I hope you don’t mind my diverging a bit from the subject of this blog to share some photos of my recent trip to Brittany.
First, a produce stand at the weekly market in Dinan:
Above left: Beets are usually, if not always, sold cooked. Above right: A liquor stand in the Dinan market features whiskey made from buckwheat.
A seafood stall offered various fishes and . . .
. . . spider crabs and scallops. We chose fresh mackerel for dinner.
At the market we saw cured meats in abundance. . .
And one stall (below) sold blood sausage stewed with apples–a fantastic combination.
This was lunch after a trip to the market. Every day we drank cider, a different brand or style each time. The alcohol content ranged from 3 to 6 percent.
For some people the local market isn’t enough; they grow their own produce in home or community gardens. The community gardens we saw had big plots, each with its own shed. Above is a community garden in the castle town of Fougeres.
One day we went to see the oyster beds at Cancale . . .
. . . and bought some oysters, of course, for dinner. Robert chose the salty wild ones.
At left is one kind of oyster we’d never seen before, “little horse foot,” the native oyster. Does it have an English name?
Finally, here’s a picture from St-Malo, on the coast. We didn’t go into La Maison du Beurre, but no doubt it offered some of Brittany’s famous salted butter.
Salted butter?! Our hosts at dinner one night were surprised we’d had it before–in America, yet! Salted butter is unique to Brittany, no?
Actually, we loved Breton butter not for its salt but for its rich flavor and yellow color–a color that comes not from annatto but from grass in the cows’ diet.
Great photos! The teeth on those fish – yikes! My husband and I are tentatively planning to go abroad either in the fall or spring. Honestly, trying new and/or local food is one of my favorite travel activities. I can’t wait to go!
Hmmm… looks decidedly different than my recent foray through the Lamb and Fiber Festival!
Cheers!
Thanks for the beautiful pics!
Wow its beautiful there, love the outdoor markets. Wouldnt really enjoy eating that big fish with the teeth. I would just imagine those fish eyes starring back at me as I took the first bite.
Beautiful post Linda, thanks for taking the time out to do it, just loved the photos 🙂
Really enjoyed your post, LInda. Thanks! I want to go to St. Malo!
I don’t mind you diverging one bit from the subject – that’s how much I wish we were back in Bretagne. We were there from the 4th-8th of June (not enough time!), and I found your site while looking for info about the restaurant at La Maison du Beurre. Again, not enough time (and us italians not being used to the intermittent rains), so I thank you for sharing your trip and photos and giving me somthing to dream about for the next visit. We were not able to visit even one market while there!
I didn’t know there was a restaurant at La Maison du Beurre! All I noticed in the window was butter.
Great travel/food pics. We just got back from Italy not too long ago, and took many pictures in the markets (and at dinner). I love exploring foods and food customs in other countries, it is one of my inspirations for my own garden and kitchen.
Wonderful! This makes me hungry for both travel and food. The horse foot oysters are really strange-looking.