NORMANDY
Normandy is one of the 18 regions that France is divided into. It is a northern region of France.
Normandy is further divided into 5 different administrative regions, namely, Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime.
The Normandy region comprises of roughly 5% of the total population of France.
Now, talking about the gastronomy of the wonderful region of Normandy. It has a vast variety of things that it produces in terms of its organic produce, its dishes, and its specialty.
In France, oysters and turbot are considered to be delicacies. And interestingly, the region of Normandy is the chief oyster cultivating, scallop exporting, mussel raising region in France.
CHEESES OF NORMANDY
Some parts of the Normandy region, consist of beautiful countryside like green pastures which are amazing for dairy cattle and apple orchards.
From this region, a wide variety of dairy products are produced as well as exported locally as well as internationally and are very famous and widely used in cooking traditional and new age dishes. Some of the cheese of Normandy are:
- Camembert
- Livarot
- Boursin
- Petit Suisse
- Brillat Savarin
- Neufchatel
- Pont l’Eveque
CAMEMBERT
This cheese was interestingly first made in 1791 by a Normandian farmer, named Marie Harel. When it was first made, it was made with unpasteurized cow’s milk. As time progressed, farmers and cheese growers started to pasteurize the milk before making camembert cheese. This cheese is made by inoculating warm cow’s milk with mesophilic bacteria. Rennet is then added, and the mixture is allowed to coagulate.
LIVAROT
This is a soft cheese, which is pungent and is a washed rind cheese which is made from cow’’s milk. The milk used to make thus cheese is usually pasteurized depending on the variety of this cheese. This cheese has an aging period of about 6-8 weeks. This cheese is protected by an AOC since 1975, which means that this cheese can only be produced in this region, and its quality is certified by the AOC.
BOURSIN
Boursin cheese a soft cream cheese, which is produced by Normandy in a variety of flavors. The first flavor of the cheese was made in 1957, which was Garlic and Herbs. It was made by a man called Francois Boursin, and thus the name of the cheese. Interestingly, this cheese was the first flavored cheese in France. Some more flavors of this cheese are given below:
- Pepper
- Shallot and Chive
- Red Chili Pepper
- Cranberry and Spice
- Basil and Chive
PETIT SUISSE
The name of the cheese means “Little Swiss Cheese”. Contrary to its name, this cheese was produced in Normandy. This cheese is an un-ripened, unsalted, smooth and creamy cheese. The texture of this cheese is very similar to a thick yogurt. It is made from cow’s milk, with added cream to it. The amount of cream is added till the solids of the cheese have up to 40% of fat content. The cheese is then smoothened and drained in a centrifuge. Interestingly, this cheese can be eaten as a sweet dish, with some added sugar, accompanied with some fruit jam or honey. Another act about this cheese is that it is sometimes applied on rabbit meat, to prevent the meat from drying up.
BRILLAT SAVARIN
This cheese is a soft, white crusted cow’s milk cheese which has about 72% fat in the dry matter of the cheese. It was created in the 1890’s by the Dubac family, who loved cheese, and wanted to try producing some on their own. Aging of the cheese concentrates the amount of protein and the salts in the cheese. Thus, aging is done depending on these factors. This cheese is usually aged for about 2 weeks. Sometimes more too, when another variety of the cheese has to be produced which is saltier and dryer.
NEUFCHATEL
This cheese is also soft cheese. It has however a crumbly texture and it is a mold ripened cheese. This is one of the oldest cheeses in France, and its production is traced to the 6th century. This cheese is similar looking to the Camembert cheese, but its taste it much saltier and sharper. It also has a slight aroma as well as taste of mushrooms.
PONT L’EVEQUE
This cheese is an uncooked and an un pressed cheese. This is one of the most popular cheese in the whole of France. The center is soft and pale yellow in color with a very pungent aroma. This cheese is very soft when pressed, but lacks elasticity when pulled, like mozzarella.
P.T.O
BEST TRADITIONAL DISHES OF NORMANDY
Well, Normandy is famous for a lot of foods, beverages, etc. Now, we will talk about some of the best traditional dishes of Normandy which depict its culture the things that the beautiful region is famous for.
Some of the traditional dishes of Normandy are listed below:
- Marmite Dieppoise
- Meadow Salted Lamb
- Tripes a la mode de caen
- Trou Normand
- Omelette a la Mere Poulard
- Teurgoule
- Anddoille de Vire
- Normandy Apple Tart
- Joue de Boeuf
MARMITE DIEPPOISE
The Marmite Dieppoise is a dish that ensures no seafood is left behind. In a creamy broth combining butter, cider and crème fraîche (all from Normandy, of course) mollusks, crustaceans and fish come together in a creamy, salty fish stew that captures the flavours of the ocean. As the name implies, the dish hails from the seaside town of Dieppe, though it is seen on the menu at many restaurants throughout Normandy, especially in coastal villages.
MEADOW SALTED LAMB
Meadow-salted lamb (agneaux de pré salé in French) comes from the Bay of the mont saint michael and parts of the Cotentin Peninsula. Ocean water periodically permeates the fields the lambs graze, resulting in a naturally (very) salted cut of meat. This practice dates back over 1,000 years and today is designated an Appelation d’origin controlee (AOC) as well as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) under French law.
TRIPES A LA MODE DE CAEN
Tripes à la mode de Caen may be France’s version of the Scottish delicacy, Haggis, as far as its contents and general reaction from non-locals are concerned. Traditionally, the dish used all four chambers of a cow’s stomach, its hooves and bones and a part of the large intestine, though this last ingredient became banned by the French in 1996. The entrails are simmered in the oven for up to 15 hours in a tripière, a special pot intended for the process, along with root vegetables, garlic and peppercorns, a bottle of a cider and a glass of Calvados. Normans believe autumn is the best time to enjoy tripes when cattle eat the falling apples from the trees, adding to the dish’s flavour.
TROU NORMAND
The traditional custom of the Trou Normand is offered either between meal courses or as a dessert. In a small glass, typically the same type used for cordials, the Normandy liqueur calvados is poured over a tangy apple sorbet. Calvados serves as a digestif and helps to awaken the appetite, while the apple sorbet softens the flavour without compromising it. Sometimes, the Trou Normand is simply a shot of Calvados, particularly following seafood dishes, and is said to prevent indigestion.
OMELETTE A LA MERE POULARD
The famous Mère Poulard omelette is renowned for its fluffy texture, served up in a 19th-century inn in the village of Mont Saint-Michel. Though the highly-guarded recipe remains a secret, speculative gourmands believe the white and yellow of the eggs are separated and whipped individually before being combined. Then, cream and butter join in before the mixture is souffléd over high-heat in a copper skillet, specifically one from the town of Villedieu-les-Poêles in Normandy.
TEURGOULE
Teurgoule is a pudding made of rice cooked in milk and sugar and topped with nutmeg and cinnamon. The mixture is baked in earthenware for several hours to create a thick, caramelized crème brûlée-like crust on top. The word teurgoule is said to be a variation of the saying ‘se tordre la goule’meaning ‘twisting the mouth’, a reference to the dish’s hot temperature and spicier flavours in its early days. Teurgoule pairs best with a local cider and fallue, a type of Norman brioche.
ANDOILLE DE VIRE
Andouille de Vire is a sausage from Normandy’s Vire region made from pork that is cut into strips and smoked over the wood of beech trees for weeks before being encased. This artisan production is a recipe that has been passed down for centuries and emblematic of the Bocage region of Normandy, found between Caen and the Mont Saint-Michel.
NORMANDY APPLE TART
What better use of the plethora of apples found in Normandy than a good old-fashioned apple tart? The dessert mostly follows a standard apple tart recipe, with a splash of Calvados and crème fraîche joining the mix for some added Norman flair. It’s best enjoyed on its own, allowing the flavour of the apple to be the star of the show, though it is sometimes served with whipped cream or salted caramel.
JOUE DE BOEUF
The Norman cow is the star yet again in the classic dish, joue de bœuf. This melt-in-your-mouth meal is beef cheek cooked with apples, cider, carrots, onions and a slew of spices and seasonings. The preparation is a lengthy process, spanning over two days of production. The finished product is a tender and flavourful beef that makes for classic comfort food.
BEVERAGES OF NORMANDY
Normandy is a major cider producing region (very little wine is produced). Perry is also produced, but in less significant quantities. Apple brandy, of which the most famous variety is calvados, is also popular. The mealtime trou normand, or “Norman hole”, is a pause between meal courses in which diners partake of a glassful of calvados in order to improve the appetite and make room for the next course, and this is still observed in many homes and restaurants. Pommeau is an apéritif produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy. Another aperitif is the kir normand, a measure of crème de cassis topped up with cider. Bénédictine is produced in Fécamp
Here are some beverages which Normandy is famous for:
- Apple Cider
- Pommeu
- Calvados
APPLE CIDER
The apple cider is very easy and simple to make. One just needs apples. The juice from the apples is extracted and left to ferment for a month or so. Some cider producers also prefer to add yeast to the apple juice to make the fermentation happen faster. Then you store the cider in bottles. You can choose to make either clear or cloudy cider. The cloudy one is made when you do not separate the cider from the yeast, so the fermentation can continue a little bit. To make clear cider you must separate the cider from its yeast. In Normandy, the traditional method consists in using straw for the pressing. The producers install the straw to separate the different layers of apple. It gives more complex aromas to the cider. A second process is part of the Norman way to make cider named “keeving”. It consists in a natural separation step that occurs at a low temperature and very slowly in the early stages of fermentation. It gives a sweetness and a typical characteristic to French cider.
POMMEU
This is the most recent of the three drinks from Normandy. It took off when producers in the 1970’s started using a system called “mutage”. It is the process of adding Calvados to their apple juice with optimal taste and fruitiness. The idea was at first to preserve the juice from losing its flavor over the years. Today, it is named “Pommeau de Normandie” and since 1981 has been sold on the public market. It was given the AOC designation in 1986.The ratio between calvados and apple juice depends on the houses but it is usually of 1/3, 2/3. You can appreciate its flavours directly at the producer’s house on the cider trail. Not as famous and widely produced as cider and calvados, you can appreciate it as an aperitif or on a dessert.
CALVEDOS
Nicknamed Calva in the region, the first traces of this beverage dates back to the 16th century: the recipe for brandy was mentioned by the Lord Goubervilles. Calvados was not particularly popular in France for a long time. But during the terrible Phylloxera epidemic, it became incredibly popular and was designated as an AOC later in 1942.Made from apple juice fermented for a few weeks, it becomes a cider that is then distilled and aged in oak casks for a minimum of 2 years. The very best calvados in terms of quality is made from a double-distillation and comes from the Pays d’Auge. You would appreciate it as an aperitif or as a digestive. But the tradition of the “Trou Normand” holds that it should be drunk between two courses to restore the appetite.
REFERENCES
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