Le Jeu De Boules - The Game Of Boules

Le jeu de Boules (leh zhoo deh bool)

One of the most popular games played by more than 17 million people in France. Similar to Italian Bocce, I first found out about this version when I was watching the PBS version of "A Year In Provence", where an episode centered around a local match. As a competative game player, I would definately like to try this when I go to France.

Pétanque (pay tahnk) is the current form of boules played in France right now, where the goal is, while standing with the feet together in a small circle, to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (jack). The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass or other surfaces. Sandy beaches are not suitable.

The current form of the game originated in 1907 in La Ciotat, in Provence, in southern France. The name comes from Les Ped Tanco in the Provençal dialect of the Occitan language, meaning "feet together."