A Bite-Sized History of France

cervoise, a fermented barley brew

The Emerald Coast, named for the stunning blue-green waters lapping the shores of northern Brittany, is one of the most beautiful stretches of France’s two-thousand-mile-long coastline. From the stark beauty of Cap Fréhel to the splendid walled city of Saint-Malo, from the white sandy beaches of Val André to the towering majesty of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Brittany coast offers an intoxicating mix of natural beauty and historic charm. Gourmands will enjoy the incredible varieties of mussels, langoustines, and scallops available across the region, alongside traditional Breton specialties like galettes, kouign-amann pastries, and sparkling apple cider. And for shellfish aficionados, one small town on the Emerald Coast is a bull’s-eye destination: Cancale, the oyster capital of Brittany.

So it can be a real shock to try one of the two AOC-protected varieties, Brie de Meaux or Brie de Melun, which fairly ooze onto your plate once you slice through the white rind, and assault your senses with their overwhelmingly pungent fall flavors.

The small town of Valençay, on the edge of the Loire Valley, is rather well known in France despite its diminutive size (historically, around three thousand inhabitants). This is partly due to the delicious wines and cheese that bear its name; in fact, Valençay is the only locale in France to have won an AOC for both its wine and its cheese.

But for a true glimpse of the intersection of French gastronomy and royalty in the seventeenth century, visitors are well advised to seek out the Potager du Roi, the king’s vegetable garden, located just outside the château gates.

And for its residents, it is another of Louis XIV’s creations that remains the most beloved treasure of Versailles: the Place du Marché Notre-Dame, which hosts one of the largest and best food markets in the region.

As all kinds of croissant mutations spread around the world, the French simply shrug their shoulders and pop out to the local boulangerie for a croissant ordinaire (the stereotypical crescent, made with margarine) or even more sublime croissant au beurre (usually a straighter shape, made with butter).

ask for a chocolat mousseux, a frothy hot drink of South American cocoa, milk from local Basque dairies, and vanilla or cinnamon (it may ruin ordinary hot chocolate for you forever, but it’s well worth it)

Today only one confectioner still produces Cotignac d’Orléans using the same medieval techniques, in the old village of Saint-Ay, downriver from Orléans. It is delicious eaten on its own, or with a bit of cheese.

In the small but very charming town of Le Puy-Notre-Dame near Saumur, for example, you can visit a family-run mushroom cave and learn about the history of Loire mushroom culture (and, of course, buy some mushrooms for the road). The even larger Musée du Champignon in nearby Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent offers several levels of underground mushroom exploration and frequent tasting events.