Where does pastel blue come from?

Pastel blue is extracted from a plant with yellow flowers called pastel – I satisfactory – whose qualities were discovered in the 16th century in the Midi-Pyrinées region of France. Cultivated in Albi, Toulouse and Carcassonne, this herb made it possible to dye fabrics a deep and indelible blue color. Very soon, the merchants of the area, who exported it to the rest of Europe, became fabulously wealthy and began to build lavish palaces, such as those that are still preserved in Toulouse. This is how the myth of the Pays de Cocagne – the French expression for our "Land of Jauja"? Came to life , as the cake sheets were crushed and dried to form balls called cocagnes from which the color was extracted. Only five shades were obtained from pastel, ranging from nascent blue – the lightest – to hell blue – almost black. The arrival of indigo from America caused it to fall into disuse, since more tones could be extracted from it. Today, in the French town of Lectoure there is a workshop, unique in the world, in which pastel blue is still produced by hand.