France is known for the richness of its gastronomy. There is gastronomic cuisine and traditional cuisine. Today you can discover the regional cuisine of Brittany in the Great West. We are your special envoy.
Abroad, we are considered as a great country of gastronomy (and we agree!). We think of great chefs, starred restaurants and the Michelin guide. But we forget to note that the great richness of our cuisine comes in part from the specialities of the various regions of France. In the north as well as in the south each region shines with delicious dishes.
Gastronomic cuisine is the advanced research of food, flavors, marriages of tastes with a refined and studied presentation. The traditional cuisine is a regional, local, terroir cuisine. This is the main difference between these two types of cuisine, and not the high prices of gastronomic dishes, as the bad tongues might say.
Today we devote our article to the Great West and more particularly to Brittany. We have chosen Brittany because it is an ancient coastal province whose traditional cuisine has not weakened over the years. On the contrary, new generations are taking up the torch and learning to cook the culinary specialities of their region. Brittany is famous for its rainy weather, sea air and salty pancakes. The inhabitants also speak a strange language: two in fact, Welsh (langue d'oïl) and Breton.
But we get lost, stay focused on their specialities.
The inventory of recipes
To take a tour of the Breton cuisine, we have decided to offer you a non-exhaustive inventory of dishes, desserts, drinks and cheeses from Brittany. So that during your next holidays in the Great West you will have no difficulty in tasting a new dish.
And you will surely succumb to the charm of Brittany, as they say there "Magit mad ho korf hoc'h ene a chomo pelloc'h e-barzh". In French, it means "Nourris bien ton corps, ton âme y aura plus longtemps! ». The tone is set.
The dishes
We are obliged to talk about the Breton pancake (with buckwheat flour) and sausage cakes (grilled pork sausage wrapped in a cold buckwheat pancake). It would be like forgetting to talk about a beef tartare or a goat brick in Paris. Then there are all the seafood dishes. Besides, we particularly like oysters, especially when they have been freshly picked by us.
Desserts
For dessert there is the Far Breton (the real Far Breton recipe has neither prunes nor grapes and even less apples, but we like the version with apples anyway) and the Breton puck that reminds us of the little cakes of our childhood. You know, the ones we shared with our whole class during the study! And don't forget the cupcakes. Did you know that its name comes from the four ingredients that make it: butter, eggs, flour and sugar? Now you know.
We're not just trying to make your mouth water, we're also trying to teach you things so you can impress your friends. Last but not least is the kouign-amann, a cake very rich in butter and sugar. In short, it is THE cake for gourmets. For the diet it will be another time.
Drinks
Impossible to go to Brittany without tasting the traditional tea called "Thé Breizh" with milk which is the pride of the region. Breton tea is made of black tea and salted butterscotch. And 100% Breton milk is Ribot milk.
In a fruity cocktail there is La Godinette. You'll mainly find the following fruits: blackcurrant, strawberry and grenadine syrup.
Our latest discovery is Chouchen, this alcoholic drink made from honey and apple juice will make your head spin. Beware, alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, so it should be consumed in moderation. We trust you!
Cold meats
We certainly don't teach you anything by talking about the "andouillette" or the "boudin". Of course you already know them. So are you more of a black pudding or a white pudding? We like both but as we have anemic colleagues in the team we give our voice to the black pudding, which is very rich in iron!
The cheeses
We're French, we love baguette as much as we love cheese. There are so many in the country that it's hard to know them all. We think of you all the same, we give you our top 5 cheeses of Brittany.
Montauban-de-Bretagne (made from cow's milk)
Saint-Agathon (with goat's milk)
Abbey of Timadeuc (with unpressed cow's milk)
Noyal (with pressed cow's milk)
Tome de Rhuys (raw milk with salt)
Some culinary anecdotes
We noted some common points among our Breton friends. Have you noticed that during the snack when they spread their bread baguette with hazelnut spread, they also add salted butter? To hear them we miss something not to imitate them. To tell you the truth, we're not sure we're adhering to this gourmet practice at La Rédac'.
Have you ever been to Brittany? Have you noticed that the Bretons always end their trip to the market with a sausage cake? This snack is a bit like our kebab chips. Remember to try a traditional sausage cake the next time you are in the region.
If you are tempted by one of these typical dishes, we suggest you try one of Katell's recipes.
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