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Salut!
Welcome to Brittany. Located in the northwest corner of France, this region
is best known for an abundance of fresh seafood. And, like its neighbor,
Normandy, the fertile interior land provides copious amounts of fresh
vegetables, as well as delicious pork and beef.
The seafood here is the star of most recipes. Oysters
are eaten year-round – they come mostly from Cancale, Saint-Brieuc
and Morlaix on the English Channel coast, but are also harvested from
the Atlantic on the southern coast. The different harvesting locales lend
a different taste to each variety of oyster. Lobster and coquilles St.-Jacques
(sea scallops) are also harvested and eaten all year long. Monkfish, trout,
salmon, sardines and tuna are also plentiful here.
Brittany is France’s leading
producer of pork. Succulent lamb is also a regional specialty. Meat here
is generally prepared simply, with an assortment of locally grown vegetables
like artichokes, cauliflower, endives, leeks, carrots and potatoes. Charcuterie
is also a regional favorite, made from the locally raised pork.
Crêpes, or galettes, as they are called in this
region, are also popular fare. Galettes are similar in taste to an American
pancake, but are usually made to be paper thin. Traditionally a peasant’s
food, galettes were plainly eaten with butter or one egg. Now, as crêpes
have grown in popularity, there are many ways to prepare these simple
pancakes. Crêperies – small snack bars that serve crêpes
prepared any way you choose – are widespread around Brittany.
Recipe: Crêpes Fines Sucres (left)
click on photo for recipe
Recipe: Coquilles Saint-Jacques
with Beurre Blanc (right)
Site created by Katie Brandon: KateBrandon@yahoo.com