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The rugged peninsula that juts unprotected into the Atlantic ocean at the northwest corner of France is as distinctive as one might expect, given its isolation, the hard terrain, and the cool climate. The people here are Celtic descendants of those who fled England during the 5th century to escape the Saxon invaders, and the language still spoken in some parts of the region reflects this. Their druidic origins also account for the presence in the countryside of megaliths similar to Stonehenge. The tough fishermen who work off the broken coastline bring in a good supply of ocean fish. Brittany's contributions to the French seafood menu include sole à la bretonne and cotriade. Shellfish, and especially oysters, which have built-in protection from the rough waves, are quite plentiful.

The flavor that never lacks in Breton cuisine is salt. Much of the land is salt marsh, and this perceptibly flavors the meat of the livestock. Pre-salé lamb, the meat of à lamb raised on a particularly salty diet, is a specialty. Even the vegetables are saltier, perhaps because seaweed is used as garden fertilizer. (Seaweed is also eaten both fresh and pickled.) The Bretons mine salt, or rather, collect it from the marshes where it crystalizes in sufficient quantities. It is a delicacy among table salts and is sold as fleur de sel (salt flowers). Although buttermilk and fresh cheeses are popular, there is little production of aged cheese in Brittany. This is partly because the salt content of their butter is high enough to preserve it quite efficiently, reducing the need to use other methods to extend the life of their milk. The region's beurre salé is so salty that it actually tastes a bit like cheese.