A Breton pork stew

So now for something completely different… ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Kig ha farz.

It is a Breton stew made with pork. After eating one of these, all I felt like saying was “oink oink.”

This traditional hearty dish from the Brittany region in France is made by stewing some vegetables (leeks, potatoes, cabbage, and carrots) with different pork elements- like the belly, cheeks and shoulders and buckwheat stuffing (the "far" or "farz"). This is not exactly haute-cuisine. It's simple but hearty country cooking able to satisfy even the biggest appetite. It takes a long time to stew- the longer the better, so that the broth, vegetables and the buckwheat stuffing (which sometimes come in the form of little dumplings) are all moist and oh-so-tender. Traditionally, the stuffing- made from slightly sweetened and buttery buckwheat dough- is cooked along with the pork and the vegetables, but inserted in a special canvas pouch which prevents the stuffing from disintegrating. How ingenious of the Breton! 

I had my own portion of Kig ha farz at a Brasserie here in Nantes called Le Coq en Pate. It was by chance that this Breton name caught my eye while I was looking over the menu. I asked our server what it was, and her description sounded appetizing enough and I was feeling brave (a common occurrence, though I know perfectly well it's either hit or miss with me at restaurants...) so I said, "je prends le Kig ha farz!" 
Fifteen minutes later, the whole table let out a tiny collective "ahhh!" when they brought out a small cast iron pot, mustard, and bread just for me! It contained a very large individual portion, and I, well, finished the entire thing... and left feeling very satisfied. 

My other dinner companions got their duck dish with a delectable sweet sauce. Maybe next time I'll try the duck...