Tuesday 18 August 2009

The English abroad (part 1 of a few)

Being english we are aware that we speak the same language as all the gods etc. We also possess the only worthwhile culture. As to culinary knowledge and expertise? well England has it all. Consider, if you will the following tale.

On arrival in Brittany (France) some of our party drove to the nearest town and bought supplies. Amongst those supplies were about 6 1 litre bottles of Lait Ribot. Elementary french class lait = milk, great!

First bottle is opened, added to tea and curdles, second bottle is opened and declared 'off' bottles 3,4,5 and six follow. I look carefully at the labelling and see that it says something about fermente but am out voted and sent back to the shop where my friend and I tell the young lady repeatedly that the milk is bad, IT'S BAD, le lait est mal etc. She refunds the money for the 6 opened bottles and we buy some sterilized milk.

I tried to research lait ribot but only found a brief mention in a cookery book about drinking it with crepes.
It was only when I got home and googled that I found that this regional delicacy is a fermented milk which is traditionally drunk with crepes.

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