Cotignac d'Orléans is a sweetmeat which was invented in the Middle Ages by a pastry chef from Var who moved to Orleans. This thick quince jelly, greatly enjoyed by figures such as Louis XI or Francis I, was considered a luxury dish for a long time and was given to foreign ambassadors, especially under Louis XIV and Louis XV.
Very good on its own or with coffee, at all times of day, cotignacd'Orléansis traditionally sold in boxes adorned with a picture of the local heroine, Joan of Arc.