Norman Food, Drink, and Architecture

Normandie's countryside usually consists of pastures for dairy cows and apple orchards. Many dairy products are created, not the least of these being a wide array of cheeses; Norman cheeses include Camembert, Livarot, Brillat-Savarin, Neufchâtel, and Boursin, just to name a few. Normandy butter and cream are also highly thought of. Seafood is another of Normandie's specialties. Mussels, oysters and scallops are all highly valued delicacies in France, and Normandie is a major producer of all three.


While wine seems to be the national beverage in France, very little wine is in fact made in Normandie. Instead, they specialize in ciders. Apple brandy (especially calvados) is also somewhat popular. The meal trou normand, or Norman break, is a pause between courses during which diners drink a glassful of calvados, and is still observed in many homes and restaurants. Pommeau (an apéritif) is produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy. Another aperitif is the kir normand, also made with cider.

Apples are of course not only used for cider; they are also used in cooking. Indeed, one Norman dish - moules à la normande - combines mussels (another regional specialty) with apples. Different regions within Normandie also have separate variations of apple tarts, and bourdelots (an apple baked in pastry) are a popular desert.
Guillaume Tirel, aka Taillevent, was born in Normandie; he was the cook of Kings Charles the V and VI, and wrote the earliest French cook book. This may contribute the variety and quality of cuisine in this region.

French Norman architecture is very similar to English Norman architecture. Half-timbered buildings are common in upper Normandy; in lower Normandy, the building are characterized instead by the building materiel used - granite. In the commune Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, the houses are often villas with bow windows and multicolored facades.