Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thatched houses are ubiquitous to Normandy.
Wine grapes don't grow well here, so the spirit (
eau-de-vie
)
of the region, Calvados, is distilled from the popular local
apple cider.
Cidre
, which is alcoholic, is a common substitute
for wine at meals, and varies with every village. Benedictine,
another local liqueur, is l avoured with herbs found along
the Norman coast. Apple pie (
Tarte Tatin
) is the most
popular dessert. With a dollop of
crème fraîche
, the French
cultured cream, it can't be beaten.
Brittany
Just below Normandy, and thrust far out into the Atlantic, the
rugged Breton region is most famous for its special pancakes,
called
crêpes
. The local grains did not lend themselves
to breadmaking, and these
crêpes
became the staple, for
everything from main courses to dessert. Great sailors, the
Bretons speak a language related to Cornish and Welsh.
Like those early Celtic Britains, the French Bretons are an
independent and self-sufi cient lot.
The beloved French comic,
Astérix
, is about the
misadventures of a clan of Bretons in the Roman era. It seems
i ghting the Romans (which they did quite successfully) and
eating wild boar were the two main pastimes. The cuisine still
Search WWH ::
Custom Search