fèves

Fresh broad beans or fèves are one of the joys of early summer in France, but you can also find them dried or frozen in the shops. They are almost the same as féveroles or féverolles, although these are generally grown as animal feed.

A fève is also the little trinket the lucky person finds in their slice of galette des rois. Some people collect them; you can often buy some (along with albums of cartes téléphoniques from pre-mobile phone days) at vide greniers (communal ‘attic emptiers’).