The food of Normandy

[Ptipois]

I thought I'd begin this series of threads about the regional cuisines of France with Normandy. Because 1) it is a relatively easy subject to grasp, the region has a marked personality, 2) I am partly from there, 3) The limits of the region are clear.

Normandy is a large region in the Northwestern part of France. It is composed of five départements, from North to South: Seine-Maritime (capital: Rouen), Eure (capital: Evreux), Calvados (capital: Caen), Manche (capital: Cherbourg), and Orne (capital: Alençon). These are the official, political divisions — the older, more traditional divisions, as in other French regions, are the "pays", which are cultural entities often related to the ancient Celtic population that used to live there. Taking the "pays" into account are useful when you try to define the cuisines and the food variations throughout a region, since the pays correspond to very ancient cultural as well as geographical particularities. For instance, it is significant that Neuchâtel cheese comes from Seine-Maritime, but it is even more significant that it comes from Pays de Bray (and the Northern part of Pays de Caux). Owing to the geological differences, ciders from Pays d'Auge are mellower than ciders from Pays de Caux, which are drier and less famous. Etc.

If the gastronomic nature of Normandy had to be summed up, I would write that it revolves around dairy products (cream, cheeses), apple products (cider, calvados, apple jelly and fresh apples), superior meats (beef, veal, pré-salé lamb) and sea fish. Vegetables are used not only as side dishes but also as aromatic ingredients (particularly leeks). Preparations are very simple and product-oriented, with as little fuss as possible. Sometimes, food being drowned in cream is all the recipe there needs to be. This is not just a caricature. Sauces do contain cream, but it goes far beyond that: cream is the sauce.

I think it is only fair to begin the visit with the most important figure of Normandy: the cow.

Normandy was always "graced" with a damp climate, with Rouen (nicknamed "the chamberpot of Normandy") considered the rainiest of all cities. This dampness, together with the existence of large chalky plateaux (pays de Caux) and of hilly landscapes with green, grassy meadows characteristically separated by thick hedgerows ("bocage" of Pays d'Auge and Cotentin), has helped Normandy to become one of the main cattle breeding regions. The Norman cow is famous for its rich, fatty, tasty milk, which is made not only into camembert but also in yet more odoriferous cheeses like livarot, pont-l'évêque, or pavé d'Auge. Neuchâtel, which is a very ancient cheese made in the North of Normandy, is slightly apart because it is drier and saltier than its more Southern counterparts. It is one of the very few cheeses in France that come in several shapes: it may be heart-shaped (cœur), square-shaped (pavé), or cylinder-shaped (bondard).

Here is what a Norman cow looks like:

It is a strong and sturdy animal, with large dark rings ("lunettes") around the eyes and a thick, irregularly mottled fur that is particularly soft and fluffy in Winter. The spots are of all shades of brown or grey on a cream-colored background. Norman cows stay outside all year round and are not taken inside in cold weather; in the old days of hand-milking, they were milked right in the fields, rain or shine. Of course nowadays they are taken inside for mechanized milking. A classic Norman scene, often depicted on camembert boxes: Norman cows grazing in the shade of the apple trees, since pastures often double as apple orchards.

More to follow, let questions and suggestions roll in.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Ptipois (log)

[John Talbott]

Pti: This is fabulous and thank you so very much.

With apples (calvados), cows (butter, cream and milk) and fish (I still can taste a moules in butter dish at the Manoir d'Hastings), I think we're in very good hands here. Eat your hearts out Italy!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Sauces do contain cream, but it goes far beyond that: cream is the sauce.

Very good point, and one that many readers might not understand. Americans, for one, tend to think it necessary to add lots of flavors/seasonings to sauces, while in France the cream itself has different nuances depending on its region or breed of cow.

Chicken or pork. An apple. Calvados. Cream. Dinner.

[Abra]

Can we work some recommendations on good brands of Calvados into this thread? We don't get many sorts here and I always feel it's hit or miss when I buy some. For example, here's what's supposed to be available in Washington

BOULARD CALVADOS XO

BUSNEL CALVADOS DU PAYS D'AGE

CALVADOS BOULARD GRDE SOLAGE BRDY

CALVADOS CARDINAL BRANDY

CALVADOS POMME D'EVE APPLE BRDY

COEUR DE LION CALVADOS VSOP

DOM DUPONT CALVADOS D'AUGE HORS

DOM DUPONT CALVADOS D'AUGE VIELLES

Which should I buy? Prices range from about $30 for the Cardinal to $110 for the Boulard.

[Ptipois]

Boulard and Busnel have a good reputation. I do not know about the others. An expensive bottle, of course, would be wasted in cooking while it should be kept for drinking (and pouring over desserts). Pick a medium-priced calva for flambéing.

Calvados flambé technique is probably my favorite use of a strong spirit in cooking. I will write about it later.

[bleudauvergne]

I think your point about the traditional borders that historically fell within a countryside is a really great way to begin, Ptipois. There are many maps to France. Although we maneuver through this country with the contemporary divisions lined out on paper and roads to follow clearly by color and size, sometimes the markings of the food maps are not as clear. Taking in the history and geography that created the traditional Pays is so important. It is a very good thought to begin. Thank you for doing this series. I'm going to have lots of questions. I hope you don't mind.

I would like eventually to learn about butter in Normandy, being completely and utterly a butter freak.

[Meanderer]

One product worth a mention is Domfront poire. I became nearly addicted to it on a recent visit to the region and, regretfully, I have had to do without since my return home as it appears not to be available around here.

[wkl]

abra- i can highly reccomend the coeur de lion vsop or any of their calvados for that matter. it is an excellent line up. some of their older bottlings are superb.

[Chufi]

I would also love to hear more about cookbooks that focus on regional cooking. Or other resources (websites maybe?)

If I wanted to cook a Normandy dinner, where would I go for information, recipes?

[Carlovski]

Normandy is another of those regions that has become forgotten due to it's embrace of dairy unlike the trendier olive oil led cuisine of the south of France.

Also, do not forget the excellent (and again less fashionable than it Mediterranean counterparts ) seafood from the channel, the cider and the world class cheeses.

And yes, as an Englishman I do find these things hard to say (Although it did used to be ours...)

[Ptipois]

I would also love to hear more about cookbooks that focus on regional cooking. Or other resources (websites maybe?)

If I wanted to cook a Normandy dinner, where would I go for information, recipes?

←

One good source is Simone Morand's Gastronomie normande, now unfortunately out of print. Alan Davidson in his Seafood of the North Atlantic has a good section on Norman seafood dishes. Websites: I do not know many, but take a look at this one. The recipes are interesting.

If I hear about other books or websites, I'll post about them here. Having been brought up partly in Normandy, I do not have much documentation on the food of that region. Much of what I am posting here comes out of my memory. It will not be the same for other regions.

[Ptipois]

One product worth a mention is Domfront poire.  I became nearly addicted to it on a recent visit to the region and, regretfully, I have had to do without since my return home as it appears not to be available around here.

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Poiré is delicious and made all over Normandy, but the Domfrontais poiré is the most famous. The poirés made by Eric Bordelet deserve their reputation.

[Ptipois]

I think your point about the traditional borders that historically fell within a countryside is a really great way to begin, Ptipois.  There are many maps to France.  Although we maneuver through this country with the contemporary divisions lined out on paper and roads to follow clearly by color and size, sometimes the markings of the food maps are not as clear.  Taking in the history and geography that created the traditional Pays is so important.  It is a very good thought to begin.  Thank you for doing this series.      I'm going to have lots of questions.  I hope you don't mind. 

I would like eventually to learn about butter in Normandy, being completely and utterly a butter freak. 

←

I'll be delighted to answer your questions, if I do have the answers of course!

Indeed "pays" are the easiest and most significant way to understand the food geography of France. However, while there are "pays" all over the country, they do not have equal importance depending on the regions. In Normandy, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Picardie (in the Northwest, roughly) they are small, with a lot of character.

There are many possible approaches to the food of a region. Mine will be based on products, from which other questions will arise. Cream, butter, calvados, cider, apple, meat, charcuterie, seafood = enough to draw the landscape.

[Dave Hatfield]

Wandering around Normany in Google I've found a couple of links that look useful:

Haute

Basse

There seem to be quite a few recipes. Haven't had a chance to try any as of yet.

Edit: Think I jumped too soon on these links. Now that I delve further I find that although there are some nice recipes here they are not specific to Normandy. Still the site is interesting in general.

I shall persevere.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Dave Hatfield (log)

[Ptipois]

Edit: Think I jumped too soon on these links. Now that I delve further I find that although there are some nice recipes here they are not specific to Normandy. Still the site is interesting in general.

←

I see what you mean: when you're on either of the Normandy pages the link to recipes leads you to recipes by the resident chef of the website, which are not particularly Norman. But I am sure you can find other websites.

True, Norman cooking is not very stylish these days, indeed olive oil cuisines are much more in style. And although great chefs will be known for their Mediterraneanity or Southwesterness, you no longer see a chef being publicized as a Norman. However, there is nothing uncontemporary in the Norman habit of treating perfect ingredients as simply as possible, with the added pleasure of dousing them with what is probably the best cream in the world (more on that later). The first French cookbook in history, Le Viandier, was written by a Norman chef, Guillaume Tirel dit Taillevent, in the 14th century.

Other great Norman chefs in history were (and are):

- Alfred Prunier, a specialist of seafood, who founded the Paris restaurant of the same name, where typically Norman dishes like sole à la normande and marmite dieppoise used to be served.

- Alexandre Choron, creator of the eponymous sauce (a béarnaise enriched with tomato purée). History also kept track of his ability to cook dishes from strange meats. During the 1870 siege of Paris, his Christmas menu, based on animals from the Jardin d'acclimatation (the zoo), has remained famous: "kangaroo civet", "elephant bourguignon", "elephant trunk in chasseur sauce", or more simply "cat surrounded by rats". A fierce sense of humor is one of the main aspects of the Norman regional character. Other traits include a developed sense of business, a tendency to argue, and noncommittal, ambiguous discourse ("réponse de Normand").

- Auguste Fauchon, a caterer whose business is still thriving on place de la Madeleine in Paris,

- Gaston Lenôtre, born in Caorches-Saint-Nicolas (Eure),

- Eric Fréchon, chef at Le Bristol (Paris).

[Abra]

Shall we be like the Italy forum and do some cooking and picture-taking in these wonderful new regional threads? Or is more an intellectual exercise?

Edited June 15, 2007 by Abra (log)

[John Talbott]

Shall we be lke the Italy forum and do some cooking and picture-taking in these wonderful new regional threads?  Or is more an intellectual exercise?

←

This is our Forum, so we can do as many photos as we want; no need to be completely cerebral.

[bleudauvergne]

I'm all for photos...

[loladrian]

wow Ptipois, thanks for opening this up. I am new to France and loving every minute of learning about the cuisine. Aside from a quick trip to Provence, I haven't been outside of Paris to explore. What a great way to open the horizon. I would love to get my hands on some great Norman creams. Where could one find some quality Norman products here in Paris? Or must I take a field trip?

Edited June 15, 2007 by loladrian (log)

[Ptipois]

Loladrian, thanks for this question. A great coincidence since I was just about to resume this study of Norman food with one of its chief ingredients: cream.

The question of Norman cream does deserve some explanation since many people, even in France, are unaware of what the term really means. True Norman cream is "crème crue", unpasteurized, naturally fermented, and you may find it in Normandy, directly at the farm; or on country markets; or sold by the bulk by cheese vendors all over France, whether in shops or at markets. AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) Isigny cream is also available in glass jars in supermarkets, as I will recall later.

What complicates the matter is that you will also find other types of cream, which may or not be produced in Normandy, including the ubiquitous "crème fraîche" which is a different product: Norman cream should be sold as "crème fraîche de Normandie" or "crème de Normandie", while more commonplace crème fraîche will be sold as "crème fraîche épaisse" ("épaisse" indicating in this case that the product has been artificially fermented). In traditional Normandy, naturallly thick raw cream is called "crème fraîche", to complicate things even further.

- So crème fraîche épaisse (or just "crème fraîche") is made from cultured pasteurized cream (with bacterial culture added). It is pure white and thick, slightly glossy, like yogurt or sour cream. It is different than AOC Norman cream, though some of it is produced in Normandy. It is sold in round lidded plastic containers.

- Crème liquide or crème fleurette is pasteurized, runny, unfermented cream, white or off-white. It is the equivalent of heavy cream or whipping cream. Much of it is also produced in Normandy, but it is still not "crème fraîche de Normandie". It is sold in cartons or plastic bottles.

- Crème crue de Normandie is not pasteurized and not artificially fermented (theoretically, no bacterial culture added). It is naturally thickened and its color is pale yellow. It is, typically, not glossy, with a matte aspect. It is similar to Jersey cream, but it gets its slightly sourer taste from natural fermentation. It is preferrably obtained from the milk of Norman or Jersey cows, and the cows should not have eaten any fermented food (ensilage) which gives milk a bad taste. They have fed on grass, hay, or beets in Winter. A Norman cow, anyway, is supposed to eat grass from the meadow all year round. Hence variations in the color of the milk/cream/butter. In Winter, the cream is of a very pale yelllow, and as cows graze the rich new grass in the Spring the color is, gradually, of a more decided yellow, to achieve a bright buttercup color in June and July. Naturally that color is also visible in farm butter.

Being a pure, unprocessed product, Norman cream goes through several evolution stages. When newly separated from the milk, it is very runny, like crème fleurette, and when you buy it at the market you may well believe you are buying thin, whipping cream. But if you leave the container for a couple of days in your refrigerator, you may have the surprise, when you open it again, to see it has thickened considerably. The more you will keep it, the harder it will be; very rich Norman creams, after a 10-day stay in the fridge, may even look like butter. The organoleptic qualities of that unique cream, coupled with natural ferments in the air, create that texture. Of course, if the temperature is too high, the fermentation will be excessive and the cream will go sour. Which is why it is better to let the natural fermentation process take place in a cool place. In the old days, new cream would be poured into an earthenware jar which would then be secured with ropes and taken halfway down a well and left there to thicken.

You do not cook with Norman cream the way you cook with other creams. Crème fraîche, crème liquide, crème fleurette can be heated, boiled and reduced. Norman cream has to be added at the end of cooking and should never boil. Of course it will not curdle if you boil it or reduce the sauce that contains it, but it will be a waste for its fresh taste will be lost.

It is also possible to whip Norman cream (it produces whipped cream with a very distinctive taste), however thick it is. The trick is to thin it down, never with milk, but with water. Then you may whip it like crème fleurette.

How do you recognize, how do you get Norman cream? In cheese shops or on markets, check for the presence of the label "AOC Isigny". The cream will often be ladled into plastic containers from large white buckets; you'll see its unmistakable yellow hue. Depending on its age, it may be very runny (especially if you buy it in Normandy) or thick and unctuous.

In supermarkets, look for cylindrical glass jars with a screw top or a plastic lid, with the label clearly reading "crème fraîche d'Isigny" with the AOC mentioned. It is not technically "crème fraîche" and there is no mention of pasteurizing, but on some jars there is a mention of "selected lactic cultures". However, since the same jars mention that the cream is "naturally thick", it is not clear how much of a culture has been added, or if it actually has been added. Minimal processing is probably part of the legal requirements.

If you are lucky enough to buy cream at the farm or on producers' stalles on Norman markets, it will not contain any added cultures.

I have found that crème de Normandie keeps much longer than it is supposed to, if you do not open the jar; it is a self-preserving product. One month in a cold refrigerator is not too long, if you will let it age that much (of course, the fresher, the better). The only thing to remember is that it always has to be touched with clean utensils; if you scoop it out with a spoon that has touched another food, even slightly, the cream will go sour and might even get mouldy.

Edited June 15, 2007 by Ptipois (log)

[Dave Hatfield]

- Crème crue de Normandie is not pasteurized and not artificially fermented (theoretically, no bacterial culture added). It is naturally thickened and its color is pale yellow. It is, typically, not glossy, with a matte aspect. It is similar to Jersey cream, but it gets its slightly sourer taste from natural fermentation. It is preferrably obtained from the milk of Norman or Jersey cows, and the cows should not have eaten any fermented food (ensilage) which gives milk a bad taste. They have fed on grass, hay, or beets in Winter. A Norman cow, anyway, is supposed to eat grass from the meadow all year round. Hence variations in the color of the milk/cream/butter. In Winter, the cream is of a very pale yelllow, and as cows graze the rich new grass in the Spring the color is, gradually, of a more decided yellow, to achieve a bright buttercup color in June and July. Naturally that color is also visible in farm butter.

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Ptipois

What is the relationship, if any between crème crue de Normandie and the 'clotted cream' from Devon & Cornwall?

They sound as if they are similar??

Just curious.

Dave

[Abra]

That's fascinating, Pti. What's your favorite use of creme crue? It sounds like a bowl of fresh strawberries would be perfect with it, but how about its use in savory dishes?

[Ptipois]

Dave, there is an essential difference: Norman cream is a raw, natural, unprocessed product, while clotted cream is scalded, therefore the fermentation process is stopped by the heating. Hence the very mild, buttery taste of the cream. Norman cream gets a slightly tart taste from its natural fermentation and also has a different texture.

Devon cream and clotted cream are a "cooked" cream product, like Turkish kaymak, Italian mascarpone and Indian malai.

Abra: in savory dishes, just add the cream or incorporate it into sauces shortly before serving. On its own, serve it with strawberries, warm fruit tarts, warm puddings, etc.

[Jean Blanchard]

Great discussion! As far as cookbooks goes, I have been cooking from The Norman Table by Claude Guermont for years now. Wonderful, simple recipes that, as has been said, are just made with the best ingredients you can find.

P.S. You can still buy the cookbook at Amazon.

[Ptipois]

Oh yes, the Claude Guermont book. I love it and bought it in the US when it was first published, back in the mid-80s. It was nice to read those recipes from back home, even though Guermont's origins are in the Orne, and I am from the pays de Caux. It is one of my favorite cookbooks. I ordered a used copy from Amazon a few years ago, since I had left my first copy in the US when I moved back to France.

I had not mentioned it because I was not sure the book was still available. I'm glad to know it may still be ordered.