Crêpe

A crêpe is a very thin pancake from Brittany — and in Brittany the word covers two different dishes. Sweet ones are made from wheat flour. Savoury ones, called galettes, are made from buckwheat, and they are darker, earthier and a different proposition entirely.

What it actually is

Batter is poured onto a billig — a flat cast-iron griddle — and spread paper-thin with a rozell, a small wooden T-shaped spreader. It cooks in under a minute a side.

Sweet crêpes use wheat flour and are served simply: butter and sugar, sugar and lemon, chocolate spread, or Breton salted butter caramel. Crêpe Suzette is the dressed-up version, with orange butter and Grand Marnier flambéed at the table.

Savoury galettes use buckwheat flour and are folded into a square around a filling. The classic is the galette complète: ham, grated cheese, and an egg cracked straight onto the pan so the white sets and the yolk stays soft in the middle.

They are traditionally eaten with Breton cider, served in a shallow bowl rather than a glass, and they are the food of la Chandeleur on 2 February.

How it's served

• Folded into a square for savoury, with the yolk showing in the middle.
• Rolled or folded into quarters for sweet.
• Straight from the griddle, which is why crêperies plate them one at a time.
• From a street stand, folded into paper — a strong takeaway item.

Writing it on a menu

• Separate sweet from savoury, and use the word galette for the buckwheat ones. It is not a synonym.
• Be careful with the gluten-free claim. Pure buckwheat contains no gluten, but many crêperies blend wheat flour into the batter for handling. Only make the claim if you have checked your own recipe.
• Note egg and dairy, and say whether the complète comes with the egg — some guests order it specifically for that.