Favorite souvenirs you brought back from Brittany?
 

Planning a trip to Brittany in late October, (still working on our itinerary - too many interesting areas to explore & too little time!), but wondering what "unique to Brittany" items , (in addition to pottery from Quimper), to be aware of while we're there. Any suggestions?

Canned sardines are a local specialty. Really.

Thanks, Fra_Diavolo! I read something about that in one of my guidebooks - some cans even indicate which fishing boat caught them, I think I read. Any particular brand you could recommend?

Sorry -- can't recall a specific brand -- finished the last can over a year ago. In Dinan a food store carried an entire wall of various brands and styles (various sauces, skinless, boneless, etc.). I don't think you can really go wrong.

Other food:

- Fleur de Sel de Guerande (sea salt crystals).
- Rilletes de Saumon (salmon pate).
- algues (algae, used as a seasoning for seafood soups and stews).

Or:

- CDs with Celtic music.
- Celtic artifacts.
- tablecloths etc. with traditional patterns.

I appreciate your response, traveller1959! Speaking of Fleur de Sel de Guerande, I've been wondering whether to try to go to the town of Guerande on a day trip from Vannes, along with other places in the area. Is it "worth" the drive, (interesting enough?), do you know?

Algues I've never heard of, so sounds like something to check out for sure - can you find it at a Monoprix or where best to look for it?

What would be some examples of "Celtic artifacts"? I admit I have been completely ignorant of Brittany until I started researching this trip. I had no idea there were megaliths there or such gorgeous & dramatic coastal areas, pretty "artist" towns, forests, mountains and "home" of the King Arthur legend. Crepes & Quimper were about the only things that came to mind about this region! (Now I know better!)

Also, where to find traditional tablecloths - any suggestions?

Thanks!

I just saw your comments about the sardines in Dinan, Fra_Diavolo - thank you! Do you remember where the store was, by any chance? My husband and I aren't fans of sardines, but a friend of ours loves them so this would be a great gift to bring back.

Hi brioche --

Can't recall exactly, but generally in the area around the Place des Merciers, Rue de L'Horloge. You'll find it, or another just as good.

Geramde is a cute little town - you can see some of the old
salt pans from the road. Lots of shops selling salt! Nice
for a walk through to stretch your legs.

Kenavo Brioche:

To search for products of Brittany:

Firstly, street markets are a good opportunity to buy souvenirs and they are usually a lot of fun. Practically each town has a market on Saturday morning and usually on other days too. Check the town's website, the tourist office or simply look at the "no parking"-signs on the marketplace - they indicate the market days.

Secondly, each supermarket (like Intermarché, Casino, Gèant, Carrefour, Auchan etc.) has regional products. You can buy Fleur de Sel everywhere. It is quite inexpensive, light and makes a good small gift. You can easily recognize regional products because they have a "produit en Bretagne" label. It is yellow-blue with a lighthouse.

I forgot something else: The make fabulous cookies in Bretagne. The best are called "Traou Mad" and they come from a bakery in Pont-Aven, but you can buy them in every supermarket. The come in cheap cardboard packets or in nice tin boxes. Also excellent souvenirs.

Thirdly, you find souvenirs at major archeological sites, e.g. Carnac, Barnenez or others.

BTW, I forgot to mention that I usually bring several bottles of "Eau de Vie de Cidre" or "Lambic" which is a liquor made from apple juice. If you don't like hard liquor, you may try Pommeau which is an apple-based slightly alcoholic apéritif. Since is a Celtic country, they also make Whiskey in Brittany - but it's not my cup of tea...

I agree that the sardines are great! You can find them throughout the region, a though the center of the trade is the workaday port of Douarnenez..

Also, galettes in pretty metal tins.

And you can find the salt plain, and (perhaps for gifts), mixed (with herbs) in various blends for meats, fish, etc.

Local chocolates. Caramels with fleur de sel..

La Belle-iloise is my favourite brand of canned sardines. They have all kinds of varieties.

I didn't even eat sardines till I discovered this brand!

We came across one of the last sabot makers.
I bought a pair in a small size for hanging on my wall.
fleur de sel, gray salt of Guerande, pickled salicornes, seaweeds called legume de mer
and a beautiful tin of the famed butter biscuits, traou mad, in Pont Aven and a few of my empty oyster shells, the Belons
from Riec-sur-Belon.

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all of these suggestions and will take a list with me when we go!

I just looked in my pantry:

A brand of good sardines from Brittany is Connetable.

And also packed in the sardine center of Dournenez is good-quality tuna.
The tuna brands I have (I am sure there are others) are Petit Navire and Connetable. The yellow and green cans from Connetable are so beautiful that I saved one of them!

Thanks, ekscrunchy! I also appreciate beautiful and/or unique packages of special food items bought on trips. We bought a jar of "Pommes Tapees" (dried apples that you simmer in red wine and spices)from "Troglo' Tap" in Turquant, near Saumur that I didn't have the heart to open & use because when I look at that jar of homely dried apples it brings back happy memories of that trip. (Hope they don't ever get moldy!) I have an olive oil bottle,(did use that), that I also have kept - use it for flowers sometimes.

I may have to buy some cans of sardines for "kitchen decor" purposes!

Yes-- just for decoration! Really, some of those cans are so pretty that I wish I could figure out a way to mount them on a sheet of painted wood...I can imagine seeing something like that in a fancy shop someplace! Mine are just stacked up on top of a shelf!

Not on the subject of souvenirs, but there is an article on Belle Ile in Brittany in this week's Sunday Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/travel/getaway...l_of_the_wild/

I hitchhiked around Belle Ile with my friend in 1972. Looks like it might not have changed all that much.

Wow, Nikki, thanks! What a great article! I am, in fact, trying to include a night on Bell-Ile while we're in Brittany, so this is very helpful!

Another idea - if you like honey, you might like chouchen, a mead-like alcoholic drink that is traditional in Brittany.