Dinner Is Served for the Bretons!

Between Armor and Argoat, agricultural and maritime activities have shaped the coasts and the countryside, offering a variety of landscapes to travelers, including fishing ports, oyster farms, salt marshes, vegetables and cereal crops, and livestock. The resources drawn from the work of the peasants and fishermen have made it possible for a significant number of people to live for centuries without famine or hunger.

Traditional Breton cuisine is characterized by its great diversity, yet tends to center around six foods produced in the region—cereals, butter, bacon, potatoes, cider, and sardines—whose consumption differs widely depending on certain time periods and the different areas of the region.

Thoughts of a Breton dinner table tend to conjure up a whole series of ubiquitous stereotypical images: tables hollowed out with a hole in which to pour portions of soup, drunk Bretons, women who eat while standing, not to mention the crêpes and Breton galettes (savory pancakes), which have become markers of regional identity.

The photographers and publishers of postcards sometimes became image makers, conveying an image of "typical Bretons" that was, at times, far from reality.

Bacon was often the only meat consumed regularly in the countryside. The pig was an easy animal to raise, was fattened at home, and did not cost any money. Each family raised its own pig, including peasant families, as well as craftsmen and workers (as soon as they had room at home).

Pieces of the meat that could not be preserved were consumed at a meal known as the "feast of the black pudding" or the "feast of the pig." These happy feasts revealed the importance of the pig. Yet frugal needs meant that the bacon placed in storage had to last a whole year.

"Fresh" meat, such as beef or veal, which had to be bought at the butcher's shop, was a luxury reserved for social circles with more money and who tended to live in the cities. For rural folk, it was a rare treat at major occasions such as weddings.

In Brittany, a pinch of salt has always been added to dishes, making a huge difference by either increasing taste or hiding it when products are not the best quality. Gray salt or coarse salt was a popular commodity. Its cost was moderate and affordable for most families.

The salt merchants from Brittany's Guérande and Vannes regions organized an extraordinary distribution network that allowed salt to be supplied to the smallest shops and farms in Haute and Basse-Bretagne at a cheaper cost to consumers. Breton housewives could therefore draw from their salt containers as they wished in order to season soups, stewed food, bread dough, crêpes and Breton galettes, butter, and potatoes.

Salt Shakers for Fine Salt Gourmets

As for table salt, this was only within the reach of a select few, i.e., the same people who used spices. Quimper's "faience" earthenware manufacturers produced "fantasy" salt shakers that became true works of art while retaining their original function of preserving white salt. With the development of the railways and the advent of tourism, the wealthiest social classes pounced on these table salt shakers created by artists.

As fervent Catholics, Bretons did not consume meat on Fridays—a day for fasting. They replaced it with fish, vegetable soup, or crêpes and Breton galettes.

Family events (such as baptisms, communions, weddings, and funerals) combined religious solemnity and social importance. Depending on the region, they involved large gatherings. However, the most spectacular was undoubtedly the wedding reception, which could feature up to 1,800 guests.

Pardon ceremonies were a privileged occasion for celebrating, eating, and drinking. Tents, mobile kitchens, and refreshment stalls were set up around the chapel. Depending on the region, the air smelled of grilled sardines, charcuterie (cold cuts), stews, sausages, potatoes, and coffee, not to mention the many crêpe makers who crouched in front of the traditional "billigs" (crepe machines) placed on a tripod above embers or steaming clumps.

This took place most often at the inn on the way back from the church and involved an ordinary menu washed down with a little more cider and wine. The child received food as a gift to regain their strength: wine, sugar, chocolate, coffee, and even brandy!

What would a drink be without its bottle or food without its packaging? Food containers give soul to products by associating them with an image. Since the early days of advertising, the agri-food industry has used the image of Brittany to sell stereotypical products from the Breton table: headdresses and pure butter Breton galettes, a fisherman and a can of mackerel, a man of the soil and dairy products, sea salt against a backdrop of the Guerande landscape, along with beer and a round hat!

The marriage sealed between Breton products and its land was proclaimed by way of posters. It was also engraved on glass bottles and printed on metal tins before being used on plastic packaging. Traditional Breton culture and music always sell. Just browse the shelves of our large supermarkets and see for yourself!