Rennes Gourmande: Tasting the Regional foods of Rennes!

On Friday, after the students gave their first presentations and had a light lunch, our large group split into two to begin one of the highly anticipated activities of the week- Rennes Gourmande! Students were treated to a walking tour, given by members of the Rennes Office de Tourisme, that took them to several well known shops around town. The first stop was to a chocolaterie Durand, where students tasted two different types of chocolate- one with caramel and one with saffron.  The students used their French to talk about which type of chocolate they perfered, and were offered the chance to try a cake originally made by a maid who used it to poison 60-80 people before being caught (although ours was garanteed without poison!) 

Afterwards, the students made their way to La Criée- a market selling various fruits, vegetables, meats and other fresh foods. The students tasted a variety of French cheeses, and learned a little about each from the fromager. Students then passed by a poissonnerie, where they were treated to an impromptu talk from the owner of the shop. The students were all very impressed by the huge, living crabs, and some were even brave enough to hold them! 

Finally, the students made their way to a crêperie, where they got to try sweet crêpes and jus de pomme- or apple juice, made from local apples.