Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Canard à la Rouennaise
Tasting much better than it
sounds,
canard à la Rouennaise
refers to ducklings that have
been dispatched by smothering;
as a result, the blood is prevented
from escaping, giving a strong
flavour to the meat. Traditionally,
the bird is stuffed, then served in
a sauce made of its own liver
and blood.
Top 10 Cheeses
Camembert
This world-famous cheese
was invented by Marie Harel
during the Revolution. By the
1880s, equipped with its
famous box and label, it was
being exported all over Europe.
Livarot
Another cheese with a
long history, it tastes a great
deal better than it smells.
Tripes à la mode de Caen
A popular country dish in
Normandy, tripe from the
excellent local cattle is cooked
simply
à la mode de Caen
with
onions, calf's feet, Calvados and
cider, while in Ferté-Macé it is
made into little bundles
en
brochette
(on skewers).
Neufchâtel
Dating back to the 10th
century, this creamy cheese
comes as a heart, or in one of
five other shapes.
Pont l'Evêque
Originally called Angelot,
this square, washed rind
cheese, matured in wooden
boxes, dates back to the
Middle Ages.
Caille aux monstrueux
There are many ways to cook
this speciality of Elbeuf, but the
two essential ingredients are quail
and leeks. The variety of leek
cultivated in the Seine and Eure
Valleys is known as
monstrueux
(literally, “monstrous” - they are
short and fat), and their distinctive
flavour perfectly complements
the quail.
Pavé d'Auge
Square, spicy cheese from
the northern Pays d'Auge - a
forerunner of Pont l'Evêque.
Brillat-Savarin
A triple-cream cheese
invented by cheese-maker
Henri Androuët.
Fin-de-siècle
Despite its name, the
history of this triple-cream
cheese, promoted by
Androuët, is unknown.
Douillons and Bourdelots
Most often found in cake
shops rather than in restaurants,
these individual, melt-in-the-
mouth pastries are each filled
with a whole small apple or pear,
peeled and cored and flavoured
with cinnamon.
Fromage de Monsieur
A strong cheese invented
near Rouen and sold by a man
whose name really was
M Fromage (Mr Cheese).
Coutances
Packaged in a round box,
this rich, creamy cheese has
a thin crust.
Trou Normand
This famous Norman
speciality - or rather indulgence
- refers to a shot of chilled
Calvados thrown back between
courses to aid digestion. The
word
trou
means “hole”: the shot
of
calva
, Normans fondly believe,
creates a hole for more food.
Briquebec
This mild cheese was
invented in the 19th century
by the Trappist monks of the
Abbaye de Briquebec in the
département
of Manche.
For restaurant listings
See pp56-57, 83, 95, 103, 113
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