary.
With such sweet French patisserie treats as macarons becoming fashionable in China, the makers of real French calissons fear they could be about to lose a potentially lucrative slice of the Chinese cake. "No calissons have yet be produced in China to our knowledge," said Laure Pierrisnard, boss of the biggest French maker, Roy Rene.