French Identity Through the Crêpe

Michaela Harrington, Jessica Murray, and Cate Wardinski

Introduction

National identity is one of the more difficult cultural elements to pinpoint within a country. One must consider what exactly constitutes a national identity. Is it the athletic pastimes, the cuisine consumed, or the moral beliefs that each citizen holds? Rather, it’s a combination of all of the aforementioned items. The average Joe associates France with baguettes, berets, and brie among other stereotypical ‘French’ symbols. However, French identity goes beyond superficial observations; it’s not about the food they eat, it’s about the beliefs that they hold along with the food that truly shapes who they are as a people (Parker, 2015). Nevertheless certain foods create more of a sense of national identity than others. This paper will discuss the effect the crêpe has had on France's national identity. The crêpe not only creates a sense of national identity due to its widespread consumption and its connection to the beliefs French citizens hold about their food, it also cements the regional identities that are established through the concept of terroir.

An Overview of French National Identity and Crêpes

So what makes the French “French”? For starters, their dedication to food is unmatched by any other country in the world. Consequently, most of their common national beliefs center around their perception of food. First and foremost, the French believe that food should be carefully crafted at a leisurely pace. Rather they don’t rush through the preparation of their meals instead, they set aside time in their day to consume their food without any distractions. In addition, the French believe that food should bring people together. This belief is evident in the gastronomic meal; a time when family and friends gather to share a meal in a similar manner as American Thanksgiving. Lastly, the French believe that food should be crafted to the highest possible caliber. Meaning that food should not only be created with time and care, but also that the highest quality ingredients available should be used. This means going above and beyond in finding the perfect ingredients for each dish, which brings us to the concept of terroir. Terroir will be covered at length later in this essay, but to summarize terroir revolves around the idea that food tastes different depending on where it was grown. For example, certain areas have the best soil for particular food products (i.e, champagne is only to a be produced in the Champagne region of France) thus creating regional specialties (Parker, 2015).

Crêpes are known worldwide but they have been adopted by so many cultures that it is difficult to recognize a proper French crêpe. Crêpes are made out of pancake-like batter and are cooked thin over a flat top grill. The batter generally consists of eggs, sugar, and some sort of wheat product (Brittany Crêpes and Galettes). It is cooked until the edges are slightly brown and then it is flipped and cooked on the other side. However, the wheat product chosen for the batter as well as the fillings are what distinguish one crêpe from another. Fillings can either be placed inside a crêpe or on top of it. French crêpes are typically sold in Crêperies; sit-down restaurants where crêpes are eaten using utensils.

History of Crêpes

The crêpe originated in Brittany, the northwest corner of France. Traditionally, not much was able to grow on Breton moors as the landscape was too harsh for most agricultural products. However, buckwheat was introduced in the 12th century and immediately took to the rocky soil. The Bretons made use of this fiber-rich, high-protein grain by grinding it down and combining it with water and salt to make a batter. They would then cook the batter on a hot surface with some butter and add whatever fresh food they had lying around to complete the meal. At the time of their invention crêpes were considered peasant food, but their societal ranking changed drastically in 1895 when Henri Charpentier brought them into the world of high cuisine (or "haute cuisine") with the creation of crêpes Suzette (King, 2018).

Sweet vs Savory

Crêpes can be either sweet or savory depending on the meal at which they are being served. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Sweet crêpes are usually eaten for dessert. They are traditionally made with wheat flour and topped with lemon and sugar. Common fillings include fruits, chocolate, nutella, and whipped cream. Savory crêpes are usually eaten for lunch or dinner and are made with buckwheat flour. Fillings traditionally include ham, cheese, and egg. Breakfast crêpes can be sweet or savory depending upon the tastes of the person making them (Crepes | The Real French Foods, 2018).

Famous Crêpes

Despite the abundant varieties of French crêpes, the following are the most well-known: crêpes Suzette, la « crêpe du chat, » la crêpe Gigi, and la crêpe bretonne (Le top 4 des crêpes les plus célèbres, 2018).

As previously mentioned, crêpes Suzette was invented in 1895 by Henri Charpentier when he was working for Café de Paris in Monaco. According legend, the Prince of Wales had been dining at said restaurant and requested a luxurious crêpe dessert. In a moment of inspiration, Charpentier threw some orange and brandy onto a crêpe and lit the entire concoction on fire. Thus the iconic crêpe Suzette was born, and appropriately named after the Prince’s dinner guest that historic evening (Le top 4 des crêpes les plus célèbres, 2018).

La « crêpe du chat » is the most recent buckwheat flour crêpe to have been created. It can be distinguished from other buckwheat varieties as it is much smaller in size due to a lack of dough (Le top 4 des crêpes les plus célèbres, 2018).

La crêpe Gigi is actually a fictitious crêpe. However, it was mentioned in the popular French comedy from the 1970’s French Fried Vacation 2 (French title: Les bronzés font du ski) so it has maintained its relevance in French culture (Le top 4 des crêpes les plus célèbres, 2018).

The dialogue:

• Euh, qu’est-ce que c’est que la crêpe Gigi ? Uh, what is the Gigi pancake?

• Et bien, la crêpe Gigi, c’est une fine couche de sarrasin, saisie dessus dessous, et parsemée de pétales de rose tièdes. C’est délicieux ! Well, the Gigi pancake, it’s a thin layer of buckwheat, seized underneath, and sprinkled with warm rose petals. It’s delicious!

• Ah oui, certainement… Je vais vous prendre (euh) une crêpe au sucre avec une bière. Ah yes, of course… I’ll take (uh) a sweet crêpe and a beer.

• Ah non non non, je m’excuse monsieur, nous ne faisons pas ça ici. Vous vous êtes trompés d’établissement. Vous avez toutes nos crêpes sur la carte. Oh no no no, I apologize sir, we do not make that here. You have misjudged this establishment. All of our crêpes are listed on the menu.

• Vous avez de la pâte ! Vous avez du sucre ! Alors avec la pâte, vous faites une crêpe et vous mettez du sucre dessous ! You have dough! You have sugar! So with the dough, you make a crêpe and you put sugar on it!

• Aaah ! Mais qu’est-ce que c’est que ce type-là ! On croit rêver ! Aaah! But what is with this guy here! You must be joking !

• C’est vrai ! Où c’est qui se croit celui-là ! Tête de con ! It’s true! Where does he think he is! Idiot!

Finally, la crêpe bretonne is the descendant of the first crêpe ever created. It is a buckwheat crêpe that originates from the region of Britanny, thus crêpes made in this region are the considered to be the most authentic and of the highest quality (Le top 4 des crêpes les plus célèbres, 2018).

Terroir

Terroir is the idea that the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a food is the product of the environment in which said food was produced. The French value terroir to the extent that they created the AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) which is a certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products based on the concept of terroir and regulated by INAO (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité.) In fact, there was an effort made to attain an AOC for Brittany’s buckwheat (blé noir de Bretagne.) Although the certification has not yet been approved, France’s push to achieve this prestigious label yet again demonstrates their unmatched devotion to high quality ingredients (Parker, 2015) (Crêpe bretonne, 2018).

Of course la crêpe bretonne is the original and therefore the most authentic crêpe available in France, but the popularity of this dish has made it possible for each region to come up with their own variation in accordance with local terroir.

Northeastern Varieties:

The regions bordering Germany (Hauts de France et Alsace) have incorporated beer into their crêpe batter for added flavor. On a similar vein, they add Calvados (an apple or pear brandy) to the batter in Normandy. This region is also known for medieval vautes which are a crêpe traditionally filled with apples or cherries (Crêpe -variétés ou...)