Fertilized with seaweed, they produce fine potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, artichokes, peas, string beans and strawberries. The quality of locally-produced ingredients lends itself to the simple Breton cuisine, which brings out natural flavours rather than concealing them with elaborate sauces. The salt meadows of lower Brittany add a distinctive flavour to Breton livestock and game. They can be bought ready-made in the local shops. Little or no cheese is produced in Brittany, but some of the finest butter in the world comes from here - it is slightly salted, unlike the butter from the other regions of France.
Cider is frequently drunk with food, as well as wine.
The popular wine, Muscadet , comes from the extreme southern point of Brittany, at the head of the Loire Estuary, near Nantes. It is a dry, fruity white wine that goes very well with shellfish, especially oysters. Terms and Conditions apply.