27/10/2023
Local food and drink specialities are often a highlight for holidaymakers but also residents too. Discovering new gourmet treats is part of the French cultural experience and it’s a big part of life here. The weather, proximity to the sea and its agricultural heritage make Normandy a foodie heaven.
Normandy cows provide a rich array of products including the 4 cheeses we’ve already covered in a previous Friday Focus post. As well as Camembert, Neufchâtel, Livarot and Pont l’Evêque , rich creamy butter and full-flavoured cream are also made from the milk. For those with a sweet tooth, a thick caramel sauce known as confiture de lait can be drizzled over pancakes, ice cream or yoghurt or spread on bread and pastries. Caramel is also used in cakes that can be bought in pâtisseries or boulangeries. The buttery caramels produced in Isigny-sur-Mer in Calvados are delicious and their ice cream is amazing. Isigny was featured on our A-Z guide of Normandy towns and you can search using the hashtag.
The nearby coastline ensures a plentiful supply of fish, seafood and shellfish. While moules frites (mussels and chips) are not a regional speciality, they are certainly very popular. At low tide you can see the mussel and oyster beds along the Cotentin coast and can even forage (following strict guidelines) for shellfish. Foot fishing (called la pêche à pied) is essentially a way of enjoying fresh shellfish such as crabs and clams and it’s free.
Normandy apple orchards produce cider, Calvados (an apple brandy) and pommeau. Apple juice, pear juice and poiré ( a sparkling drink made from pears and similar to babycham) along with beautiful apple tarts, apple jelly, and apple pastries make this a very versatile food.
A spicy smoked sausage called andouille is made throughout France with each region making it’s own version. In Normandy, it is called Andouille de Vire. And just to warn you that it isn’t the most attractive looking and a key ingredient is intestines. For meat lovers, lamb known as pré salé gets its name because the sheep graze on the salt marshes surrounding Mont St Michel.
Other Normandy favourites include a creamy and milky rice pudding called Teurgoule and a liqueur called Bénédictine. If you have a favourite Normandy food, please add a comment or photo below. We’d love to know what you think about Normandy specialities.
