Where to eat well in Finistère?
FR

Where to eat well in Finistère?

by Ducono

in Between trips › World cuisines

Translated into English.

PO Poste42 Veteran ·
I think ;) the ciders you're talking about don't exist, especially not from the cider houses where the quality is improving. Maybe those from private producers, but even then, they're filtered at least twice like you mentioned. The cider that isn't good goes to distillation. As for the side effects of cider, I won't say anything because I don't have any knowledge on the subject.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
I used to see them in small shops, but that was about fifteen years ago, indeed. As for the side effects, I’d say they’re well-known. 🙂

I think😉 the ciders you’re talking about don’t exist anymore, especially not from the cider houses where quality has improved—maybe those from private producers, and even then, they’re filtered at least twice, as you mentioned. The bad cider goes to distillation. As for the side effects of cider, I won’t say anything because I don’t know much about it.

Michel
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
Are you still in Bénodet? I just got back from South Africa (well, from its embassy) and this morning, July 18th, at my market in Brittany, the stall is overflowing with albacore tuna. In the Bay of Biscay, the brave Breton fishermen fought the Spanish for them with machine guns. The best way to prepare it is to finely chop it into tat... uh... into tartare.
CH Choucarde Globetrotter ·
No, that kind of fishing wasn’t done with a machine gun, and in that case, you’d have needed pliers bigger than those used to remove the bones from a whiting fillet just to make it edible, no matter how you prepared it... Anyway, that tuna steak wasn’t very fresh anymore, and there was no canned food involved—thankfully, not even from 1984. But I have a friend who heard whistling by his ears on deck; he was ready to make Spanish-style tuna because he was the cook on board and had brought everything he needed. No Catalan sauce here, though, haha! Oh, *spoñtus* was it, huh?!

😇
Choucarde
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Hi Anne,

It seems that albacore tuna is currently mostly caught by Irish vessels.

No, that kind of fishing wasn’t done with a machine gun, and in that case, you’d have needed pliers bigger than the ones used to remove the bones from a whiting fillet to make it edible, no matter how it was prepared... Anyway, that piece of tuna wasn’t very fresh anymore, and there was no canned food involved—thankfully, not even from 1984. But I have a friend who heard bullets whizzing past his ears on deck; he was ready to make Spanish-style tuna because, as the ship’s cook, he had come back with everything he needed. No Catalan sauce in this case, though, haha! Ohu spoñtus e oa, huh?!

😇

Michel
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
I know full well, Penn Sardin 😉, that tuna isn’t caught with a machine gun. It was a nod to what Tatra was saying elsewhere—that “The Bretons, the maritime Bretons, don’t like the Spanish […] their reputation is really, *really* bad.” I was picturing a naval battle 😏. It was also to point out that, contrary to what he claimed, you *can* find albacore in Brittany in July, well before the end of the month (and there’s no need to drift the nets toward Ireland).

You’d make a great pub storyteller, you know?
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Good evening Jean Luc,

I’m a pretty chill, tolerant, and patient guy—and honestly, I don’t really care about all that. Which is why I can put up with you directing personal attacks at me as pretty much your only source of inspiration. As a good sport, I don’t report them to the mods—I don’t bother them for no reason. I was explaining to someone the other day that where I live, among the array of flags, the Spanish flag has been replaced by the Basque one. But hey, I’m not going to send you a photo to prove it. You can find germon (tuna) from around July 10th to September 10th, sometimes even later, though it’s unpredictable. And trust me, I’ve eaten more of it than you’ll ever eat in 10 lifetimes. 🙂 The fishing nets aren’t in the Irish Sea, but currently, the boats selling in the 29 south zone are Irish.

Michel

I know, Penn Sardin 😉, that tuna isn’t caught with a machine gun. It was a nod to what Tatra mentioned elsewhere, that “The Bretons, the maritime Bretons, don’t like the Spanish […] their reputation is very, very bad.” I was imagining a naval battle 😏. It was also to point out that, contrary to what he claimed, you *can* find germon in Brittany in July, well before the end of the month (and there’s no need to drift the nets toward Ireland).

You’d make a great bar storyteller, you know?
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
What is this kind of reporting threat? And this victim posture—I can’t believe it! Since when is pointing out errors or a participant’s missteps considered a personal attack? Or punishable, especially when the feedback is relevant and courteous? You receive hundreds of comments here about your untimely interventions. Plus, you know very well that moderation reads us. Don’t underestimate them.

About the nets, you didn’t catch the irony: *you’re* the one derailing discussions.

Shall we wrap up with tuna? You now admit that germon (bluefin tuna) can be found in Brittany from July 10 to September 10. Ducono was arriving in Bénodet around July 10 for two weeks. When I told him tuna would be around, you argued that July was too early or borderline. That’s how your interventions go. Tonight, I made ceviche with it. I’ll send you a photo in exchange for one of your town hall flying the Basque flag currently, permanently (outside events) and replacing the Spanish flag among a bunch of others.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Good thing I'm here, otherwise you'd be bored.

Germon (tuna) depends on the year, plain and simple; this season is early. July is borderline; Bretons don’t buy July germon—they wait for the price to drop with a more abundant supply.

Michel

What’s with this threat of reporting? And this victim posture—I’m dreaming! Since when is pointing out errors or a participant’s excesses considered a personal attack? And would it be punishable, especially if the tone is relevant and courteous? You receive hundreds of comments here for your untimely interventions. Plus, you know very well that moderation reads us. Don’t underestimate them.

About the nets, you didn’t catch the irony: *you’re* the one derailing discussions.

Shall we finish with tuna? You now admit that germon can be found in Brittany from July 10 to September 10. Ducono was arriving in Bénodet around July 10 for two weeks. When I told him tuna would be coming, you objected that July was too early or borderline. That’s how your interventions go. Tonight, I made ceviche with it. I’ll send you a photo in exchange for one of your town hall flying the Basque flag currently, permanently (outside events), and replacing the Spanish flag among a bunch of others.
PO Poste42 Veteran ·
Great discussion. It’s still up in the air whether Bretons wait for the price of tuna to drop before buying it. Tell me the price difference in percentage—I’m curious.
CH Choucarde Globetrotter ·
I figured you were indirectly replying to someone in particular , but the tone of your message made me want to tease you a bit because I think you deserve it too 😉

Hey, do you know how you can spot a killjoy on a dock, maritime of course?

"You could be a tavern storyteller, couldn’t you?"

Oh, for a storytelling evening, there’s no shortage of stories here. But *caboulot*, Petra...? That’s a word from your neck of the woods, isn’t it? 😛 There’s this new kind of guinguette by the Seine with a cozy, atmospheric vibe—little songs like *once upon a time*, except for the striped shirts... Nah, it wouldn’t work here. The humor wouldn’t land because they wouldn’t get it at all. You’d have to translate it, and that’d kill all the charm. And I can’t even recommend the place for pesket and seafood—it’s vegan! *Biskoaz kemend all adarre!*

Maybe I’ll post a tuna recipe instead. That’ll bring things back down to earth.
Choucarde
CH Choucarde Globetrotter ·
We get along great with the Irish. 😇 Yeah, exactly, and those Irish boats are something else—they unload into the giant fridge, bringing back the dockworkers who’d disappeared for a while. It creates jobs.
Choucarde
SM Smopy44 Regular ·
When I was in La Roche-Bernard, I had a nutria terrine on a *mauflet* bread (not sure about the word) with Guérande samphire—it was absolutely delicious. So, one tip: look for restaurants specializing in game and fish, as well as seafood like cockles, clams, and razor clams—they’re all really well-prepared in Brittany. That said, I can’t give you a specific address. I’d suggest checking out roadside restaurants or truck stops—places that might not look like much but serve amazing local dishes.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Hi Anne,

Bon maybe I’ll post a tuna recipe—that’ll put some lead back on the line.

We’d love to see that. Personally, I’ve never seen tuna eaten any other way than grilled, plain, with steamed potatoes, or cooked with tomatoes—really basic stuff, never any elaborate preparations. I’ve never seen albacore served as tartare, either. And I’d never even heard the word "ceviche" until a few weeks ago.

To Poste42, who’s surprised by my statement, here’s my explanation: When it comes to albacore tuna, my memories are mostly from childhood and my younger years. As far as I can recall, in the town where I lived—let’s be precise—the first albacore, which were very expensive, around July 14th, were mostly left to restaurants or tourists. Locals would wait later in the season, after August 20th, when there weren’t as many people around, to buy some.

To Voyajou, though... I have no idea what, who, or where you’re referring to when you mention Brittany, or what your actual experience with it is. Tuna season is very irregular; some years it starts early, then much later the following year, or sometimes barely at all if the tuna don’t come close enough to the coast. In 2016, a year I’m picking at random, you can see here in the archives that white tuna went on sale in Lorient on August 2nd, for a season that started in mid-July.

Michel
PO Poste42 Veteran ·
Hi there,

Did you try muskrat pâté in La Roche-Bernard? If you remember where, let me know. Muskrat from La Vilaine?
PO Poste42 Veteran ·
Oh wow, that’s quite an old claim! A common and easy tuna recipe in Hérault is marinated tuna (oil, salt, pepper, lemon, and even white wine if you like), cooked on the barbecue.
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
Bretons don’t buy germon (albacore tuna) in July—they wait for the price to drop when supply is more abundant.

See, you’re getting off track again. Maybe we should look at the root causes of the issue in the Traveling by Boat section. It turns out Ducono isn’t Breton and won’t be around in September to jar the tuna. It also turns out I *am* Breton (do I need to show you my papers?) and at less than 6 €/kg for a whole fish weighing about a dozen pounds—even with a 50% yield—it was one of the cheapest things at the stall.

Never seen anyone eat raw germon tartare, in any case.

That’s because you weren’t born yet. In Armorica, mastery of fire only dates back about 400,000 years (the oldest traces are in Cornouaille, what you might call the 29S). Before that, when a fish washed ashore, people would carve it with flint, add a wild onion and a crushed apple: that was the invention of fish tartare.

I have no idea what, who, or where you’re talking about when you mention Brittany,

That’s a great question, thanks for asking. 😇 What else would I be talking about but Brittany? It’s not just what you see from your window—it’s diverse, multifaceted. I’m talking about the people who shape it, who proudly embody its character and richness, and who, unlike you, don’t spend their time complaining about it or putting it down. Like J.G. Le Floch, whom I quote because he doesn’t shy away from trying tuna tartare in Bénodet. And there are thousands like him.

There’s still some tuna left. Today’s lunch is Niçoise salad—be there by 1 p.m.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Hi Jean-Luc,

As if I didn’t know Brittany’s sociology is complex. If you only knew who you’re talking to. 😇 I won’t hide it—it’s probably obvious—I haven’t spent much time in the very bourgeois Bénodet, that’s true. 🙂

What would be great now is if Ducono came back to tell us what he ate, what he liked, or what he didn’t really like.

Michel
KO Kola Globetrotter ·
As if I didn’t know Brittany’s sociology is complex. If you only knew who you’re talking to. 

So... tell us already, who we’re talking to. Because sailing in circles with absolute certainty, sweeping statements, and theatrical evasions, zigzagging all over the forum, one might really start to think that...

Which lets me tolerate that you’re directing personal attacks at me, as if they’re your only source of inspiration. Being a good sport, I don’t report them to the mods—I don’t bother them for no reason.

If there’s a style, a signature in the approach, this doesn’t sound much like you.
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Hi Kola,

So... come on, tell us, who we’re talking to. Because with all these zigzagging detours—full of certainties, sweeping statements, and theatrical dodges—one could really start to think that...

The principle here is that we keep our anonymity, and everyone guesses and understands—or doesn’t—and that’s fine. With Voyajou, you’re pretty quick to jump in on Brittany; it’s clear the place means something to you. But your take on it feels more "bourgeois," which isn’t wrong, obviously—it exists, of course—I’m not denying that. But in reality, it’s not *my* take. I’m way less "bourgeois" than that, both by background and lifestyle. So we don’t agree, but your rose-tinted glasses are just as valid as mine. Everyone’s got their biases.

You’ve got a slightly precious, literary style that I find a bit overblown. I’m more direct—I like to surprise and leave people thinking. Just a difference in style, life, profession, I guess. I don’t see the problem.

If there’s a stamp, a signature in the style and approach, this doesn’t sound much like you.

I don’t know what you mean.

Bon appétit. 🙂

Michel
SM Smopy44 Regular ·
Some ragout I had near the Brière Regional Park—I’m sorry, I can’t remember the name of the restaurant. That was ages ago.
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·


Well, I'm stunned. I thought I knew who I was talking to: an enlightened conversationalist, a delicate and fragile flame but as quick as lightning, and now a beacon of the world announces you might just be a light bulb. And even that together we'd make a string of lights (I'm lit up by the thought).

And on top of that, you'd have a Bourjois view of Brittany. You should change your tinted glasses and your blush brand too.

If you decide to respond, be direct (avoid the abstruse), surprising, and give us something to think about (and not with a mirror, okay!).

@Smoopy: I can just see that nutria terrine at L'Auberge Bretonne.
DJ Djalma Globetrotter ·
What would be great now is if Ducono came back to tell us what he ate, what he liked, or what he didn’t really like.

Hey, The few times I’ve been to Brittany, it was in Morgat with my sister-in-law’s family. I kinda agree with you that Brittany (Finistère) didn’t strike me as a super gastronomic region compared to Lyon, Périgord, Landes, or Alsace (though it’s not just those places). That said, I didn’t stay long enough to be sure. During a family outing in Morgat or Crozon, I remember "tasting" oysters that tasted like mud… I made up for it with a (typical?) dish called "Lard patates!" Okay, I tried other things too, mostly the famous crêperies. I had way more fun in the bars than in the restaurants!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCOyB7WStI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eI67iCbKY
KO Kola Globetrotter ·
you’d be just a light bulb. And even then, together we’d make a string of lights (I’m lit up just thinking about it).

A flickering light bulb, then...

Would you find it cruel If, finger to my lips, I took you far from cities To a fort, a peninsula, To forget our duels, Our skirmishes, Our silly fears? We’d go there to wait For the end of battles...

In this other Finistère, with its long beaches of silence...

a beacon to the world

A disguise... that reveals everything it tries to hide?

@Tatra

I’m decidedly less "bourgeois"

... so more knowledgeable?

A "bourgeois", thrown down like a gauntlet. Because instead of laying down generalizations with a certainty bordering on smugness... Bretons are like this, all of Brittany is like that... we compose in nuances, with sometimes, with maybe? (Would you raise the tuna if it showed up at the market earlier in the month? 🤪)

Since Ducono started a travel journal about his Breton vacation, we might discover his culinary finds, starting from the beginning: did he have croissants for breakfast? And first of all... are there even croissants in Brittany?

I don’t know what you mean.

What I mean is that playing the magnanimous soul—unless it’s some abstruse warning—by hinting you’re not reporting this to moderation doesn’t sound like you.
PO Poste42 Veteran ·
Oysters are "best enjoyed" in months with an 'r'
DJ Djalma Globetrotter ·
Oysters are "best enjoyed" in months with an "r"

I don’t think the muddy taste is due to the consumption period. (It was in March.) Around the Arcachon Basin, we eat them all year round. https://lafermemarine.fr/consommer-huitres-toute-lannee/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCOyB7WStI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eI67iCbKY
PO Poste42 Veteran ·
Indeed, this is about the evolution of oyster farming, but in Brittany we operate like this during the months with an 'r'. When was your oyster "tasting"? After farmed oysters or wild oysters?
DU Ducono Globetrotter ·
Hmm, those Finistère croissants are delicious!
TA Tatra Globetrotter ·
Good evening Christian,

Don’t worry about the croissants—Kola and a few others and I have had different experiences in Brittany, and we even clashed right here over whether croissants are part of Breton culinary culture or not. Let’s drop it, no need to revisit that.

Still, from what you’ve written, I don’t get a sense of enthusiasm or surprise. Deep down, it didn’t really wow you, did it? A bit bland, if I’m reading between the lines. Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me too much. So, how about the meals? If you’d like to share.

Have a good evening.

Michel
CH Choucarde Globetrotter ·
Not far from Morgat, in Tregarvan, you can actually gather wild oysters in the mudflats... 😇

Otherwise, no matter the region, there are "laiteuses" and "claires"—in Brittany, people generally prefer them during the months with an "R" in them. 😉
Choucarde
DU Ducono Globetrotter ·
I ate one that wasn’t great... lost 2kg! Turns out moldy oysters make a diet...

Anyway, in Bénodet there are two crêperies: La Mouette Rieuse in the center (standard) and La Ty Nayk, on the Fouesnant road, next to the campsite—excellent and well-stocked.

Since we were always out and about, we ended up not going to restaurants—picnic at lunch and camping salad in the evening.

It’s a shame I asked for good places, but we took advantage of the mild weather to eat outside... On the other hand, we definitely explored Breton beers—especially the amber ones! !
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
It was a small spring tide. I went rock pooling and came back with a whole basket of oysters. I slurped them down—I’ll bring you the pearls.

j'aime surprendre et laisser à réfléchir

Such a sense of self-deprecation is remarkable. Congrats! A pretty widely shared opinion here is that you’re more likely to make people laugh (which is a good thing).

et jadis nous nous sommes écharpés ici même sur la présence ou non des croissants dans la culture culinaire en Bretagne.

You keep rewriting history. It wasn’t about culture but whether you could find croissants in certain small towns in central Brittany. You claimed they didn’t exist, even though they were—and still are—sold in several places. And "jadis," as you put it, was in 2017. Some spatial-temporal difficulties, no doubt.

Le principe ici est que l'on préserve son anonymat, et que chacun devine et comprend, ou pas, et que ça n'a pas d'importance.

If "knowing who you’re talking to" doesn’t matter, it was pointless to use a supposed real-life status as an argument, only to backtrack later.

When Ducono asks, "Where to eat well in Brittany without getting ripped off in August 2020?" he’s not talking about gastronomy—but you answer with:

Très franchement, il n'y a pas de tradition gastronomique, ni même culinaire, en Bretagne, où où mangeait jadis des pommes de terre, du porc, des crêpes de blé noir, des oeufs, en buvant du cidre et du lait ribot.

First, you can eat very well today in regions without a gastronomic tradition. Second, every human society has "culinary traditions," and you even partially listed Brittany’s.

P.S. Don’t overdo the flattery with our host—we’re not in a gourmet restaurant but chilling at the Bar de la Poste.

@Kola V: A beacon to the world K: A facade... showing everything it wants to hide? V: Nah, a *lighthouse*.
CH Choucarde Globetrotter ·
Hey there,

j en ai mangé" one that wasn’t fresh... lost 2kg! Turns out moldy oysters make a diet plan...

Oh, that’s for sure—one bad oyster can replace a whole diet plan costing way more than a few euros! People are losing the habit of sniffing their food, and with oysters, that can really backfire.

Still on the road, we ended up not going to any restaurants—picnic at lunch and camping salad in the evening.

Bummer to have asked for good spots but ended up eating outside anyway... though on the Breton beer front, we definitely made the rounds... especially the amber ones !

A picnic on the go is such a nice, relaxing option—plus, it lets you sneak in a little nap in the grass afterward. After the land of cider, *amzer dremenet*/changing times: now it’s the land of beer, or let’s say *the other* land of beer! No more talk of diets here, and it’ll make your belly grow after that bad oyster diet !

Safe travels home, and welcome to the little one!
Choucarde
DJ Djalma Globetrotter ·
When was your oyster "tasting"? After farmed oysters or wild oysters?

No, it was the right time of year, but maybe not the right oysters... Choucarde wasn’t wrong—it was indeed (or at least I think so) the wild oysters harvested in an estuary... the Trégarvan oysters, actually. You pass near the estuary when you go to Crozon... So they had a muddy taste and were full of sand (or sandy mud, I don’t quite remember). It wasn’t a memorable gastronomic experience. The famous "lard patates" that followed—a very simple dish—was totally fine, though. It was the name of the dish that made me laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCOyB7WStI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eI67iCbKY
HU Hubert783298 ·
The first and last pick-up 😉😉 Sending bottles via La Poste is possible if you want, but you need to plan good packaging and the shipping cost can be pretty steep 🙂 I completely agree with you—an artisanal cider is still way better than the one mentioned by Ducono. "The Bretons are always right," as the brand says.
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1/ MEAL STRUCTURE I’m talking about the standard meal, not the one for those who have to budget for financial reasons (generally fewer in northern and central Italy than in France, but more in the south, which makes up 35% of Italy—Eurostat figures), nor for those (mostly women) watching their figure.

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2/ THE CUISINE What do we know in France? Pizza, pasta Bolognese, carbonara, arrabbiata, ravioli, and lasagna. Fried scampi, Milanese or Bolognese cutlets, carpaccio, and finally tiramisu.

In short, a few basic dishes, but nothing of the gastronomy—whether regional traditions or high-end restaurants.

2 anecdotes: **Bolognese sauce** In Italy, the most common homemade sauce is a meat-and-tomato-based sauce called *ragù* (pronounced *ragoo*). Every region, even every town and family, as well as every restaurant, has its own recipe. *Ragù alla bolognese* is just one of these countless *ragù*—and no one in France knows the real recipe (I can share it with those interested). The name *bolognese* given abroad to any *ragù* comes from a canned sauce manufacturer who once branded their product that way. Until the early 1960s, it was called *sauce à la viande* (meat sauce).

**Pizza** Before World War II, it was practically unknown north of Rome. Today, Italy is one of the countries where it’s eaten the least (twice as much in France, four times as much in Germany).

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IvanBahiaGde 2 years ago
Top 15 Brazilian Eating Habits That Surprise the French
Top 15 Brazilian eating habits that surprise the French 😮

Brazil is a multicultural country, and its history has shaped a very unique cuisine, influenced by European, African, Japanese, and Indigenous traditions. Its food culture is quite different from what we’re used to in France, and Brazilian eating habits often surprise French travelers exploring the land of samba and soccer.

Check out the full article here: https://les-voyages-de-adelaide.fr/top-15-des-habitudes-alimentaires-bresiliennes-qui-surprennent-les-francais/

Enjoy your meal,

Ivan Bahia
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Fredetludo 2 years ago
Creole Cooking Classes in Réunion
Hello,

We live in Réunion and we're looking for places where we can learn to cook authentic Réunionese Creole cuisine. We're based in Saint-Denis and are searching in that area.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Fredtludo
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