Cooking France-Brittany

 Gastronomy

Galettes
Galettes are different from French crêpes, as buckwheat is used to make them and they are eaten savoury, whereas crêpes are made with wheat flour and are sweet. The galette is a staple food which can be eaten with almost anthing inside it. The 'galette complète' is traditionally made with egg, ham and cheese, but numerous other ingredients can be added to them or replace them such as andouille sausage, smoked bacon, goat's cheese, salmon, tomatoes etc.

Crêpes
Europeans have been enjoying Crêpes since the fourteeth century. A text, dating back to 1390 mentions the recipe of the famous crêpes made with wheat flour, egg, salt, water and wine. The wheat-flour based crêpe is eaten sweet, just like we would eat pancakes in the UK. Crêpes can be eaten with jam, sugar, salted butter, maple syrup, or salted butter fudge, etc.

Shellfish
Brittany is renowned for its maritime tradition and is the leading fishing region in France. The abundance of sea products allows for a rich and varied gastronomy. Visitors here are spoiled for choice! From fresh scampi and lobsters from Finistère, scallop and cuttlefish from Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Malo, spider crabs from Paimpol, crab from Morlaix, and even clams, whelks and winkles, you'll have difficulty choosing what to taste first!

Among these products, two regional delicacies which must not be overlooked are oysters and mussels.

Oysters
There are 12 'Grand Crus', or specialities, in Brittany. The most well-known are the 'morlaisienne' for its tender flesh, the iodised and fleshy 'paimpolaise', the 'creuse' from Cancale, the hazelnut flavored ?plate' from Bélon and the 'fine de claire'.

Mussels
The main type of mussel breeding in Brittany is the 'bouchot'. An alignment of oak wood stakes measuring between 13 ft and 19 ft high forms the beds the mussels are bred in. The mussel farming centres are located in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Cast-Le-Guildo and Paimpol.

This abundance in variety enables restaurant owners to offer a host of delicious recipes, such as Breton spider crabs, Armorican lobster, and seafood omelettes.

Fish
Waiting for the fishermen's return and choosing your fish at an auction is one of the many pleasures that Brittany has to offer. This morning outing will make you realise how rich the waters surrounding Brittany really are. Mackerel, sardines, hake, monkfish, tuna, sole, red mullet or turbot, whether used as the basis of an elaborate recipe (cotriade, a sort of local bouillabaisse [fish soup], daurade à la Brestoise, seafood choucroute) or cooked, more simply, in butter the fish will not fail to deliver an array of fresh flavours.

Meat and cold cooked meats
The meat in Brittany seems to be a lot less diverse than its water-bred counterparts. However, due to the traditional breeding of pork in particular, the choice remains quite wide, this local product serves as the basis for numerous cold cooked specialties: pâté, rillettes, saucisson, black pudding and tripe.

Some other specialities that should not be snubbed are pre-salted lamb from Mont Saint-Michel, the 'poule coucou' from Rennes, and the andouille sausage from Guémené (smoked and soft).

Fruit and vegetables
Due to the market garden areas which produce fruit and vegetables of high quality, Brittany is one of the leading French agricultural regions. The Saint-Méloir area, which is very fertile, is reputed for its garlic, carrots and asparagus. That of the 'golden belt' in Léonard, with its great market garden tradition, produces Roscoff pink onions, cauliflower, artichoke and Iroise potatoes.

The kig ha farz or far en sac
This is the traditional recipe of the Breton peasants. The recipe is simple, and composed of cut up vegetables, pieces of pork meat and 'far' dough. The particularity of this dish lies in the fact that the dough is placed into a cloth sack and plunged into water to conserve its consistency.

'Far', Breton cake and kouign aman
'Far' is a sort of pancake dough flavoured with cider from grape skins and cinnamon, cooked in an oven dish. You can add raisins or apricots to it. However, authentic 'Far Breton' is made with prunes.

Breton cake
This butter-based, compact cake can be conserved for weeks. It can also be eaten with jam or chocolate.

Kouign Aman
Flour, butter and sugar, that's all you need to make the king of Breton desserts. It is not very healthy of course, but that doesn't make it any less of a delight for your taste buds! To make the Kouign Aman, however, is far from easy. It almost entirely depends on the way in which you fold the dough to obtain the puff pastry layers.

Beer, cider and chouchen
Beer: although the cervoise, its ancestor, is supposed to have a very bitter taste, this is no longer the case for the beer today. For centuries, Brittany has cherished this drink, and these days many houses are producing their own beers, like the Brasserie des Deux Rivières at Morlaix which draws up its beer (la Coreff) by hand and not under pressure.

Cider
Cider is the most celebrated of Breton drinks. Whether dry (the most alcoholic), half-dry, near dry (ideal for crêpes) or sweet, cider is the ideal companion for crêpe parties and typical Breton meals. The most renowned drink of all comes from Fouesnant.

The chouchen
Known as the drink of the Gods and the God of all alcohols. Made from honey, this sweet drink is as much a pre-dinner drink as an after-dinner one. Although sweet and voluptuous, it is to be consumed with moderation, or don't expect to be standing up very long!