Brittany's food is generous and simple, built on buckwheat, butter, apples and the catch from one of the richest coastlines in Europe.
Dishes to try
Galettes and crêpes
Savoury galettes are made from buckwheat flour (blé noir); the classic complète has ham, egg and cheese. Sweet crêpes use wheat flour, often with salted-butter caramel. In eastern Brittany, try the galette-saucisse, a sausage wrapped in a galette.
Oysters and seafood
Cancale's oysters, Belon flat oysters, mussels, scallops from the bay of Saint-Brieuc, langoustines and Breton lobster. A plateau de fruits de mer is the ultimate feast.
Cotriade and kig ha farz
Cotriade is a Breton fisherman's stew; kig ha farz from Finistère is a hearty pot of meat and vegetables with a buckwheat pudding.
Kouign-amann
Invented in Douarnenez, this caramelised cake of bread dough, butter and sugar is outrageously rich. Its name means "butter cake" in Breton.
Far breton, gâteau breton and biscuits
Far breton is a dense custard flan, often with prunes. Gâteau breton is a buttery cake, and Pont-Aven and Quimper are known for their butter biscuits and palets.
Salted butter and caramel
Brittany is the home of salted butter. Quiberon's salted-butter caramels are famous, and fleur de sel comes from Guérande.
Vegetables and fruit
The Léon coast grows artichokes, cauliflowers and onions (Roscoff's pink onions have their own protected status), and Plougastel is known for strawberries.
Drinks
Cider is served in a ceramic bowl (bolée), dry (brut) or sweet (doux). Try chouchen, a honey mead, lambig, an apple brandy, and Breton whisky and craft beers.
Where to eat
- The best restaurants in Brittany
- Weekly markets in every town, and the Marché des Lices in Rennes
- Oyster stalls in Cancale
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.