Should we say crêpe or galette? This endless debate around the emblem of Breton cuisine will not be settled by this documentary that makes you smile. If there is an infinite number of recipes, “buckwheat is the only thing that unifies them”, explains Jacques Thorel, former starred chef and great collector of culinary literature, whose library contains more than 10,000 works. The latter directs the viewer to a local curiosity, a man named Yannick Lomenech, residing in Gestel, in Morbihan. This breeder feeds his poultry with… kouign-amann, Breton cakes and pancakes. “It gives them a much creamier taste, a marbled flesh, like Kobe beef,” he assures. He initiated this special scheme in 2019 after recovering unsold goods from a biscuit factory.
“We must stop diverting products”
Innovation against respect for tradition: the film likes to confront here purists with audacious chefs, who do not hesitate to revisit the local culinary treasures. Take the famous kouign-amann. This sacrosanct cake, made up of a third of butter, sugar and flour, born around 1860 in Douarnenez (Finistère), was the subject of a severe overhaul by the provocative pastry chef Georges Larnicol. Since 2003, he has been creating mini-portions, available in several flavors, baptized by his care “kouignettes”. And after the sweet, he is now launching kouign-amann sandwiches!
Something to offend the Douarnesian baker Thierry Lucas. “It’s like putting peas instead of beans for a cassoulet. In Castelnaudary, they would tear their hair out! We must stop diverting products”, he protests. A fight shared by the very serious brotherhood of andouille sausage lovers, who came to lend a hand to the two artisan butchers from the emblematic town of Guéméné, to preserve the authentic design of its flagship product, recognizable by its concentric circles ( “A work of haute couture”, said one of them), battered by competition from the agri-food industry.
Tuesday January 31 at 9 p.m. on France 5. Documentary by Frédérique Mergey and Morgane Courgeon (2023). 52 mins. (Available in replay on france.tv).
