With over 750 miles of coastline, it is hardly surprising that seafood is Brittany’s main speciality, and a traditional ‘fruits de mer’ platter commonly consisting of freshly caught oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, lobster, winkles, crab and prawns is one of the great classics of Breton gastronomy.
On the north coast of the region, Roscoff is particularly noted for its succulent lobsters, while further east, the oysters that come from Cancale are justifiably world famous. Most Breton restaurants, specially ones near the coast will offer a wide variety of fresh local fish.
Crępes and galettes are another Breton specialty, with crêpes usually having sweet fillings and galettes savoury. These go down particularly well when accompanied with the locally brewed cider (cidre)– a traditional favorite with locals with Brittany being the main producer of cider, you will see orchards everywhere when traveling in the Breton countryside. You will soon discover the popularity of cider in Brittany, as there are shelves full of it in the supermarkets. It is a standard accompaniment to a meal of crępes and may be offered on restaurant fixed menus.
Brittany also produces a large amount of France’s vegetables (65% of French artichokes are grown in Brittany, 70% of cauliflowers, 70% of shallots and 33% of spinach) and some of the very best pork. And another favorite with the locals are the sausages. Naturally, both of these feature extensively on restaurant menus in a wide variety of dishes.
For a list of local Restaurants, and information on eating out take a look at our restaurants page.
