On Feb 2, all over northern France, people are eating crêpes in order to celebrate Chandeleur or Candlemas, which marks the purification of the Virgin Mary and the final presentation of the baby Jesus. It also marks the start to the Lent season. And while we don't actually do anything for Lent (the only thing we give up ever year for Lent is giving things up for Lent), we are big believers in a holy day whose traditions revolve around eating crêpes. That is really the kind of religious tradition I can get behind, with 100% conviction. I guess that makes me egg-nostic (ugh).
Most of the Parisians will eat what I call "basic" crêpes -- the traditional street crêpe menu that almost never varies. For the meal, you can have what is actually called a galette, if you're being true to the Breton routes, or a crêpe salée (salty/savory), if you just want to distinguish from the sweet ones. A true galette is darker brown in color, with a nutty flavor, because of the buckwheat flour used in the batter. Galettes are usually filled with gruyère cheese, ham, and, if you order the "complète", also an egg. However, tradition dictates actually making the crêpe yourself on this day, flipping it in one hand and holding a coin in the other hand. If you manage to catch the crêpe, you'll get your wish -- and presumably have prosperity -- for the coming year.
For the dessert crêpes, the usual filling choices are simple sugar, sugar and lemon, jam (almost always apricot), caramel (on the menu if you're lucky), and the ubiquitous first choice of seemingly 99% of the population: nutella (the chocolate/hazelnut spread shown below in all its melting, oozy glory, before the folding process).
However, it must be remembered that we are from San Francisco. Therefore, we believe in innovation in our food -- such as pizzas topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, barbecued chicken, blue cheese, caramelized onions, jalapeño, and/or feta (according to my cousin Kevin: pizza is either plain or with pepperoni, and everything else is just a San Francisco abomination). And so it follows that even though the classic French crêpes are tasty (they're classic for a reason), we still get sick of them and like our crêpes to have creative fillings. The more complicated, the better. The best crêpes we've had so far have been in Bretagne -- which makes sense, since they are originally a Breton food -- and also a great spot right by Versailles, where we had this lovely peach, salted caramel, peach ice cream, whipped cream crêpe.
Most of the Parisians will eat what I call "basic" crêpes -- the traditional street crêpe menu that almost never varies. For the meal, you can have what is actually called a galette, if you're being true to the Breton routes, or a crêpe salée (salty/savory), if you just want to distinguish from the sweet ones. A true galette is darker brown in color, with a nutty flavor, because of the buckwheat flour used in the batter. Galettes are usually filled with gruyère cheese, ham, and, if you order the "complète", also an egg. However, tradition dictates actually making the crêpe yourself on this day, flipping it in one hand and holding a coin in the other hand. If you manage to catch the crêpe, you'll get your wish -- and presumably have prosperity -- for the coming year.
For the dessert crêpes, the usual filling choices are simple sugar, sugar and lemon, jam (almost always apricot), caramel (on the menu if you're lucky), and the ubiquitous first choice of seemingly 99% of the population: nutella (the chocolate/hazelnut spread shown below in all its melting, oozy glory, before the folding process).
However, it must be remembered that we are from San Francisco. Therefore, we believe in innovation in our food -- such as pizzas topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, barbecued chicken, blue cheese, caramelized onions, jalapeño, and/or feta (according to my cousin Kevin: pizza is either plain or with pepperoni, and everything else is just a San Francisco abomination). And so it follows that even though the classic French crêpes are tasty (they're classic for a reason), we still get sick of them and like our crêpes to have creative fillings. The more complicated, the better. The best crêpes we've had so far have been in Bretagne -- which makes sense, since they are originally a Breton food -- and also a great spot right by Versailles, where we had this lovely peach, salted caramel, peach ice cream, whipped cream crêpe.
I often walk past this crêperie, and though the url doesn't actually lead you to the restaurant's page or menu, I love the name and web address nonetheless.
And while this is not specifically crêpe related, I feel like the name creposuk.com leads us directly to this café. Am I the only one juvenile enough to find this funny?
My friend Aurore, who hails from the Marseills area growls, "Those Bretons have taken over everything! In the south, it's not crêpes for La Chandeleur, it's bugne or oreillette," which are doughnuts. I guess that would have worked, too, and I could have titled this posting "Holy Doughnuts." It would be just as bad a pun, and just as delicious a tradition.
1 comment:
Sausage, green peppers, and mushrooms are also acceptable toppings, though I prefer just cheese.
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