NORMANDY - France 2014 - page 366

Normandy's Cuisine Scene
Normandy is known as the land of the four C's: Calvados, Camembert, cider, and crème.
Theregionspecializes increamsauces,organmeats(sweetbreads,tripe,andkidneys—the
“gizzard salads” are great), andseafood (fruits demer) .You'll see crêperies offering inex-
pensive and good value meals everywhere. A galette is a savory crêpe enjoyed as a main
course; a crêpe is sweet and eaten for dessert.
Dairy products are big, too. Local cheeses are Camembert (mild to very strong; see
sidebar), Brillat-Savarin (buttery), Livarot (spicy and pungent), Pavé d'Auge (spicy and
tangy), and Pont l'Evêque (earthy flavor).
What, no wine? Oui, that's right. You're in the rare region of France where wine is
not a local forte. Still, you probably won't die of thirst. Fresh, white Muscadet wines are
made nearby (in western Loire); they're cheap and match well with much of Normandy's
cuisine. But Normandy is famous for its many apple-based beverages. You can't miss
the powerful Calvados apple brandy or the Bénédictine brandy (made by local monks).
The local dessert, trou Normand, is apple sorbet swimming in Calvados. The region also
produces three kinds of alcoholic apple ciders: cidre can be doux (sweet), brut (dry), or
bouché (sparkling—and the strongest). You'll also find bottles of Pommeau, a tasty blend
of apple juice and Calvados (sold in many shops), as well as poiré, a tasty pear cider.
And don't leave Normandy without sampling a kir Normand, a mix of crème de cassis
and cider. Drivers in Normandy should be on the lookout for Route de Cidre signs (with
a bright red apple); this tourist trail leads you to small producers of handcrafted cider and
brandy.
Camembert Cheese
This cheap, soft, white, Brie-like cheese is sold all over France (and America) in
distinctive, round wooden containers. Camembert has been known for its cheese
for 500 years, but local legend has it that today's cheese got its start in the French
Revolution, when a priest on the run was taken in by Marie Harel, a Camembert
farmer. He repaid the favor by giving her the secret formula from his own homet-
own—Brie.
From cow to customer, Camembert takes about three weeks to make. High-fat
milk from Norman cows is curdled with rennet, ladled into round, five-inch molds,
sprinkled with Penicillium camemberti bacteria, and left to dry. In the first three