Normandy food and drink specialities
World-renowned for its apples, famous for its seafood and acclaimed for its dairy products, Normandy is a food-lover’s heaven
Cider
The Normans are fond of their tipples made from apples and this includes cider, pommeau, and calvados, the local apple brandy. Walk along the famed Route du Cidre for the most authentic tasting.
Cheese
French cuisine is famous for its varied selection of cheese, and the region of Normandy is home to three of the country’s favourites, including camembert, livarot and Calvados’s pont-l’évêque.
Fish
Seafood is a speciality in Normandy, with everything from lobster to mussels, and scallops to whelks featuring in a traditional seafood plates. Visit Port-en-Bessin for the Goût du Large festival in November to enjoy lots of scallop-based dishes.
Crêpes
There is an ongoing argument between the Normans and Bretons about who makes the best crêpes and galettes. But you can be sure that they’re from Normandy when they’ve been made with a good glug of calvados!
Butter
The best butter and cream is in Normandy, the dairy-farming heartland of France and both products carry the prestigious appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) label. It’s lovely to use for making the region’s hearty cuisine but just as tasty buttered on bread.
Teurgoule
This is a rice pudding made with full-fat milk and flavoured with cinnamon, sweetened with sugar and sometimes dusted with nutmeg. It is cooked in the oven for several hours, after which a brown caramelised layer forms on top.
Tripes à la mode de Caen
The recipe for tripes à la mode de Caen has remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages. Tripe, ox feet, carrots, onion, celery, and aromatics are stewed in cider and apple brandy for up to 14 hours and served in rich gravy with sliced carrots.
Bayeux pork
A charcuterie local to Calvados is Bayeux pork, one of France’s six remaining local breeds that are traditionally bred on whey, cereals and nettles. Bayeux pork often makes its way into traditional suppers as winter-warming stews and casseroles.
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Alsace: regional food and drink
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