Meals of Normandy
Meals of Normandy
By Kalayaan Garcia de Vera
Your Holistic Nutritionist
If there is one thing that I have learnt from my travels, it is that food tells a story about the place, the people and the culture. So much is to be said of a place just by eating the local food; you not only get a taste of the culture, you also get an experience of the surroundings. The French, a nation of gourmets, know that the best food is made from local ingredients, which are fresher and of better quality than items which have been transported long distances. As you can guess, I was in food heaven!
I spent a couple of weeks travelling along Northern France and spent the majority of my time in Normandy. The cuisine of Normandy is a reflection of the abundance of its farms and orchards. Given its 400-mile-long coastline, Norman cooks also mix local ingredients with the bounty of the sea. The food is simple, but rich, thanks to the generous use of butter and cream. It is a harmonious reflection of the countryside, a rich, green land dotted with ancient villages and acres of apple orchards. I enjoyed every minute of the scenic bus tour that brought us to various cities where I felt as though I was in another world and a simpler time. I often felt as though I had stepped into a fairytale setting.
Any description of the cuisine of Normandy without the word “cream” would be lacking. “Vaches normandes” Normandy Cows produce up to 7 gallons of milk a day, which is famed for its creaminess and liberally used in many Norman dishes. The use of the descriptive word “Normande” usually implies a dish has cream in it. The region also produces high-quality butter and several world-renowned cheeses, including Camembert, Pont l’Evêque and Boursin.
The scenery of the horizon was breathtaking: sailboats lined up beside cafes at the harbour in Honfleur, where I indulged in “Moules Marinieres” mussels and Fish Soup with “Aïoli Croutons” fresh baked artisan breads, while sipping on some white wine. I stayed at A L’ecole Buissonniere Chambre d’hotes de Charm, a charming bed and breakfast with a rustic French country style feel. Each morning we were served “une petit dejeuner gourmand et biologique” which was a delicious spread of local and fruits, smoked salmon, homemade cakes, artisan breads a variety of cheese and homemade jams.
Normandy’s coastal towns are known for their seafood dishes. Oysters, scallops, lobster and sole are harvested from the cold Atlantic waters and served in a variety of ways: marmite dieppoise is a creamy seafood stew; mussels a la creme is a dish of mussels served with cream, herbs and butter. On a day trip spent in Deuville-Trouville where I got to see the fisherman unload their boats with their catch of the day which was then brought to the fish market, I felt I was in seafood heaven! I enjoyed “fruits de mer” d’Honfleur which is a large platter of raw mussels, oysters and clams with cooked shrimps and escargot served with several dipping sauces and laid on top of ice. This was as fresh as it could get and it tasted amazing!
The region’s other famous product is the apple. Normandy is not known as a wine-producing region, but does produce large amounts of potent apple cider, which locals often drink with meals. The fermented apple in cider aids with digesting fats which makes sense as Norman foods are very rich and creamy. Apples are also used to make Calvados, an apple brandy that is a favourite after-dinner drink and is used to flavour desserts and sauces. Pears also are grown in the region, and their juice is distilled to make eau du vie, a pear-flavoured spirit which is deliciously refreshing when paired with fresh oysters.
Our next stop was Bayeux, where I stayed at Hotel le Bayeaux conveniently located across from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. This is where I learnt that it is common in much of France to take a two hour break for lunch, with many working parents (particularly in villages and smaller towns) returning home for lunch. In some areas, mainly in the south of France, even longer lunch breaks are taken. Due to the long lunch break, businesses which close for this period typically reopen at 7PM for dinner. While waiting for the restaurants to open I would go for a jog to soak in the scenery and it was hard to get lost as I had only to look up for the top of the Cathedral to find my way back. For dinner I ate at Le Pommier Restaurant located at the Cathedral Square. I ordered a Salmon Tartine which is a savoury french crepe with creme sauce served on a bed of greens, rich in flavour yet very light and satisfying. In fact, much of the French cuisine is fairly simple, relying on high quality fresh ingredients and loving preparation rather than complex recipes. The portions sizes are how it should be as they don’t focus on the quantity of food but the quality.
Normandy farmers also produce prized ducks and poultry, plus some of the best lamb in the world. A favourite spring dish is roasted pré salé lamb which gets its name (salé is French for salt) and flavour from the grassy salt marshland where the sheep graze. French cooks also hold poulet de Bresse, the local chicken, in high regard, and the duck from Rouen is another sought-after dish.
Little goes to waste in a Normandy kitchen. Cooks concoct a rich stew from tripe and also make a coarse-grained tripe sausage “andouillette” flavoured with spices, wine and onions. Boudin noir, a sausage made from pig’s blood and pork fat, is a local specialty made in Mortagne-au-Perche during Lent.
Local cooks utilize wild game and another regional specialty is rabbit cooked in cider.
With apples and cream as two of the region’s renowned ingredients, it is no surprise that Normandy is known for its desserts. “Tarte normande”, a rich apple tart, is topped with cream. Norman cooks also are credited with inventing brioche and make delicious shortbreads. Creamy rice pudding, a simple, home-style dish, is a local comfort food and Petit suisse is a creamy cheese eaten with fruit at the end of the meal.
The next destination was Brittany. I stayed in “Intra-Murus” within the walls of the ancient city of St. Malo which was originally built on a rocky island at the mouth of the Rance estuary. This strategic position allowed control of both the sea and any trade heading into the interior of Brittany, helping to shape the stormy and often dark history of the city. Saint Malo’s Intra-Muros area is overflowing with traditional French restaurants, street-side cafes and creperies. Breton cuisine headlines almost every menu, and in this seaside province tourists have access to Europe’s greatest concentration of seafood restaurants. I dined on Pizza Providence, a thin crust pizza with fresh sardines, red, yellow and green peppers on tomato sauce.
Normandy has been a delight for all my senses, rich in beauty, culture, history and abundant in local, organic and in season food — a nutritionist’s dream destination. I enjoyed my time in France and I look forward to returning in the near future.
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(Kalayaan Garcia de Vera is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who graduated at the top of her class with honours at The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.. As a member of the Canadian Holistic Association of Nutritionists Professionals, she has conducted weight loss studies and detoxification workshops. Her website is www.yourholisticnutritionist.com)
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