A Breton galette is a savoury carbohydrate to hold a filling. Woe betide anyone who calls it a pancake or crêpe although it can be ordered in a French crêperie! Unlike a pancake/crêpe which are made with wheat flour and served with a sweet filling, a galette is larger and made from buckwheat flour and contains a savoury filling.

Historically it has been a staple food in Brittany since the 14th century when buckwheat could be easily grown in the most impoverished of soils. The fillings added to a galette are cheese, vegetables, eggs and meat or fish. One of the most popular is slices of ham, egg and grated cheese such as Comté. This is known as galette Complète.

Comté has been crafted for more than ten centuries by the villagers of Jura Massif in eastern France. This mountainous region is home to over 3,000 farms producing the highest quality raw milk required to make this delicious cheese. Only two breeds of cows are used, Montbéliarde and Simmental, though the majority of the milk (95%) still has to be from the Montbéliarde.

Once the cheese wheels have been pre-ripened, they are stored anywhere from 4 - 24 months to mature in the dark caves of the Massif du Jura mountains where they are looked after by the affineurs. Here the cheese absorbs the naturally filtered moisture from cracks in the walls which gives it a unique taste.

Whilst food in France is generally accompanied by wine, a galette is served with cider sipped from a small bowl.
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