Think of Brittany, think of crêpes (pancakes). Think again. There is a richness of food flavours and varieties to suit every taste, and in some cases to deter even the strongest Anglo-Saxon stomach.
However let’s start with crêpes. There are two distinct types: the blé noir and the froment varieties which are savoury and sweet respectively. Blé noir is buckwheat, which is not wheat at all, and can be eaten by those with gluten allergies.

A bit of beer is sometimes added to the batter, as are eggs, but neither are compulsory. They are then cooked pancake style but a whole lot thinner – this takes some practice – and then served with saltbutter, another Breton delicacy.
In crêperies, they are re-cooked with a savoury filling, the classic being a slice of ham, an egg and grated cheese. The fillings for the sweet variety vary from ice-cream to banana, chocolate spread and crème de menthe!

Not quite porridge!
Parts of Brittany were very poor and the crêpe was a staple of everyday nutrition just eaten with butter. Another traditional dish you are unlikely to find in any restaurant is yod kerc’h, a form of bouillie d’avoine – an oat-based recipe, which starts out with oat flakes but all resemblance to porridge ends there. Traditionally, the preparation was very long. The oats were soaked the previous night, then the husks removed, and passed through a muslin cloth to drain off the remaining water, before being put to boil in a cauldron over the open fire for several hours, stirred all the while with a wooden stick that was kept just for this purpose. Sometimes it was also used as a rolling pin between times.

When cooked everyone gathered round the cauldron with their wooden spoon and tucked in, making a little well in their bit to add melted salt butter. What was left over dried out overnight and could be cut into slices and fried up – again in salt butter – the next day. This would often be washed down with laez ribot, a Breton variety of buttermilk. On holy days a glass of cider might be added.

If tempted to try it, yod kerc’h can be found in some rural supermarkets in the chilled goods section – it looks like a light brown brick. It’s not bad fried up and then rolled in a few sesame seeds. Being a coastal country, people living near the sea have made the most of the fish and sea-food.

Lobster, oysters, crabs and all the other shellfish are great value and really shouldn’t be missed. If you are squeamish about chopping up or cooking the wee beasties while they are still alive, leave your conscience in a jar by the front door of the gîte, go to a restaurant, order a plateau de fruits de mer and enjoy it with a bottle of muscadet.

Anyone arriving in Brittany via Roscoff will have noticed the fields of artichokes around the port.
These again were a staple of the Breton diet. While often eaten boiled with butter in the normal manner, there are also some more unusual regional recipes such as ‘Artichoke hearts with lambs brains’.

One pig = one andouille

And now, the andouille! This sausage-shaped delicacy has been described as the caviar of the Bretons. What exactly is an andouille? First take one pig. Remove the said pig’s intestines and wash them thoroughly. The preparation is rather long and delicate. They must then be salted, rinsed and soaked very carefully to remove excess salt, before being turned inside out and degreased, and then cut up into matching lengths and inserted one inside the other from the smallest out to the largest. Once this process is completed, the whole is smoked for several weeks and then cooked in water to which hay has been added for four or five hours. As soon as it has cooled, it can be eaten. It is usually served cold, sliced finely and served with vegetables or simply with bread and butter and a good glass of red wine.

Sweet things…
Apart from crêpes there are some really tasty desserts. Kouign amann (literally butter cake) is a little like lardy cake but without the raisins. Far breton is a sort of egg custard often cooked with prunes – much better than it sounds.

Brittany in general is famous for its caramel made with salt butter, and there are plenty of traditional sweets and biscuits to tempt the child in us, including niniches from the Quiberon area (hard toffee lollies that come in a variety of flavours).

… and favourite tipples
There are also some alcoholic delights such as chouchenn and cervoise. Although not strictly an exclusively Breton drink, it has become a speciality, cervoise being a sort of beer with honey added to the fermentation process. Chouchenn is a real Breton tipple made from water, yeast and honey, not dissimilar to mead. It slips down easily and after a glass or two, you can easily understand how the ancient Celts got so wrecked on it before going into battle.

For the stout-hearted there is lambig, a distilled cider. Often made by locals with a licence, the quality and the end result from one batch to another can vary greatly. Some is real firewater, but a good one is like liquid velvet, guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart after a brisk walk in a coastal gale. Who needs a baguette anyway?

Scallops in saffron sauce, mandolin vegetables
Noix de coquilles Saint-Jacques au safran, spaghettis de légumes
Serves 4: 16-20 scallops depending on the size.
Separate the coral from the scallop and put aside in a cool place. You can use the warm corals in a ginger and soy sauce salad later. Clean the scallops thoroughly to remove all traces of sand, taking care not to spoil them.

For the sauce:
10cl dry white wine
4cl white vinegar
1 coffee spoon of freshly ground pepper
1 bouquet garni with 1/2 laurel leaf, twig of thyme, a
few parsley stems
1 finely chopped shallot

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and reduce on low heat. The liquid must evaporate without the shallots colouring. Add 250gr of good quality thick cream and boil for 1 minute. Strain and press to extract as much liquid as possible. Add a pinch of saffron (powder form or pistils) and mix well. Cool immediately by placing the saucepan in a dish with ice cubes.

Prepare the vegetables:
Peel 2 large carrots and wash 2 courgettes.
Slice in spaghetti strips using a mandolin.
Blanche the carrots and cool immediately.
They must remain slightly firm. Mix them delicately with the courgette strips.
Fry gently in a little olive oil and season when ready to serve.
Take 100g of the sauce, bring to the boil adding 100g of butter.
At boiling point mix with a hand blender.
Check the seasoning and keep warm in a bain-marie.
Heat a non-stick pan with a drop of olive oil.
When it starts to smoke add the scallops and a small spoonful of butter.
Once browned, turn the scallops over once and remove from the heat.
The scallops will continue cooking in the warm pan.
Sprinkle with rock salt (Fleur de sel de Guérande) and Sechuan pepper.
Place 4 or 5 scallops on warm plates with the vegetable spaghetti in the centre.
Pour the sauce around the scallops.

Recipe provided by Le Gavrinis, restaurant in Baden