What are buckwheat’s nutritional benefits?

Buckwheat’s something of a culinary superhero. It’s gluten-free and packed with complete plant proteins , ideal for varying your menus when you’re doing without meat. As regards minerals, it ticks all the boxes, including magnesium , zinc and iron , and it’s also loaded with antioxidants . Result? It boosts energy, digestion and everyday wellbeing, with no frills.

How do you usually cook buckwheat?

There’s nothing routine about buckwheat in the kitchen! Its whole groats can be cooked like rice or quinoa – perfect in salads or as a hot side dish . The flour is used to make galettes of course, as well as pastry doughs, pancakes and gluten-free cakes … For a change, why not try kasha (grilled groats) with its irresistible toasty taste!

Where can I buy PGI buckwheat flour?

You’ll have no problem finding PGI buckwheat flour in supermarkets and organic food shops , at the Maison du Sarrasin in Saint-Malo and at Breton millers, including the Moulin de Keriolet in Cap Sizun and the Moulin de Charbonnière near Rennes, both of which can be visited and have their own shops. The “IGP Bretagne” (PGI Brittany) label on the packet is a guarantee you’re buying real local flour.

What drinks are made from buckwheat?

Buckwheat doesn’t just mean galettes! It’s excellent in drinks as well. In various toasty-tasting artisanal beers , for example, as well as in Breton whisky , providing its roundness, and in infusions . More than enough new ways to tickle your taste buds.

What cosmetic products use buckwheat flour?

Buckwheat flour also sneaks its way into bathrooms, where it’s showcased in gentle exfoliating soaps , purifying clay masks and hydrating oils .

Le sarrasin ou blé noir : histoire, culture et saveurs de Bretagne

Buckwheat is one of Brittany’s favourite plants and has been grown here for centuries. It even earned a quality label in 2010. Gluten-free and rich in proteins and character, it’s a pseudocereal that can be enjoyed as groats (hulled seeds), as flour and in salted butter galettes (savoury pancakes). An emblematic crop with a thousand and one virtues and recipes to its name!

At a glance

What exactly is buckwheat?

Don’t be fooled by its name: buckwheat isn’t a cereal, it’s a flowering plant, a member of the polygonaceae family. A pseudocereal cultivated in Brittany and France since the Middle Ages. Gluten-free, rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements, it’s a real detox ally. Queen of vegetarian cuisine too, what with all its plant proteins. Respectful of biodiversity, hardy… a unique piece of agricultural and culinary heritage!

How is buckwheat cultivated in Brittany?

Buckwheat loves Brittany for its light soils. It’s sown in spring and brightens up the summer with its delicate white flowers. In the region, which is France’s number one production area, it’s harvested in September. Its production was resumed some thirty years ago. The PGI label guarantees its very high quality.

How is buckwheat best enjoyed?

Buckwheat is usually turned into flour for making galettes, but it’s also employed in a whole range of sweet and savoury products.

In its classic version…

Many Breton biscuit factories, including Maison d’Armorine, Carabreizh, Biscuiterie La Bien Nommée and Biscuiterie Penven, incorporate buckwheat into their shortbread and Breton butter biscuit recipes.
In Cancale, Fleur de Ciel produces a buckwheat honey with a woody aroma and creamy texture.

… or more unexpectedly

Bordier further enhances its famous butter with the powerful taste of roasted buckwheat. Its crunchy groats delight the palate.
Buckwheat also adds its groats to Epices Roellinger’s gomasio flower of salt.
Kasha Kasha (grilled buckwheat groats), with its natural hazelnut flavour, makes a great addition to yoghurts and salads.
And for true indulgence, buckwheat goes perfectly with chocolate! Mademoiselle Breizh has a whole range of products made from buckwheat on offer, including a spread and a delicious granola.

Did you know?

In eastern Brittany, there’s no way you can miss out on galette-sausage rolls. The traditional buckwheat galette replaces bread and is wrapped around a grilled artisanal pure pork sausage. Result: a simple, popular, ultra-convivial recipe. Purists eat it as is but some people spice it up with onions and a touch of mustard. Don’t go looking for this local symbol on a crepery’s menu: it’s enjoyed standing up, at markets, festivals, football matches and any other outdoor event you can think of.

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How do you enjoy it as a drink?

Although it is mainly found on our plates, buckwheat can also be enjoyed in the form of hot or cold drinks.

At teatime for example, with Baronny’s “Pays de la Roche aux Fées” rooibos tea (a combination of almonds, cocoa, caramel and grilled buckwheat) or Lindfield’s Gwenn Ha Du Breton green tea, made from buckwheat, caramel, apples and hawthorn.
From the Japanese “soba” for buckwheat and “cha” for tea, sobacha, made from grilled buckwheat, may be rather less well-known but it’s just as delicious and can be drunk hot or cold.
Lancelot and Britt both brew strong-tasting beers made from buckwheat: Telenn Du and Gwiniz Du respectively.
Did you know that the world’s first whisky made entirely from buckwheat, Eddu, was (and still is!) made near Quimper, at the Menhirs Distillery?

Where can I learn to make galettes?

In Saint-Malo, crepes have their temple on Quai Duguay-Trouin: the Atelier de la Crêpe. Come and wield the rozell (batter spreader) on the billig (crepe griddle) as you learn the crepe-maker’s craft’s age-old skills. In this one-of-a-kind workshop created by Bertrand Larcher, founder of the Breizh Café, crepes and galettes won’t hold any more secrets for you! On the programme: private lessons and cooking demonstrations. Courses for professionals are also held all year round. There’s a training restaurant and a shop as well, so you can come and indulge yourself!

Atelier de la Crêpe

Want to find out even more? Immerse yourself in Bertrand Larcher’s book Sarrasin, published by Editions de la Martinière in 2022.
Celebrating buckwheat? Every September, Bertrand Larcher organises the Buckwheat Festival at Breizh Café Farm in Saint-Coulomb, between Cancale and Saint-Malo. Delicious!

Is buckwheat a beauty ally?

Maison Hädenn’s powder shampoo, made in Vannes, is composed of organic buckwheat that strengthens the hair.
A number of Brittany’s artisanal cosmetics brands manufacture products made from buckwheat, including Ma Kibell’s exfoliating soap and clay mask, and Nominoë’s hydrating oil made from buckwheat, sesame and sea fennel.

Where can I enjoy buckwheat in Brittany?

Breton chefs and buckwheat are quite a story!

At the Auberge des Glazicks in Plomodiern (29), Olivier Bellin reimagines “Breton caviar” as an ice cream and introduces lobster into his kig ha farz, a buckwheat flour-based “pot au feu” typical of Finistère.
At the Breizh Café, Brittany and Japan merge on your plate. From Saint-Malo to Cancale by way of Paris and Tokyo, Bertrand Larcher revisits the galette in contemporary versions. In Saint-Malo, he’s also created the Maison du Sarrasin, a tearoom and delicatessen entirely devoted to buckwheat, with a whole range of caramels, biscuits, flours, butters and spreads on offer… all made of buckwheat of course!

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