France
10 of the Best Traditional Foods from Brittany
Characterised by its Celtic heritage and native ingredients, Brittany’s culinary identity is distinct from the rest of France. Here’s our pick of the best food from Brittany.
Brittany is a region with an ancient Celtic culture and language. Its traditional gastronomy relies heavily on the sea, with an abundance of fresh fish and seafood freshly pulled from pristine Atlantic waters. Equally important is the region’s fertile agricultural heartlands, fed by the warm, humid maritime climate and supporting flourishing dairy farms – source of the famously salted Breton butter – fruit orchards and vegetable gardens. Traditional food from Brittany includes savoury buckwheat galettes (pancakes), luscious piles of oysters and chocolate-smothered crêpes to please all the family. Let’s tuck into the irresistible flavours of Brittany!
10 delicious foods from Brittany
The preferred drink in Brittany is not wine, but cider. Whichever delicious dish you decide to sample, accompany it with sparkling Breton cider from the region’s bountiful apple orchards and traditionally served in a ceramic bowl known as a bolée. If you’re travelling with kids and looking for an unusual non-alcoholic Breton drink, Breizh Cola is the preferred tipple. Launched in 2002 with a hint of salted caramel to its taste, it’s a local artisan success story; you'll find it served in most Brittany hotels.
1. Buckwheat galette
These famously rustic, staple Brittany pancakes stand apart from the crowd as they are made from buckwheat flour, water and salt. They have a strongly nutty flavour and a lacy, crispy texture, and are popularly filled with ham, egg and Emmental cheese – all specialties of the region themselves – to make a galette complète. They are still cooked on a traditional flat iron plate called a bilig; stay at Mercure Rennes Place Bretagne in the charismatic Breton capital to sample them in cafés around the city’s ancient heart.
Good to know: The ultimate Breton street food is the galette-saucisse, a grilled pork sausage wrapped in a buckwheat galette.
2. Cotriade fish soup
Brittany’s reply to the saffron-infused bouillabaisse soup of Marseille is a hearty fish stew made with white fish (perhaps mullet, conger eel or hake), potatoes, onions, garlic and a bouquet garni. Served over toasted, sliced baguette, it began life as a wholesome dish for fishermen living in the ports of Morbihan and Finistère in southern Brittany. Etiquette still demands that you eat the broth first, followed by the fish and vegetables.
3. Oyster platters
Thanks to its rugged Atlantic coastline, Brittany is France’s premier oyster-producing region. Traditionally eaten raw with a squeeze of fresh lemon over them, these local delicacies are packed with the goodness of nutrients and have a sweet, briny, nutty taste and firm flesh. Once harvested from the sea, today they are often farmed, with the town of Cancale on the Emerald Coast being one of the biggest producers.
4. Andouille de Guémené sausage
Originally a cheap basic for farmers from Guémené-sur-Scorff, this strong-tasting, peppery tripe sausage is made from pig’s intestines, to which onions, peppers and seasonings are added. It's coiled into a circle, smoked and dried over several months and served hot or cold, accompanied by bread, warm potatoes and vinaigrette. You'll recognise it by the concentric circles revealed when sliced.
Good to know: For an authentic taste of food from Brittany, eat your andouille with rich, oily herrings.
5. Kig ha farz stew
Hailing from Finistère, this filling meaty stew consists of pork shank or beef simmered with vegetables (cabbage, turnips and leeks are seasonal options) and buckwheat dumplings (farz) cooked in muslin. The dumplings are crumbled and served with a caramelised shallot and butter sauce called lipig. Head to the Saturday morning market at Saint-Renan in northwest Brittany for ready-made kig ha farz.
6. Kouign amann pastry
Translating from Breton as cake (kouign) with butter (amann), this tempting snack is made from layers of bread dough, salted butter and sugar folded together repeatedly, then baked into a rounded, caramelised masterpiece with a soft heart. Originating at a bakery at Douarnenez in 1860, it was once described in The New York Times as “the fattiest pastry in all of Europe“.
Good to know: Bring out the sweet flavours of kouign amann by tucking in alongside a chilled glass of Brittany’s chouchen honey mead.
7. Crêpes
Brittany is the birthplace of crêpes, thin pancakes made with white wheat flour and a firm favourite of kids as they're typically loaded with sweet fillings like jam, sugar, fruit or chocolate. Served in crêperies and from food trucks throughout the region, they're especially delicious washed down with sweet cider.
Good to know: Crêpes have their own festival in Brittany. Chandeleur (2 February) is a pagan celebration of the end of winter, when krampouezh (crêpes in Breton) are eaten with honey.
8. Far Breton cake
This simple but satisfyingly dense cake is similar in texture to a custard flan or clafoutis. Heavy on eggs, creamy milk and (what else?) salted butter, it can be served plain, dotted with prunes – which were once traded in Brittany’s ports – or with a dash of rum. The original Far Breton recipe dates back to the 18th century, when it was a savoury dish designed to accompany meat dishes in upper-class households.
9. Palet Breton cookies
Named after the puck used in palet – the Breton version of the game of boules – these rich, round biscuits are made with Brittany’s specialty salted butter, flour, sugar, egg yolks and baking powder. They have a thick, crumbly texture and are an ideal addition to afternoon tea, although they’re also often used as a base for Breton pâtisseries such as fruit tarts and cheesecakes laden with regional fromage frais.
Good to know: The biscuits are also known as traou mad, which means “good things“ in Breton.
10. Caramel au beurre salé
Created in the 1970s by chocolatier Henri Le Roux from Quiberon, salted butter caramel is a decadent Breton sauce made from sugar, cream and butter flavoured with fleur de sel (sea salt). It’s added to kouign amann and crêpes, as well as being the star ingredient in Brittany souvenirs such as Caramel d’Isigny sweets and Niniches de Quiberon lollipops.
Good to know: Brittany’s renowned butter (beurre salé) has a salty punch. If you prefer unsalted butter on your morning baguette, ask for beurre doux.
FAQ
Where are the best food markets in Brittany?
The Saturday-morning Marché des Lices in Rennes is four centuries old and centres on two market halls packed with fishmongers, delicatessens and cheese sellers; outside scores of stalls offer locally grown seasonal apples, plums and raspberries, artichokes, Roscoff onions and white asparagus. Coastal Lorient is Brittany’s main fishing port and its gourmet seafood is showcased at the Merville market halls; they’re open every morning for fresher-than-fresh lobster, scallops, oysters and newly landed hake or monkfish.
How is modern Breton cuisine evolving?
Food from Brittany is known for its simplicity, use of humble, rustic ingredients and utilising seasonal produce. All of this fits the zeitgeist for fresh, locally grown dishes, which inspired Breton chefs are refining to suit modern global tastes. Recent years have seen the incorporation of spices into traditional seafood dishes, and lighter versions of the robust cotriade. And of course, buckwheat galettes are gluten-free! For a contemporary gourmet experience in Brittany, reserve your table at Koban in Mercure Quiberon Hotel and Spa to feast on oysters and galettes.
Inspired by our gastronomic journey showcasing food from Brittany? Discover French cheeses or the best bistros in Paris on your next Gallic gourmet adventure.
Choose your Brittany hotel now
HOTELS NEARBY
RELATED ARTICLES
