Tartine La Magnifique

Tartine La Magnifigue from the Languedoc

The Tartine La Magnifigue from Rue Traversette is a vegetarian spread made from 16 ingredients, ranging from sun-ripened tomato to fig, carrot, and turmeric. Fruity, spicy, and golden, it is one of the bestsellers from Stéphane’s conserverie in the Languedoc—and one that is hard to resist.

Tartine La Magnifigue from Rue Traversette is a fruity and spicy spread in which tomato, cucumber, onion, and carrot meet fig, apple, and a pinch of turmeric. There are a good dozen vegetables and fruits in the jar, including 5 percent figs for sweetness. The name is a pun: from "magnifique" (magnificent) and "figue" (fig) comes "La Magnifigue."

Fruity and sweet with a spicy edge

In the jar, the Tartine La Magnifigue glows golden yellow; the turmeric provides the color. It smells of ripe tomato, sweet fig, and a touch of spice—more like a compote than a ketchup—and stimulates the appetite the moment you open it. The texture is chunky; you can still distinguish the individual pieces of vegetable and fruit.

On bread, you first taste the fruitiness of tomato, fig, and apple, followed by onion, garlic, and a trace of caraway, which grounds everything in a savory way. Fruity, spicy, juicy, with a subtle sweetness that never becomes overpowering. A spread with many voices that combine to create a chorus, none of them too loud.

On bread, with fish, and with grilled dishes

As a vegetarian spread, the Tartine La Magnifigue belongs in our vegetable spreads and creams category and looks good on any slice of bread, preferably topped with a few slices of tomato or cucumber. This turns a simple sandwich into a little apéro in minutes.

With its fruity sweetness, it goes well with fried fish and tinned sardines, as well as grilled poultry and meat. A spoonful added to pasta, rice, or potatoes adds a fruity dimension. Next to the savory black olive cream on an appetizer board, it provides the fruity, bright note. A few arugula leaves on top, and it looks just like a bistro dish.

When guests come over, spread it on toasted baguette, place half a fresh fig or a hint of goat cheese on top, and you have an appetizer bite that tastes of the south.

A fig that snuck into the name

We met Stéphane over 15 years ago; he cooks his Tartine La Magnifigue in Saint-André-de-Sangonis in the Languedoc, which has been home to Rue Traversette since 2005.

The name is typical for him. "Magnifique" means magnificent, "figue" means fig, and because there are about 5 percent figs in the jar, the two words became "La Magnifigue," with a 'g' in the middle that defies every spellcheck—and that is exactly why it is there. Stéphane has been collecting such puns since 2011 in his series "L'esprit franchouillard," for which he thinks up new names every year. Previously, the same mixture went by the name "la méchante" (the mean one).

He started in 2005 on the Rue de la Traversette in the village of Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens, the very street that gives the brand its name to this day. Before that, he sold corks to local winemakers, and the packaging trade turned into a craft. The tiny workshop of the early days has long since become a conserverie, built in 2015, where a small team continues to cook in kettles. In June 2026, the Hérault Chamber of Trades and Crafts named him an "Entrepreneur responsable."

With a glass of rosé from the Languedoc

At room temperature, the Tartine La Magnifigue tastes rounder and fruitier than it does straight from the cold, so take the jar out of the fridge in good time. After opening, keep it refrigerated and consume within a few days. It is a lovely prelude to a glass of rosé or a dry white wine from the Languedoc. If you enjoy the fruity-spicy profile, try the other Tartines from Rue Traversette, from "en Provence" to "au Pays Basque."