Crepe history connected to

France
Local chef sees similarities and differences in
dish fillings
 Matt Mikus (231) 439-9394 - mmikus@petoskeynews.com

Matt Mikus/News-ReviewGildas Berrou of That French Place in Charlevoix cooks a buckwheat flour crêpe. The flat
bread recipe has a rich history dating back hundreds of years.

Gildas Berrou (left) serves crêpes to Ann Bakerof Granville, Ohio, and Lorenzo Baker of Petoskey.

It’s common to consider crêpes as a thin pancake, but Gildas Berrou of That French
Place in Charlevoix said there’s a rich history behind the staple recipe.

Crêpes originated from a northwest region of modern France called Brittany. Back then,
the crepes were more often used as an everyday bread. Around the 12th century
buckwheat was introduced to the region, and became the main ingredient for the flat
bread.

“The buckwheat, people love it because it is healthy. Another thing people love it
because I put butter on it. That is contradictory, but buckwheat is a really good taste if
you do it right.”

The white flour wasn’t used in crêpes until around the 20th century. Berrou also makes
white flour crepes, that he uses for his sweet recipes.

No matter what kind of batter he uses, Berrou says the key for him is the butter.

Crêpes are cooked using a large flat pan or skillet, but Berrou uses a special cast iron
griddle with no edges, allowing him quick access to flip and apply butter. He sets his
griddles to about 350 degrees, and quickly cooks depending on the ingredients wrapped
inside the thin bread.

Almost everyone in France has a similar crêpe griddle to cook, and make a number of
crêpes on Sunday as a big family meal, he said.

Berrou also notices that his American customers tend to enjoy ham and cheese crêpes
in the morning, something not normally seen in France.

“In Brittany, ham and cheese are our main dinner crêpe. But here it’s a breakfast item. I
go home to France, and tell my family they eat ham and cheese crêpes in the morning,
and they say, ‘Why?’”

Consider this crêpe recipe from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup water

butter for frying

Add first 5 ingredients to a bowl, whisk until smooth and let it rest for 1 hour.

Heat an 8 or 10 inch nonstick skillet over high heat for 2 minutes.

Add a bit of butter or oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan (pour out any excess butter
or oil).
Pour 1/4 cup of batter into hot pan and swirl it around so that it coats the bottom of the
pan completely (pour any excess back into bowl of batter).

Lower heat enough so that batter dries on top before it burns on bottom and cook for 1
to 2 minutes.

Flip over crepe and cook other side for about 1/2 minute.

Repeat until all batter has been used up adding more butter or oil to pan as needed
(you won't need to add grease for every crepe).

Stack crepes as they are finished.

Fill as desired and serve.

(This is not the same recipe used at That French Place in Charlevoix.)

Sources: https://www.petoskeynews.com/news/community/crepe-history-connected-to-
france/article_715c7cef-6a8b-5539-b198-0f36421e99f4.html