Brittany is an Olympus for the gods of food
and drink.
These geographical features, together with
2,000 hours of sunshine each year, encourage the natural
bounty of the sea and abundant riches of the land.
Coastal Brittany, or Armor, has a long
history of seafaring activity due to its intimate contact with
the shore, its warm currents which carry fish from the south
and cold northern currents which provide favourable conditions
for deep sea creatures living on the underwater continental
shelf.
The rolling countryside of inland Brittany, or
Argoat, also boasts natural riches, as seen in the
diverse range of meat and vegetables offered by its farming
industry.
But such a generous natural environment does
not offer up its riches without some contribution from its
inhabitants: quality produce is as much down to people as to
nature. In the same way that food lovers and talented chefs
naturally go hand in hand.
Brittany’s fine fruit and vegetables,
excellent meat and poultry and outstanding fish and seafood
caught by skilled fishermen have always nurtured an
appreciation for quality produce in Bretons and all those who
come to visit this peninsula on the edge of the world.
This is the secret behind the gastronomic
success of a region that is much envied for the range and
quality of its fresh local produce and that can hold its head
up high alongside other, more well-known French culinary
regions. Fish are Brittany’s crowning glory.
The
auctions and markets in Breton fishing ports are a sight to
behold with their crates overflowing with bass, mullet, cod,
skate, tuna, sardines, mackerel, hake, sea bream, John Dory
and sole, the work of fishermen who cast their nets and lines,
trawling for the best possible catch.
These fish with their glassy eyes, bright red
gills and sparkling scales, used by fishermen in the past to
make fish soup, arrive at market stalls via fishmongers and
finish on the consumer’s plate, whether at home or in a
restaurant.
Or, in the case of oily fish such as tuna,
sardines, anchovies and mackerel, in little tins filled with
oil, white wine, herbs and spices that continue to be made by
local tradespeople according to traditional methods.
credits
: Brittany
Tourist Board
