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Our French Aisles
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The West of France
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The west of France regroups 3 regions: Brittany, the Loire region, and Poitou-Charentes. Brittany includes 4 departments (Cotes-d'Armor, Finistere, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan), so does Poitou-Charentes (which encompasses Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sevres and Vienne). The Loire region has 5 departments (Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe and Vendee). Western France is well known for its magnificent castles, located mainly in the Loire valley, and for its monuments reflecting its long history in general. Brittany, for example, was already a populated region before 8000 BC. Signs of this civilization still remain, such as the menhirs and dolmens of the city of Carnac. But the West is also a great region for gastronomy and wine production. The Food Specialties This group of regions is very heterogeneous when it comes to food specialties. Brittany, the Loire region and Poitou have very different influences regarding their culinary traditions, even if they are very close geographically. That is why we will present the different specialties by region. Brittany’s specialties: Brittany is known worldwide for its desserts and for its “crepes” (large pancakes), which can be eaten as a main course (when made of buckwheat flour) or as a dessert (when made of wheat flour). Crepes are often eaten with apple cider, another specialty of Brittany.
In The Loire region, specialties are more about poultries and games. Thus, you will find: - The Rillettes from Le Mans (Rillettes are made by gently cooking delicately seasoned meat until tender, then pounding into a smooth paste)
Excellent cheeses are also produced here like:
Wines and Liquors The West of France has one producing region: the Loire Valley. However, the whole of this wine producing territory is spread between 2 groups of regions: The West and the Center. On this page, we will only mention the western part of the Loire Valley, thus excluding the wines from Touraine and the east of the Loire Valley, which will be detailed on the page dedicated to the Centre region. The western part of the Loire Valley produces mostly white wines (more than 75% of the production), although fruity reds (made with Cabernet Franc grapes essentially) and very good roses AOCs are also made here. AOC or « Appellation d'origine controlée » or « Controlled term of origin » are governed by laws which dictate the composition of the wine as well as various producing techniques. The grapes used for white wines are mainly Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon. The most famous wines of the western Loire Valley are: - Muscadet AOC (dry white wine)
Cognac gets better over the years. Different denominations exist to classify the best among the best: - The Cognac V.S. (Very special): which can be sold at the age of 2 years old
Cointreau, for its part, is an orange liqueur that is produced in the region of Angers. Cointreau is drunk as an aperitif or used in cooking. How to pair wines from Western France and food? Here are a few tips: > Pair Saumur Champigny with red meat, patés or sausages
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