We are dedicating a joint and comparative food review to Normandy and Brittany, because many tourists head west from Paris to Normandy, continue to Mont Saint-Michel on the border between the two regions, and from there west to Brittany. These are two completely different regions, in almost every possible aspect. While Normandy is “civilized,” its landscapes are “smooth,” and Brittany is home to plump cows grazing as its inhabitants, Brittany is relatively wild, like its cliff-top beaches above the raging ocean.
Historical background or the difference between Brittany and Normandy
While the Normans invaded England and defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings, they conquered and ruled the island, and even introduced their language, a kind of primitive French, to the Brittany peninsula, the tip of the France The land that stretches out into the ocean was invaded even before that, in the early Middle Ages, by Celts from England, Wales and Ireland, persecuted by the English monarchy at the time. They planted their own language there, which still exists – and is even undergoing a revival. On my first visit to Brittany, in the late 1960s, I answered in Hebrew to old peasant women dressed in black and wearing wooden clogs, who spoke to me in Breton: We had no common language, because they did not speak French…but intestinal stews also knew how to install!
In Brittany, and not in Britain, are the legends associated with the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin the Magician, and more. In Brittany, there are also the remains of a very ancient and almost completely unknown culture, which probably originated in the Middle East, with those first nomads in the history of mankind who set out to settle Europe: dolmens and minarets and burial caves. Dolmens, which can also be found in the Golan. A note to readers of Asterix, the huge series of French comics, several of whose books I have translated, which revives, around a Breton village, the Gallic-Druid heritage during the days of the Roman occupation, and connects it to the culture of the dolmens and minarets: historically, this combination is a myth.
The gastronomic differences between Brittany and Normandy
Even on the gastronomic level, the differences are substantial. Brittany is first and foremost maritime. The sea is of paramount importance in the lives of the inhabitants, their occupations and ethos, and in the richness of the spoils – oysters, for example, are a Breton specialty. In Normandy, they are an “import” from Brittany. It is true that Normandy also draws gastronomic resources from the sea, but it is more continental in its trends. Normandy cuisine is highly processed and sauced. In Breton cuisine, the leading product is eaten without any processing, and the fish undergoes minimal treatment. Anyone who travels for a few days in Normandy and enjoys its cuisine, which is rich in wonderful cream, butter and excellent cheeses, will not be harmed by a few days of lean Breton cuisine, based on wonderful fish and seafood, and excellent vegetables…
All ocean coasts live according to the rhythm of the tides. But in the bay of the island of Mont Saint-Michel, one of the leading sacred and tourist sites in Europe, the differences in level between high and low tide – 15 meters – are the largest in the world. 250 million cubic meters of water rise and fall twice a day, in a regular cycle linked to the moon. At low tide, the sheep go out to graze on the sea grass. They eat grass that is half-immersed in salt water, which gives their meat a pleasant saltiness. These sheep, called pre-sale, are a common gastronomic item in the regions.
A lot of similarities are found in the field of drinks (not all of them, of course). First, in the affirmative: cider (cider, in French), which is not sweet but bitter-sour, and high in alcohol. It is made from varieties of small apples, which is their main purpose. In Brittany, apple trees existed in prehistoric times, and the apple was considered the fruit of the entire region. Second, in the negative: neither are wine regions. Normandy is absolutely not (and it compensates itself, and all of us, with the help of the God of apples, the wonderful Calvados). As for Brittany, on its southern edges is the western end of the Loire wine belt. By the ocean, near the large port city Nantes, produce a very famous folk white wine, Muscade, which is considered an ideal accompaniment to Brittany's seafood. But the Muscade wine region only borders Brittany. Different localities in both regions are each identified with a unique product or an exclusive recipe, which bears the name of the locality. It is recommended to take an interest – and taste.
The gastronomy of Normandy
Normandy, a land of pastures and apple trees, is a region that can be described as “fertile.” The butter region, theCheeses The rich and creamy, the cider and the Calvados – both made from apples. Sea fish alongside river fish. Normandy has a correct image of a very gastronomic region. But anyone who looks at the ranking tables of the two leading guides in France, Michelin and Gommio, realizes, to his surprise, that the region does not have a top-level restaurant (3 stars and 19 or 18), and that the pinnacle is the Gill restaurant in the capital city of Rouen – two stars and 17.
From the tourist's perspective, this situation suggests a gastronomy that is, in the main, popular. That is, a restaurant that is rooted and not creative, and quite cheap. The first assumption is quite correct – the second, less so. This is because Normandy is close to Paris, and Parisians tend to visit it on weekends. Therefore, there are restaurants, many of them in luxurious hotels, that are almost as expensive as in Paris. Let's not forget that Normandy is home to the city of Kite. Deauville, one of the most prestigious resorts in Europe, with luxury hotels and a well-off crowd. The Normans themselves, including the villagers, the producers of Calvados, are well-off. And when there is money, the prices adjust themselves. But that doesn't mean that in the villages of Normandy, you won't find cheap restaurants.
The very rich cream is perhaps the most characteristic product of Normandy cuisine. It is the basis for most sauces. In this way, Normandy influenced the classic haute cuisine of France, which was rich in butter and cream. Based on these two basic products, veal (mainly escalope) and poultry – chickens and ducks, mainly – are prepared, which are the basis of the traditional cuisine of the region, alongside the famous sausage, the andouille, which is associated with the settlement of Vire – andouille, by the way, is a synonym for idiot…
Alongside sea fish, whose importance in Normandy cuisine is unquestionable, freshwater fish are also used a lot, sometimes marinated in cream and butter. Fine milk and age-old traditions are an exceptional recipe for cheesemaking. Normandy is synonymous with Camembert. There are several types of Camembert, from the industrial one produced in huge batches, with all that this implies, to the home-made rustic one. In between, you find various fine products from small dairies, sometimes from unpasteurized milk, and most importantly – not too salty. Normandy also has other well-known cheeses, especially Font L'Eau.
Calvados, the famous apple brandy, named after the region in which it is produced, is a type of drink that is equal in importance and international prestige to other leading regional products in France, such as cognac and armagnac. Calvados is produced both in several large factories and in distilleries in peasant homes, where you can taste and purchase a bottle, which will be a source of stories and pride, which will grow and strengthen over the years…
The gastronomy of Brittany
In terms of restaurants, Brittany differs from Normandy in that it has slightly more top-notch restaurants, primarily The House of Bricourt Olivier Rollenge, in the fishing town of Cancale in the northeast of the region. Two Michelin stars (the fish and seafood restaurant is one of the best in Europe). Brittany has several well-rated restaurants, chief among them L'Auberge Breton in La Roche-Bernard in the southeast of the region. But on the other hand, its simple restaurants are indeed popular and cheap – sometimes very cheap. Because Brittany is far from the center, tourism to it is more popular, it does not have luxury resort centers, its residents are mostly not well-off – and the range of restaurants and their prices adapt to the situation – and the somewhat ascetic nature of a people of seafarers.
Brittany's gastronomy is much less oily, seemingly poorer than that of Brittany - but it is based on the best products available: fish and seafood at their peak freshness, excellent vegetables, especially the horsef. Brittany is mostly oriented towards the sea. Along its long coasts are dozens of fishing ports. Some specialize in fishing in the distance, others in coastal waters and beyond. Fishing is its national ethos. When the men are at sea, the villages are "women's villages". What's more, fishing takes sacrifices every year, so the number of widows is large. A common image in Brittany mythology is the image of a group of women and children standing on the shore and waiting for the return of the long-awaited ship, with the owners, fathers, brothers, sons.
Another source of seafood are the lobster breeding ponds, and especially the various oyster colonies. And the “trees” planted near the shore, on which the black mussels grow. The Celtic heritage is expressed gastronomically in the honey wine, in the flavors of the large pumpkin, the salted butter, the dough made from black flour – and the chestnuts. These are continental flavors. Because Brittany is also an agricultural-continental region. And a relatively poor region. In agriculture, prices sometimes collapse due to the enormous purchasing power of wholesalers. It is not for nothing that the farmers of the region, and especially the growers of chard, which is the king, alongside cauliflower and potatoes, have repeatedly demonstrated, for decades, there and in Paris – blocking roads, dumping tons of produce in squares and intersections.
The second enemy, which harms the main wealth, is the so-called “black tide” – oil spills from tankers that make their way near the coast. Each such event is a regional ecological disaster, causing a mass mobilization of volunteers to clean the beaches and save animals. In terms of gastronomy, everything static, mainly, that is, oyster farming, is repeatedly affected.
The Balloon Queen
The oyster is the undisputed queen of Breton gastronomy. There are several varieties, each identified, like a good wine, with a growing region – Cancale, Ballon – or by shape. Oysters are usually enjoyed while they are still alive. There are oyster dishes, but they are useless in their sixties. The live oysters are served by the dozen, or on huge trays, including all sorts of side dishes, most of which are much less tasty, and which I always give up on – what’s more, eating them requires a lot of work: hard sea snails, which are extracted from their shells with pins, dozens of tiny shrimps, which have to be peeled one by one… not worth it. The main experience of oysters in Brittany is their incredible freshness. In certain towns, like Cancale, for example, at low tide, the oyster “deposits” near the shore are exposed, the growers “pick” them, and within fifteen minutes they can be consumed at kiosks by the water, at the cheapest price (since oysters are an expensive affair, especially in restaurants far from the sea – what’s more, the oysters there are much less fresh, due to the transport time!) In restaurants in Brittany, you eat oysters that were in the sea just two hours ago. It’s simply a dream.
Oysters can be bought at the port or market, taken to the beach, and eaten – with a bottle of cold white wine. Anyone can learn to open an oyster using a special knife, sold at any homewares store. Insert it at a defined point between the two parts of the shell, twist – and open. It is recommended to protect the other hand, which is holding the oyster, with a thick glove or cloth. Open carefully, in order to leave the water inside the shell. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the oyster from the root, hold the shell to your mouth, sip the water, absorb the aromas and flavors of the oyster, and launch it, with a little wine, down your throat. Some people first soak it in wine vinegar with shallots, or a few drops of lemon. In my opinion, this distorts the main flavor, the taste of the sea. Oysters are eaten with black bread with good butter (Breton, according to Celtic tradition, salty).
Rotten oysters cause stomach upset, sometimes very bad. There are rules that allow you to distinguish between a healthy oyster and a tired oyster. The former will shrink when you sprinkle a drop of lemon on it: a sign that it is alive. If it is dry, and there is no water with it, avoid it. If it stinks – stay away, of course. But the most dangerous oysters, the ones that cause severe jaundice, are difficult to locate, because they have no distinguishing marks. But this is rare. There are rules for transporting oysters and storing them. They are not within the reach of the tourist. Freshness is the main thing. Freezing and thawing are prohibited, and consumption should not be delayed: do not buy oysters at the port market, and drive with them in the car for half a day, until a lunch picnic somewhere else.
St. Jacques scallops, all kinds of crabs, from the most common to the expensive and prestigious lobster, and an amazing variety of fish, complete the delights of the sea – alongside seaweed dishes! By the way – “fishing by gathering” – that is, wandering along the vast beaches, abandoned by the sea for a few hours of low tide, while leaving behind gastronomic treasures in the sand and between the rocks – is a very popular activity and is permitted under certain conditions. However, it is dangerous: the tide is a malicious process, operating in circles, trapping the innocent traveler in currents of water and quicksand, and sweeping him away!
As in any poor rural area – and everything between the coastal strips, that is, most of Brittany, is a poor rural area – the pig is an important economic and gastronomic asset, all parts of which are used. Brittany has a tradition of pork delicacies, and especially, among the rural women, a deep affinity for intestinal dishes. Cider accompanies every meal, and especially crepes, savoury or sweet, which are the number one national dish of Brittany – and are also found in Normandy. A meal of crepes is the simplest and most satisfying way to eat well – and cheaply.
But the mythical drink of Brittany, loved by the Greeks, Romans and of course the Celts, is hydromel, from hydro, water, and mell, from miel – honey. The fermented “honey water” is honey wine or honey wine. It is said of a highly alcoholic hydromel that anyone who drinks enough of it suddenly falls backwards and falls asleep. This is true.