Normandy is one of the most popular regions among Israeli tourists, thanks to its rich history, cuisine, and scenery. The goal of this article is to give you, who are interested in visiting this region, a little historical and culinary background, which will enhance your trip and serve as an introduction to the Normandy itinerary, which I will provide you with later.
The history of Normandy
The Vikings create the Normandy region and then…conquer England
In the ancient languages of Europe – Latin, Celtic and others – the meaning of the name NOR-MAN, even if it appears in different transcriptions, is one – “Northern People”. This is the name that the inhabitants of Europe gave to the Viking warriors who invaded the continent by sea and river during the 9th century AD.
The Viking ruler (Rollo 846-930) who invaded the coast France From the north, he was the first to succeed in taking control of almost all of northern France and turning it into a single entity under his rule, after conquering the city of Rouen in 876. He relied on the rule of the King of France and in exchange for his agreement to convert to Christianity and his oath to the French crown, he maintained extensive autonomy, the name of which was derived from the name of the people, “the people of the north” – Normandy (Normandy).
Rollo established a royal dynasty and one of his descendants, “William the Conqueror” (1027-1087), conquered the British Isles after a crushing victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and crowned himself King of England, also controlling part of France.
In 1204, the French king Philip II, known as “Augustus” (2-1165), managed to reconquer the region and the King of England recognized French rule in Normandy. In effect, the province of Normandy returned to the bosom of the French crown, forever. During and after the Middle Ages, the region was a point of contention between the English and the French, mainly over its agricultural wealth and control of the sea, the English Channel, which the French call “La Manche,” “the sleeve,” due to its shape.
The Francophile's Note: France did indeed gain all of Normandy in 1204, except the Channel Islands of Jersey and the island of GuernseyThe reason for this was a mistake by a lawyer, who drafted the peace treaty between the King of England and the King of France and forgot to include the islands in it. As a result, these islands belong to the British Crown to this day and the Queen of England rules them as the Duchess of Normandy (yes, I was not mistaken, since according to the laws of the Duchy of Normandy, it can only be ruled by a Duke, so a woman also receives this title).
The Middle Ages: Basilicas, Cathedrals and Joan of Arc
The Normandy region continued to flourish under the rule of the French kings, who built castles to protect against the English and other invaders, towns and villages. However, the most important buildings we will encounter during our trip to Normandy are the religious buildings (churches, basilicas, cathedrals, etc.) and it is worth pausing and saying a few words about them.
What is the difference between a cathedral, a church, a basilica and a chapel?
In the Christian world, there are many churches, and you will often find many churches in one city (in Judaism, too, there are many synagogues in one locality – by denomination, by family, donations for an event, and other such reasons. The phenomenon is similar in all religions – in Islam, Buddhism, and more).
The church – a house of prayer – is neighborhood, communal, it commemorates a particular event or donation and, in fact, almost any good reason for establishing a church, as a place of religious worship. In contrast, with few exceptions, every large city has only one cathedral. The name is derived from the Latin word “cathedral” which means “seat”, because in this city the bishop – the one and only – representative of the Catholic Church in the district sat and served. From here the word evolved and became “cathedral” to indicate the bishop’s seat.
The basilica is a church in every sense of the word, and the special name is intended to indicate that a unique and special sacred item is kept in its basements (“relic” – a thorn from Jesus’ crown, a nail, or a piece of wood from the cross, etc.). There are a few basilicas that have received special permission from the Pope to boast this name for a special reason (a special service they have rendered to the Catholic Church).
In contrast, a chapel – originally – is a church inside a residence, meaning a single room in a house designated for prayers. The custom developed during the era of castles and palaces when the owners of the castle avoided the crowds of commoners and preferred a “private” church instead of their residence. Over the years, this name has also been accepted for a designated prayer room inside a church, usually in a rounded niche that protrudes from the body of the church itself.
Having clarified this, we can continue along the paths of Normandy's history.
Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War
After a little over a century in which the Duchy of Normandy was part of the Kingdom of France, a war of succession broke out between King Philip VI of France and King Edward III of England. During this war, Normandy passed from hand to hand and for quite a few years was ruled by the English.
The most famous figure of that period is, of course, Joan of Arc, who managed to change the course of the war but ended up being burned at the stake in the city of Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region.
If you would like to delve deeper and read about Joan of Arc and the history of the Hundred Years' War, I recommend you read the article Joan of Arc – Witch or Saint?
World War II and the Allied landings in 2
In June 1940, Adolf Hitler completed the conquest of France. Together with Franco in Spain and Mussolini in Italy, who joined him, the Nazi Party took control of the entire European continent. Of course, there remained pockets of resistance of crushed regular armies, of partisans in the forests, and the work of exterminating unwanted and impure peoples (Gypsies, LGBT people, Jews, etc.) was still not completed, but his continent.
On the other hand, the “Allies”, the armies of the free countries, continued their struggle and attempt to overthrow and destroy the dark evil rule. In May 1943, a secret meeting (the “Trident” Conference) was held in Washington between the heads of state involved in the Western Front – Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Franklin Roosevelt, President of the United States, along with senior officers of both armies.
Three issues were on the agenda - opening a new front in Italy, after the victory in North Africa and with the planning of the invasion of Sicily, planning to assist China in its struggle against the Japanese army in the Pacific and East Asia, and preparations for a decisive invasion of Europe, most likely on the beaches of Normandy.
At the leaders' farewell on May 25, 1943, the operational framework was agreed upon. Operation Overlord was declared the invasion of Europe and the establishment of a combat bridgehead on the occupied continent in May 1944. Operation Neptune was defined as an operation in its own right – planning the invasion of the English Channel, on the northern coast of Normandy.
Operation Neptune consisted of 3 parts.
- Crossing the English Channel at night using thousands of vessels to reach the shore at dawn.
- British and American paratroopers were dropped behind German positions on the beaches of Normandy to help divert German attention from the beaches themselves.
- Aerial bombing of German industrial centers and fortified areas to weaken them on the one hand, and to mislead and convince that the invasion is planned for the northern coast of France.
On June 6, 1944 (after a month's delay due to stormy weather in the Channel), the Allies invaded occupied continental Europe on the beaches of Normandy. The invasion, known as "D-Day" (and well depicted in the immortal film "The Longest Day"), took place in 5 bridgeheads, in 5 different areas on the Normandy beaches:
- Sword Beach in the East (Ouistreham area)
- Juno Beach (Ver-sur-Mer area)
- Gold Beach (Arromanches-les-Bains area)
- Omaha Beach (St.-Laurent area) and Utah Beach in the west (St.-Martin-de-Varreville area).
After fierce battles in all sectors, events and stories that have been forever etched in human history, the Allied forces advanced and first conquered Normandy and then all of France (the German force stationed in Paris surrendered on August 25, 1944). Nazi Germany saw its end approaching, until it surrendered to Soviet forces in the east on May 2, 1945 – German General Weidling, the military commander of Berlin, ordered his forces to lay down their arms before Russian General Vasily Chuikov.
If you would like to read more about the Allied invasion of Normandy, you are welcome to read Danny Ashkenazi's article. D-Day: Operations Fortitude and Overlord.
Today, Normandy is an integral part of the French Republic, unlikeBrittany region, the neighbor to the west, which aspires to independence, but is content – with no choice – with partial autonomy.
Normandy region – what is there in it?
Normandy has always been a predominantly agricultural region. It has several medium-sized cities – the capital Rouen as well as Caen, Le Havre, Lisieux and more, but the bulk of its population, about 3.5 million inhabitants – live in small rural towns or villages.
Today, the economy of the Normandy region is very diverse – energy, electronics, textiles, and more, but, without a doubt, the two most prominent industries are tourism and agriculture.
Tourism
Sea tourism, landscape tourism and commemorative tourism are the leading types of tourism in the region. Despite the passing of time, the invasion beaches of World War II are still a magnet for thousands of tourists. The beaches and port towns along the English Channel only compete with each other for the number of visitors, and the sites and landscapes throughout the region are considered beautiful and attractive. Part of the area, which is covered with hills and beautiful landscapes, is called (“Suisse Normande” or “Norman Switzerland”).
agriculture
The region is considered the “dairy of France.” Only Israeli cows exceed those of Normandy in milk production, and milk production here accounts for 35% of the entire agricultural industry in the region. The abundance of milk has created an ancient tradition in the region of diverse produce – cream, butter, and countless cheeses on store shelves that can confuse any tourist (France produces about 1,000 different cheeses).
Fishing is also abundant in an area where the sea is not really far from any settlement. The combination of raw materials from the sea with dairy farming, and with imagination and creativity cultivated over centuries, has brought French cuisine to gastronomic heights that have no rivals in the entire world – cooking with butter and cream has long become a symbol of rich (and fattening) French cooking.
Intermediate note (important): Appellation d'Origine Controlee
The French agricultural industry is very rich and diverse. It is fully regulated and supervised, and includes several sectors that have detailed laws and regulations that define who and what product is allowed to be called by one name or another.
For example, not all brandy produced in any place may be called “Cognac,” but only brandy produced in the region of that name. Similarly, not all sparkling wine may be called “Champagne,” but only those produced in the Champagne region.
These laws, called in French “Appellation d'Origine Controlee” (“Controlled Designation of Origin”, giving an original name to a product, under supervision), were defined at the end of the 19th century and were initially intended for the wine industry. The framework and idea were quickly adopted for other product areas as well. Thus, there are such laws for cheeses, meat and sausage, hot red pepper, lavender perfume, honey and more.
Over the years, other European countries have adopted the idea and method. From this you can understand that comparing “Brie” cheese with “Pont l'Eveque”, “Picodon”, “Boursin” or “Reblochon” is a sin and a crime and a serious insult to everything sacred to the French. But there is no choice, we must explain this to tourists who grew up only on “Cheese "White" and "Yellow Cheese", or they don't eat cheese at all.
The apples of Normandy
What do we do with so many apples?
Amidst all this agriculture, the area developed a branch of deciduous fruit growing – plums, peaches, pears and especially… apples, the cultivation of which has been known here since the time of the Celtic tribes – in the Normandy region alone, about 700 varieties of apples are known, and several thousand in all of France.
The region produces about 330,000 tons of apples each year, about half of all the apples produced in France. In addition to “normal” foods – cakes, jams, stews – the French have managed to develop (and drink) two drinks made purely from apples in the region. “Cidre” (pronounced sidr) is juice from pressed apples that has undergone a fermentation process, similar to wine, in which some of the fruit’s sugar is converted into alcohol.
The “soft” cider contains up to 3% alcohol and is delicate, sweet and not spicy. The “semi-dry” cider contains 3-5% alcohol. Cidre Brut (“wild cider”, raw, not processed to contain alcohol) contains over 4.5% alcohol and some even reach up to 7%. In the next stage of distilling the apple drink, Calvados (“Calvados”. The French say “Calva” for short). This is an apple brandy that has been produced in the region since the mid-16th century (it was first mentioned in writing in 1553).
The drink is made from good quality cider to which up to 200 different types of apples have been added, to diversify and refine its flavor – like the winemaker in the winery, and here too the producer is called Maitre de Chai (“Master of the Barrels”). Calvados is distilled and aged in oak barrels for at least two years, until a chestnut-colored drink (like cognac) is obtained with an alcohol concentration of 40-50%. You can find bottles of Calvados that are 15, 20, 30 years old and even more. Very strict laws apply to the production and marketing of the drink, similar to wine, champagne and cognac.
Little stories about lots of apples
“Norman Hole”, Trou Normand
Normandy culture is influenced and immersed entirely in apples, and especially in the popular drink Calvados. Along with the rich and heavy cuisine (butter, cream. Did we mention?) typical of the region, the custom of the “middle drink” (Coup du Milieu) developed here – and spread throughout France.
To ease a stomach ache during a rich and multi-course meal (a festive meal in France can contain up to 7 courses: starter, fish, soup, meat, green salad, cheese, dessert), it is customary to serve a small glass of a strong alcoholic beverage after the meat course to “cleanse” the stomach and intestines… Naturally, in Normandy they serve a glass of Calva.
Over the years, a small bowl of fruit sorbet (a light ice cream based on water, instead of cream) was added to the drink. Historians and gastronomes claim that this custom, the Trou Normand, is documented under another name, as early as the poems of the Roman poet Terence, who lived in Rome in the 1st century BC, but probably still without the ice cream….
Tarte Tatin
Everyone knows and loves the upside-down apple tart (Tarte = baked cake, French), which many attribute to Norman cuisine (apples, right?!). Few know its origin, when and how it was created? A story that was, so it was….
Between 1894 and 1906, Caroline Tatin ran a family hotel (“Hotel Tatin”), with her younger sister, Stephanie, in the small town of Lamotte-Beuvron, about 50 km south of the city of Orleans and about 200 km south of ParisCarolyn for management and service and Stephanie for the kitchen….
One Sunday, the first day of the hunting season in the area's forests, due to the busyness of the hotel restaurant, Stephanie forgot the dough and put a baking pan full of apple slices covered in a layer of sugar into the oven, without the dough base needed for the cake. After baking at the appointed time, Stephanie took the cake out of the oven and her face fell at the sight of the apple pan decorated with a layer of sugar that had melted and turned into brown caramel. However, an idea immediately struck her and she covered the cake with the forgotten layer of dough, returned it to the oven for a few minutes and then the cake became a serving plate... The famous tarte tatin was born!
Well, the truth is that the story is a bit different. Among the many hunters who came to the area for the opening of the season was restaurateur Louis Vaudable, owner of the famous Café Maxim's in Paris. As someone familiar with the restaurant business, he struck up a conversation with Stephanie, the chef at the hotel where he was staying, and she told him about a traditional apple cake, typical of the Sologne region (south of the Loire River), that has been baked upside down for many generations.
The story is nice and contributed to the publicity and distribution of the cake throughout France, but the truth is still different (yes, the truth has many faces…).
Louis Vaudable did indeed go on a hunting trip in the Sologne region at the beginning of the 20th century and stayed for several nights at the Tatin sisters' family hotel. As dessert for his hotel meal, he received a slice of the delicious cake – and as a restaurateur, he asked for the recipe to introduce it to his famous establishment in the capital. He was politely refused.
Back in Paris, he sent one of his chefs to the small village on a mission: to get a job at the hotel, spy on Stephanie, the hotel chef, and return with the secret recipe. The Parisian chef was hired as a gardener at the hotel, befriended Stephanie, and successfully completed his mission. Upon his return to Paris, the cake was added to the menu of the famous restaurant. To the owner’s credit, he maintained the sisters’ respect, and the cake was officially named “Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin” (“The Cake of the Misses Tatin”).
In conclusion, the cake most associated with Normandy actually originates from the region. Loire valley....
The Hotel Tatin, in the village of Lamotte-Beuvron – still exists and operates today. You can take a look at its website viaLink this.
Thanks for all the information about Normandy. So what now?
That's it, we've finished the historical and culinary background of Normandy. What's next? Now that you have the necessary knowledge, you are welcome to enter the article 3 hiking trails in Normandy and places not to be missed Choose the route that suits you best and start planning your trip.