Repast

Salicorne: a Product of Brittany's Salty Marshes

Clotilde from http://chocolateandzucchini.com/ wrote an interesting post last week about salicorne, a vegetable easy-to-find in Brittany.  She describes it as being "not quite a vegetable but not quite a seaweed."  It's incredible what Breton maritime traditions have contributed to cuisine!  Now, my curiosity is killing me!  I have to find salicorne asap and try it.  It grows along the seashore and salty marshes of Brittany and is harvested in early spring-late summer.  Clotilde describes how her mother would add pickled salicorne to salads during their stays in Brittany. 

The "flavour guy" at montrealfood.com describes salicorne as the "taste of summer by the sea."  He explains that it's slightly salty without being overpowering and that it has an herbal taste.  Apparently, many chefs serve it steamed under fish or fried in butter or olive oil.  Either way sounds delicious to me.  Could I find this salicorne in NYC?? 

Seaweed in Brittany

I am totally obsessed with those rich sablés Breton that I tried while in Pont-Aven.  They are the most delicious butter cookies I’ve ever had. 

What’s the secret?  Is it perhaps the salted butter that they use?  Surrounded by beautiful coasts, Brittany is known for its grey sea salt (sel gris) and fleur de sel.  At Formaggio Essex we sell fleur de sel from Ile de Ré. 

After munching on these sablés, I tried an intriguing and very unique cookie made with raisins, oats, and SEAWEED!  I knew that seaweed was commonly used in much of Breton cuisine but I had no idea to what extent.  Bretons have been collecting seaweed for centuries.  It’s traditionally used while boiling water to create a sauce.  A drive along the Côte des Abers seems to pay tribute to the cultural importance of the local seaweed-gathering industry in Brittany.  I would recommend making at least 2 stops along the drive: Plouguerneau (écomusée des goémoniers – museum of the local seaweed-gathering industry) and the Aber Wrac’h Harbor.  You could see the seaweed gatherers going out to sea and chopping the seaweed up with mincing machines and bringing them into port to dry.   

I typed “Brittany Seaweed” into google and was surprised at the number of sites that I saw either discussing Breton seaweed or selling it: dried seaweed salad, mustard with 3 seaweeds, Breton sea salt with seaweed, and even a bar of soap with red Breton seaweed.  One site even mentioned seaweed cooking classes in Plouguerneau! 

Europe’s largest seaweed port is located in Lanildut, a town in Brittany on the Côte des Abers.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the seaweed harvesting industry in Brittany dated back to the Celtics.