The term Châteaubriand was applied to a writer before it became applied to a steak. François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, was born in St. Malo, France. He first achieved populârity with his book, The Genius of Christianity. It provoked a post-Revolutionary revival in France. He was also known for the exotic novels he wrote about America. At its conception, the culinary dish Châteaubriand was a recipe, not a cut of meat. It was created for the vicomte by his chef. History is silent on the exact details of the recipe, but the version passed on to me is that a top-quality filet was sandwiched between two lesser-quality steaks and then cooked. This method gave the filet more flavor.
Mont St. Michel is hotly disputed territory: both Normandy and Brittany have traditionally laid claim to it. Mont St. Michel has been a monastery, a church, a fortress, and a prison. It still houses a small monastic community, and it holds the distinction of never having been captured. The island of Mont St. Michel is separated from the mainland at high tide by almost a kilometer of sea. There is a forty-foot difference between the tides. Before a causeway between the island and the mainland was built in 1880, the tides rushed in at a speed of up to 10 miles an hour, and when they went out, they left an ever-changing field of quicksand. In earlier centuries, the only time pilgrims could reach the island was at low tide, through the uncharted fields of quicksand. The pilgrims would entrust that treacherous journey to God, knowing that if their prayers had found grace and favor, then they would pass unharmed. And if not, then they had been judged for their sins.
Brittany is home to dozens of megalith sites totaling thousands of stones. Most of these sites are three thousands years older than Stonehenge. Carnac, in southern Brittany, houses one of the largest megalithic sites in the world. It includes not only the remains of a stone circle, but 3,000 standing stones (menhirs) strung out for over one kilometer. Although closed to the public, the visitors’ center interprets the site. The words menhir and dolmen, used to describe features of megaliths, are taken from the Breton language.
Breton is the only Celtic language still spoken in continental Europe. It is part of the family of languages that includes Welsh and Cornish, and possibly the extinct languages of Cumbric and Pictish. During the Roman occupation of Britain and Gaul, Latin loan-words invaded these languages; eight hundred of them still survive in the modern versions of Breton, Welsh, and Cornish. Breton is still spoken by 500,000 people in Brittany; before World War II, this figure was closer to 1.3 million. The first dictionary in France, published in 1464, was a trilingual dictionary including Breton, French, and Latin.
Pierre Abélard, half of Abélard and Héloïse, one of the most famous couples in history, was born in Le Pallet, near Nantes. An itinerant student, he traveled from school to school and from teacher to teacher before arriving at the school of Notre Dame de Paris. He remained there until he defeated his instructor in a debate, causing him to found his own school. Soon he was offered the chair at his old alma mater: Notre Dame de Paris. It was there that he fell in love with Héloïse, the niece of the canon. She was known for both her intelligence and beauty. Abélard talked himself into being appointed her tutor, and they commenced what would become a legendary love affair. Héloïse’s uncle separated the couple when he found out about their affair, but Abélard continued to see her in private. When she became pregnant, he took her to Brittany to have the child. The couple was married in secret so that Abélard could continue advancing in the church. But like most secrets, this one was not kept, and when the news was made public, Héloïse had no choice but to deny it. And then retire to a convent. Convinced that Abélard was trying to dump his bride, the uncle had him castrated. The couple now shares a tomb in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Medieval French Calendar
January
6 Les Rois Mages (Epiphanie)
14 Saint Hilaire
21 Saint Agnès
25 Conversion de Saint Paul
February
5 Sainte Agathe
6 Shrove Tuesday (1459)
7 Ash Wednesday (1459)
10 Sainte Scholastique
17 Shrove Tuesday (1461)
18 Ash Wednesday (1461)
22 La Chaire de Saint Pierre
24 Saint Matthias
26 Shrove Tuesday (1460)
27 Ash Wednesday (1460)
29 Leap year (1460)
March
2 Shrove Tuesday (1462)
3 Ash Wednesday (1462)
12 Saint Grégoire le Grand
16 Saint Grégoire d’Arménie
17 Saint Patrice
21 Saint Benoît
23 Good Friday (1459)
25 Easter (1459) (Annonciation)
April
3 Good Friday (1461)
5 Easter (1461)
11 Good Friday (1460)
13 Easter (1460)
16 Good Friday (1462)
18 Easter (1462)
21 Saint Anselme
23 Saint Georges
25 Saint Marc
May
1 Saints Jacques et Philippe
3 Ascension (1459)
6 Saint Jean Martyr
13 Pentecôte (1459)
14 Ascencion (1461)
22 Ascencion (1460)
24 Pentecôte (1461)
27 Ascension (1462)
June
1 Pentecôte (1460)
6 Pentecôte (1462)
11 Saint Barnabé
14 Saint Basile le Grand
24 Saint Jean-Baptiste
29 Saint Pierre
30 Saint Paul
July
22 Sainte Marie-Madeleine
25 Saint Jacques le Majeur
26 Sainte Anne
August
4 Saint Dominique
10 Saint Laurent
12 Sainte Claire
13 Sainte Radegonde
15 Assomption
21 Sainte Bernard
24 Saint Barthélemy
28 Saint Augustin
September
14 Saint Etienne
21 Saint Matthieu
29 Saint Michel
October
9 Saint Dynys
28 Saint Simon
November
1 Toussaint
11 Saint Martin de Tours
15 Saint Malo
22 Sainte Cécile
24 Sainte Flora
30 Saint André
December
6 Saint Nicolas
11 Saint Damase, pape
13 Sainte Lucie
21 Saint Thomas, apôtre
25 Noël
26 Saint Etienne
27 Saint Jean, apôtre
28 Les Saints Innocents
29 Saint Thomas Becket
Lexicon of French Cooking Terms
Apéritifs-Drinks served before dinner to stimulate the appetite. Traditionally they have been sweet fortified wines (Banyuls, Muscat, Frontignanc), liqueurs (Porto, Madeira, Samos, Pineau), Vermouth, drinks with a wine base (Martini, Byrrh, Campari), anise-flavored drinks (Pastis, Ricard), whisky, and grain alcohols (gin, vodka, aquavit, sake).
Armagnac-Grape brandy produced in the Gascony region of France that has notes of prune and plum. The best Armagnacs come from the Bas Armagnac (lower Armagnac) district. Unlike the double distillation process for Cognacs, most Aramagnacs are distilled only once and then aged in oak barrels. They are distinguished by designations such as VS, VSOP, and XO, which designate the youngest liquid used in the blend, by the age of the brandy, and by their vintage if the blend of grape juices used in the mix is from the same year.
Baguettes-The classic French bread, it is a crusty, elongated yeast bread made with wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast.
Béchamel sauce-The classic white sauce. Made with butter, flour, milk, and seasoned with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Blanquette de veau-A ragoût made with veal, leeks, carrots, and onions. The thickening of the sauce is done with egg yolks, cream, and lemon juice. Traditionally it is served with white rice or steamed potatoes and a Saint-Joseph wine.
Boeuf bourguignon-A ragoût made using tougher pieces of beef, onions, carrots, bacon, mushrooms, tomato paste, a bottle of red burgundy wine, and seasoned with a bouquet garni and garlic.