a party in the land of pancakes
What better place than Brittany to celebrate Candlemas? It must be said that nowhere else are pancakes as tasty as in the land of the round hats. Recipe, secrets and traditions, after a Christmas made in Dinan, we invite you to spend Candlemas in the colors of Brittany.
Heat the billig!
The recipe for a 100% Breton candlestick!
In Brittany, it is said that there is a pancake recipe per steeple! If some will tell you that they are eaten with honey, others add rum, pastis or orange blossom. So you would have to celebrate Candlemas more than once in Brittany to be able to taste the Breton crêpe in all its forms.
On the other hand, the Bretons are unanimous: no Candlemas without a bowl of cider to accompany the tasting!
The advantage of Brittany for pancake lovers? La Chandeleur here is a bit all year round!
And if you want to celebrate it Breton style, we have the perfect recipe for a family cooking workshop.
Ingredients for 100% Breton pancakes
- Wheat flour: 250g
- Sugar: 10g
- Butter: 40g
- Milk: 50 cl
- Eggs: 4
Preparation steps
Put on the apron
Sift the flour into a bowl then crack the eggs in the center
Mix, add flour and sugar
Add the melted butter to the dough
Gradually pour in the milk, stirring to obtain a smooth, lump-free paste.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour
In a non-stick pan, melt a knob of butter over medium heat then pour a little batter to make the pancake. Cook it for about 1 minute on each side
Renew (at will)
Simple and delicious, the preparation of the dough will appeal to young and old alike. The good news ? When it comes to Breton crepes, everyone gets their hands dirty!
Our little tipDecorate at least one of your pancakes with salted butter caramel. This is an opportunity to taste two Breton specialties for Candlemas: one stone, two knocks!
Why do we celebrate Candlemas?
Sweet or savory pancakes, with jam, honey or salted butter caramel, Candlemas is celebrated in a thousand and one ways in Brittany.
Yet originally, Candlemas was a pagan custom called the Candlemas Festival. The tradition wanted that the peasants furrow their grounds, a torch in the hand, to purify them before sowing. On this occasion, they prepared pancakes with the flour of the previous year to avoid a bad harvest the following year.
If your Breton friends suggest you get together to celebrate Gouel ar Gouloù, prepare the pancakes and the cider. While elsewhere sweet pancakes are in the spotlight for dessert, a Candlemas in Brittany is an opportunity to have a 100% pancake meal!
Did you know?The first pancake should be sautéed with the right hand, holding a coin in the left hand. If the pancake falls correctly, it's a sign that you won't run out of money for the rest of the year!
Wheat pancake or buckwheat galette?
A question that is often debated between the Bretons themselves. While Chocolatine VS Pain au chocolat is animating debates all over France, Brittany has its own battle: pancake or galette?
In Dinan-Cap Fréhel, we all agree: we eat both buckwheat pancakes and wheat pancakes, as a starter, main course or dessert.
Our tip:For a Candlemas
- in Côtes d'Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine: prefer the word “galette” for the main course and “crêpe” for the sweet dessert.
- in Finistère and Morbihan: talk about pancakes (and that's it)!
Don't worry, you will always be invited for Candlemas, no matter what name you give to this local specialty.
Finally, isn't the most important thing to enjoy?
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