Original subtitles

♪♪

♪♪

-This is the magnificent walled city of Saint-Malo,

which was founded a thousand years ago by the Celts,

who came from just 100 miles over there,

from Great Britain...

which is how this rugged coastal region

came to be known as "Brittany."

And everything that defines its distinct culture and identity,

whether it's their Celtic origins,

their world-class seafood,

or the salt and their famous butter,

it all comes from out there...

from the sea.

[ Birds calling ]

I'm Eva Longoria, and I'm a serious Francophile.

Santé.

Over the past 20 years, my career as an actor

has brought me to France time and again.

It's my home away from home.

But those trips were more about work than joie de vivre.

-[ All cheer ] -[ Laughs ]

Now I want something deeper.

This is going to be an... ♪ adventure ♪

So I'm setting out to really experience France...

-This is Cabernet Sauvignon. -[ Gasps ]

[ Whispers ] That's my favorite!

...to savor its world-celebrated cuisine...

Wow!

...and explore the country's rich history.

Vive la France!

[ Laughter ]

Brittany isn't just the edge of France.

To the ancient Celts, it was the world's end...

a sacred place where the sea beckons you to its shores.

This is your garden.

Here, time is measured not in hours, but in tides.

It's like four seasons in one day here.

Surrounded by the longest coastline in France,

almost cut off from the rest of the country,

its people live by the rhythm...

[ Crashing wave echoes ]

...of this wild emerald sea...

-Brittany has the best seafood of the world.

-...and the bounty it still provides.

Oh, my God!

The sea shapes everything...

even in ways you'd least expect.

Amazing.

I don't think I'll ever look at an American hot dog the same.

You've changed my life. -[ Laughs ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

-From the moment you arrive in Cancale,

it's obvious what this place is famous for.

Tanguy! -Eva. So nice to see you.

-And Breton chef Tanguy Thomassin

is going to be my guide to France's oyster capital.

You told me to bring these -- my wellies.

-Yeah. -Why? Where are we going?

-Yeah, let's get some. -Okay.

♪♪

-On Brittany's northern coast,

just across the Channel from England

and sheltered by a bay, sit Cancale's oyster beds.

They span an area bigger than New York's Central Park.

Okay, now the boots are making sense.

-Yeah.

-Hello. -Hello. I'm Eva.

-Hi. Nice to meet you. -How are you?

-I'm Pierre. -Pierre.

Pierre and his family have been tending these since the 1930s.

This kind of looks like a vineyard of oyster beds.

-It is. It is.

-There's so much more revealed

now that the tide is further out.

And what a tide!

-It's very unique.

-At a staggering 45 feet,

it's one of the highest in Europe.

Yeah.

-And the oysters are inside? -Yeah. They're inside.

-Uh-huh.

Oh, my gosh! There they are.

I got a stick.

Okay.

Each knock breaks the bonds between the shells,

mimicking the ocean's turbulence,

shaping plumper, healthier oysters.

Aah! There's a crab! -[ Chuckles ]

-Oh! [ Laughs ] He scared me.

-The crabs are gonna eat it? -Yeah.

-This is the birthplace for modern oyster farming.

Techniques like this were developed here in the 1850s,

setting the standard for the rest of the world.

Unsurprisingly, the oyster market here is legendary.

-Bon appétit.

-And no wonder -- just hours ago, these were in the sea.

-Bonjour, madame. -Bonjour.

[ Conversing in French ]

-No way!

She's been shucking oysters longer than you've been alive.

-Yeah. [ Laughter ]

Yeah, that's true. -So why are they so famous?

-Yeah, Louis XIV was a foodie.

The Sun King didn't just like oysters --

he demanded them.

Every day, horse-drawn carts carried Cancale's oysters

nearly 300 miles to Versailles.

His appetite transformed oysters into a royal luxury,

and their status soared.

-We just go right there.

-We're gonna eat them here. -Yeah.

-But there's no royal fanfare needed here.

This is a very common thing to do --

sitting here and eating these oysters?

-So... -Every day.

Are you a swallow or a chew?

[ Birds calling ]

Wow, that's really good. Nice texture.

-It's, like, really soft. -Mmm.

-The tradition is, like, you have to do that.

-Oh, okay.

-Give the sea what she gives to us.

-Oh! Give the sea what she gives us.

-Yeah. -[ Laughs ]

Now I feel Breton. -Welcome.

[ Both laugh ]

♪♪

-We're so close to England.

How much of that Celtic roots do you identify with?

Resilient people.

Ancient Celts believed

that the tide was the breath of the earth,

revealing hidden life and food offerings.

[ Gasps ] This is beautiful!

-Thank you. I think we'll get the best view, for sure.

-Today, these food offerings come from Kalypso,

the cool beach restaurant

that Tanguy runs with his girlfriend, Adèle.

-What's this one called?

Why?

You don't want to mess up the perfect product.

Yeah.

But you don't use a glove or anything?

-Yeah, never.

-You didn't even set a timer.

Do you have, like, a mind timer

that tells you it's been 14 minutes?

-Yeah, of course. [ Both laugh ]

-Oh, look at that!

They are, like, bright red now.

Look at all that meat! -Yeah.

Brittany has the best seafood of the world.

-And with the waves just a few feet away,

I can't imagine a better place to enjoy it

with Tanguy and Adèle.

[ Gasps ] Hello! -Hi.

Enchanté. Enchanté.

-Ah. Et voilà. -Et voilà.

-Just for you, Eva. -[ Laughs ]

I might share it with you guys. This is amazing.

You know what I noticed is you don't put it on ice.

I'm gonna take the big one.

Yeah.

-Okay. -[ Chuckles ]

-Oh, my God! -Yes.

-I love crab, but this one...

-Wow. -Yes.

-Oh, my gosh.

Yeah.

-Oh, Paris caught on. -Yes.

And they do, like, seafood platter tower.

-You don't do the tower.

-It's just simple.

-Even today, nearly half of the seafood caught in France

comes from Brittany.

What is it about Brittany and the people

that makes it so special?

-No stress in Brittany. -No.

-Stress... -You heard it here, guys.

No stress in Brittany. [ Laughs ]

♪♪

-Bonjour. Wow!

[ Chuckling ] This is a patisserie!

This is so beautiful!

Excuse-moi.

[ Speaking French ]

-Oui.

-So, there are three secrets to French cooking --

butter, butter, and butter. [ Chuckles ]

But in Brittany, they take it to new levels.

And I heard about this cake

because The New York Times described it

as the most buttery pastry in the world,

so I'm excited to try it.

My job is very tough.

Fellow butter enthusiast

and award-winning chef Virginie Giboire is joining me.

-You don't use the -- don't use the knife.

-My finger. Okay.

Oh, my God!

It's like caramel in a cake form and a croissant form

because it has many, many, many, many layers.

-I've never tasted anything like this.

This buttery dough -- it's all over my hands.

-[ Chuckles ] -Super flaky.

-A lot of butter. -Yeah.

-Oh, my gosh.

Don't threaten me with a good time.

-[ Laughs ]

♪♪

-In Brittany, butter begins way before the churn.

Atlantic winds and granite soils may not be good for crops,

but does make for fresh grass all year round,

giving Brittany the most incredibly rich milk.

♪♪

The crème de la crème travels the ancient trade routes

to Brittany's capital of Rennes...

...home to Maison Bordier,

the masters behind France's most famous butter.

[ Gasps ]

-[ Speaking French ] Julie.

-Hello! -Hi, Eva!

-Enchanté.

But here, butter isn't made --

it's transformed.

What is happening right now?

Who makes the butter?

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

And is that what you're doing right now

is manipulating the taste?

-Yeah, exactly, because...

You know? -Oh!

Yeah.

Well, it looks like he's giving it an amazing massage.

-Yeah, exactly. -[ Laughs ]

-This process from the 19th century

was used to blend small batches of butter

from local dairies into uniform blocks for sale.

But 40 years ago, Monsieur Bordier noticed

that it also produced a better flavor and texture,

and he revived this method.

This is why Brittany is known for the best butter --

because you guys preserve techniques like this.

-Exactly.

-You only get your butter from here?

-Oh, they're the only... -Yeah.

-...ones in France?

-In the world... -Yeah.

-...to do this technique?! -Yeah.

-Why doesn't everybody do this process?

Brittany is also the only region in France

where salted butter is the traditional choice.

From the salt marshes of the Breton coast,

mineral-rich salt is hand-harvested and sun-dried.

This is where the land meets the sea.

-Oh, yeah. I can salt it? -Yeah. Yeah.

-I just got so nervous all of a sudden.

But the flavors don't just stop at salt.

Today, they are making a specialty butter

for Virginie's restaurant.

-This is your new flavor. -Yeah. [ Laughs ]

-Yay!

Garlic and pepper? -Yeah.

-Oh, my God, I smell it.

♪♪

[ Chuckling ] Oh, my God.

-More butter magic.

♪♪

-Yes. -Why do you call it that?

-All of them are working on somebody's order --

for restaurant chefs? -Yeah. Absolutely.

-It's half workshop, half wonderland...

a place where butter is kneaded like dough...

shaped like clay...

and gleams like treasure.

Each golden nugget is stamped and sealed

before being sent to the world's best chefs.

-Oh, this has your name on it!

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Yeah. -Oh, these are all the stamps.

This is amazing! Here's Alain Ducasse.

-Yeah. -Orient Express.

Well, I definitely want my own stamp now.

-[ Laughs ]

-You know, what I find so beautiful

about what you do here is each step is so special.

I've never seen anything like this.

♪♪

Now I've seen the magic behind the butter,

Virginie is taking me to her restaurant

for a master class in how to cook with it.

Hello. What are we making?

And, of course, here, every visit begins with butter.

Is this the new one that we tasted?

-Yeah.

-Wow. That smells so...

You just filled the whole kitchen

with this aroma of garlic and butter.

That's beautiful.

I'm okay with this tradition. -[ Chuckling ] Okay.

-Look at that.

The fact that butter has a beautiful odor --

like, we don't have that where I come from.

[ Chuckles ]

Mmm!

Guys, I gotta follow tradition.

What is that?

Amazing.

-It's like art. [ Gasps ] Look at that.

The asparagus is sprinkled with breadcrumbs,

garnished with tarragon,

and finished with a toasted-bread vinaigrette.

Mmm! So good.

You guys take something so humble,

and then you elevate it, making it spectacular.

-Thank you. [ Laughs ]

[ Chuckles ] -You can't live without butter?

-No, I can't live without... -I can't live without butter.

Maybe I'm from Breton.

Okay.

-But can I -- can I take the bread and butter?

-[ Chuckling ] Yeah, of course.

-We definitely need the butter.

And when it comes to butter in the main course,

Virginie doesn't disappoint.

First, she spoons Swiss chard puree

onto a blini...

and layers it with delicate strips of John Dory fish.

She's so focused and precise and has, like, purpose --

it's almost like this quiet pride that has no ego.

It's really beautiful to watch.

And to finish -- you guessed it -- butter,

this time in a delicate, foamy sauce.

Wow.

Mmm!

This butter sauce gives it complexity and layers.

-[ Chuckles ] -Look at this.

It's not dense and heavy. -No.

-This is so smooth and easy and light.

Mmm, my God.

-[ Laughs ] -Yes. It's well done, yes.

You're so inspiring.

You're a Michelin-star chef.

You're a woman in a very male-dominated industry --

not a small accomplishment. -[ Chuckles ]

-This is magnifique. It's amazing.

I need more butter.

♪♪

♪♪

-This landscape is breathtaking.

We're in Finistère, which means "end of the world."

It's perched on

the westernmost point of France.

And the ancient Celts sailed 96 miles from Cornwall,

across the Channel,

to land here, on Brittany's wild side.

With dramatic granite cliffs

along nearly 800 miles of coastline,

this is Brittany's Celtic heartland.

So, I'm here to meet one of Finistère's most exciting chefs.

Rumor has it she's an alchemist of Breton cuisine,

with the ambition of distilling the essence of this wild sea

onto a plate.

♪♪

[ Water splashing, birds calling ]

Breton native Nolwenn Corre is only 35

and already one of France's most celebrated young chefs.

Hello. Bonjour. -Hello.

[ Smooches ]

-She treats the coast like a grocery aisle.

What are you doing right now?

-All of it? We can eat all of it?

-Yeah.

-Beneath the surface of the sea,

Finistère has one of Europe's richest kelp forests,

nearly 800 species of algae swaying with the tide.

Is this seaweed?

It looks like an octopus. What do you do with this one?

This is beautiful. It looks like kale.

And what do you use this one for?

You're the first chef that I've ever heard say that --

this -- this is your garden.

♪♪

Nolwenn grew up on this coastline,

just below the family's restaurant she now leads.

I'm intrigued to see how her beach backyard

has shaped her cooking.

So, what is your philosophy of cuisine?

A wave crashing into the table. -Yeah.

-Each one of Nolwenn's dishes

has the sea infused into its DNA,

like locally caught yellow pollock

served on a bed of seaweed and hot beach stones.

So what are we preparing today?

You know, I didn't grow up eating sardines.

I wouldn't say I like them.

You're going to convert me to a sardine lover.

Is this a family recipe?

The sardine boom hit Finistère in the 1850s

and shaped life on this coastline.

With the men gone for months at sea,

the women had to hold everything together,

while also working long hours at the canneries.

People called them "sardine heads,"

and after their 1924 strike for better working conditions,

which was one of the first

women-led labor movements in France,

the whole country knew who they were.

They weren't just packing sardines --

they were demanding respect.

Women are in charge.

I love that you have a dish dedicated to women.

Nolwenn cures fresh sardines

in local salt, olive oil, and lemon.

Now, what is this?

The addition of the seaweed

transforms the broth into a sea of gel,

a small act of alchemy

that puts the sardine both in a can...

...and back into the sea.

-It's finished with bread crisps and a yogurt dressing.

♪♪

[ Crunching ] Mmm!

You might convert me to a sardine lover.

-Ah, thank you. -They're perfectly marinated.

Melts in your mouth.

Yeah.

Tiny? Okay.

-Okay. -Oh, God.

Oh, you boil the milk. Okay.

I feel like you should be chopping,

I should be boiling the milk. But okay.

I didn't know seaweed was so springy.

It's just jumping off the board.

Aah!

Oh, my God. It's getting harder.

The seaweed and the milk? -Yeah.

-Oh, my God. It's so thick.

You are a magician. [ Laughs ] -Thank you.

-The thickened milk is strained,

plated, and cooled

before being decorated with strawberries,

strawberry jam, and borage flower petals

picked fresh this morning.

[ Gasps ]

This is really quite beautiful.

It tastes like an elevated crème.

Nolwenn's love for this coast and its traditions

isn't just confined to the kitchen.

She's taking me to the annual night

of the lighthouse celebration nearby.

[ Bagpipes playing ]

This dance dates back to the 16th Century.

♪♪

And honestly, how do you watch this and not join in?

Okay. Wait, wait, wait. How do I do this?

Oh, here. Okay, okay, okay.

Aah! -[ Trilling ]

-Good one.

-♪ Uh, uh! ♪

-Two steps, kick.

-Oh!

People gather every year to honor the safe return

of the fishermen who faced these wild waters...

I already got it! I already got it!

...and the strong women who fought for change.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

-This part of the English Channel

is known as the Emerald Coast,

named after its emerald-colored waters.

The sea here is incredibly generous,

but the land not so much.

The grass may look green and gorgeous,

but the soil underneath is pretty hopeless

for traditional crops like wheat.

Farmers want to grow crops,

have to come up with ingenious ways to get by.

And Bertrand Larcher has done exactly that,

and not just in the fields.

He's also an international entrepreneur

with 19 restaurants around the world,

all built around a humble Breton staple.

Bertrand! -Bonjour, Eva.

-Le sarrasin.

I like that the buckwheat is so representative of Brittany,

but, also, of the people.

It's resistant. It's strong. It has character.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

Buckwheat grows fast, nourishes the soil,

and its seed is ready for harvest in just 10 weeks.

Ah. It's almost like a hazelnut.

Mmm. I like that.

The seeds are traditionally ground into flour

to make galette,

Brittany's savory and some might say superior answer

to the more common French crêpe.

I'm so excited to try my first galette!

It looks like I'm not the only one

who is eager to eat this Breton classic.

Amongst Bertrand's many ventures is a pop-up café.

It's no frills, but draws a crowd of hungry regulars.

Okay!

[ Sizzling ]

This is the talent.

I can never do this.

Way darker than a crêpe.

[ Gasps ]

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

The moment of truth.

♪♪

Oh, my God.

Wow.

You know what you're doing.

I would eat this every day if I lived here.

This is so good.

-Merci.

[ Laughter ]

I mean, the whole world needs to know

about the galette with the sausage.

I don't think I'll ever look at American hot dog the same.

You've changed my life. -[ Laughs ]

-The galette has changed my life.

Oh, patisserie, too.

A Japanese place in Brittany making buckwheat cake?

I would love to see that.

Now, that's a combo I need to explore.

I really could eat 10 of these.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

-Bertrand Larcher's hot-dog galette was so good,

I just had to come back to Cancale

to try his unique, Michelin-starred restaurant.

Wow.

This is a Japanese restaurant in Brittany.

Bonjour. -Ah!

Bonjour.

Enchanté. -Enchanté.

Merci beaucoup.

In a gorgeous spot overlooking the bay,

Chef Raphael-Fumio Kudaka

blends the flavors of Japanese cuisine

with the finest Breton ingredients.

You're a Breton, no? -[ Laughs ]

-Aw! -[ Laughs ]

-They may be 6,000 miles apart,

but Brittany and Japan are both shaped by the sea,

sharing a deep love for its produce

and even coastal crops like our Breton friend, buckwheat.

-Okay, what do we start with?

Okay.

Breton farm-raised guinea fowl are prized all over France

for their delicious, gamey flavor.

Of course! -Of course.

-Of course. Butter. -[ Laughs ]

-Wow! I love this.

-Okay. [ Speaks French ]

-A little bit of seaweed.

Okay.

Oh, my God. Look at that little tower.

-Okay?

I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous! Okay.

I don't want to make a mistake with Raphael. -Okay.

♪♪

Perfect.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

-Rafael smears mustard

and a seaweed crumb over the guinea fowl... Wow.

...to which he adds bulgur grain,

a sautéed mirepoix,

my potato cake tower,

and then drizzles it with a roasted bone jus...

Look at this. How silky.

...and a coriander vinaigrette.

I love this.

[ Converse in French ]

It's like an art piece.

[ Both laughing ]

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

♪♪

I didn't even get to --

It was so good, so fast.

This fowl is so tender.

Wow.

-Wow!

-Wow!

Oishi?

Oishi.

But Raphael has one more Breton dish

he insists that I try.

It also has buckwheat.

A soup with buckwheat.

Traditionally a one-pot peasant dish

of pork knuckle, bacon, and buckwheat boiled in a bag,

Raphael has transformed this hearty stew

into an elegant bowl of Japanese soup.

Look how beautiful that is.

This is the pork,

and that's the tofu at the bottom.

And of course seaweed -- very Japanese.

And very Breton.

He's refined the chunky buckwheat stuffing

into a delicate disc.

-Bon appétit. -Merci.

This is so beautiful. Okay.

Wow. Oh, my God.

You take something so humble, like...

And making it into something so luxurious.

It's really magic.

There's a beautiful story in this dish.

It has so much of Brittany, so much of Japan.

When I eat it, I feel both cultures at the same time.

Arigato.

Combining the produce of Brittany

and techniques of Japan,

Raphael succeeds in conjuring an entirely new cuisine.

-Today, I am hunting a Breton treasure.

It's so rare and prized

that only a few fishermen can actually hunt it.

It's the blue lobster.

Or here they call it the king of the sea.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

I'm setting sail from the impressive port of Saint-Malo

on Brittany's northern coast.

Once an independent republic with its own private navy,

in the 17th Century, the trade routes from the port

were a battleground for sailors

capturing cargo from enemy ships.

But my shipmates look a lot more friendly.

Bonjour! -Bonjour.

[ Conversing in French ]

Très bien.

-Enchanté. -Enchanté.

Which is good, because I need their help

to catch my beach barbecue lunch.

Oh, my gosh. This is gonna be an adventure!

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

The pure, nutrient-rich waters around the coast of Brittany

are perfect for the blue lobster.

But not everyone's allowed to catch them.

Are they endangered, or there is plenty?

Lucky for me, Pierre and Gaetan have a special license.

How do we catch them?

Okay. -Yeah.

Do you have blue gloves for the blue lobster?

-Exactly. Otherwise, it doesn't work.

[ Both laugh ]

-These guys are experts and have already set their traps.

-Ah! There it is!

-One of nature's rarest sights.

Oh! He's blue!

What makes it blue?

-Only found in one out of 2 million lobsters,

the cobalt blue.

But there are strict rules on catching them.

How do we measure it?

-Take it from you. Oh!

So...

-So it has to be bigger than -- -Yeah. Bigger than that.

Bye, sweetheart.

[ Whimsical music plays ]

There's a lobster!

[ Gasps ]

Oh, my goodness.

Look at those claws.

You always measure, just to be sure?

This bit sits on the eye socket.

-Yeah. -And the thorax.

So she is bigger.

-Yeah. -Yeah. So you need to make sure they don't fight.

♪♪

Lobster!

Oh, she's big, too.

He's fighting me. Hold on.

[ Gasps ]

Oh, my God. He's mad at me.

-She is. -She's mad at me.

She's mad. Oh, she's mad.

She's not the only one looking angry around here.

[ Thunder rumbles ]

It's like four seasons in one day here.

It can be so beautiful --

emerald sea, blue skies --

and, then, to this, which it's about to rain.

[ Dramatic music plays ]

Freezing.

[ Thunder rumbling ]

It's coming. It's chasing us.

It's both exhilarating and a little unnerving

how quickly the weather can turn here.

We have to go

because the storm is literally 30 seconds away.

♪♪

I guess that's Brittany.

It's no surprise the ocean decides

when it's time to come home.

[ Thunder rumbles ]

Mother nature clearly has other plans for our beach barbecue.

This is where I'm staying.

I know it's not as cool as the beach,

but it will have to do.

Undeterred by the weather,

the guys have insisted that we still grill them

to do our blue lobsters justice.

So, is this the best way to eat the lobsters --

just grilled? -Yeah.

-Do you put butter on it?

[ Laughter ]

-I always get nervous we don't have enough to eat,

so I think I'm gonna boil some potatoes,

because that goes well with butter.

And, then, let me see.

I don't know if I have anything else.

I should have washed these.

Don't judge me. [ Laughs ]

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

Oh, my God. It's pouring. [ Laughter ]

Okay. -Of course.

-I love how simple this is.

How long does it take?

-Well, about like five, six minutes.

-For me, when I grew up, anytime we ate lobster,

it was for a special occasion, like graduation or birthday.

It was a very special moment.

And so to have it here with you guys on my patio,

it's special, just so you know.

Hi, Baba. Here comes my son.

Isn't that cool?

And it was blue, and now it's turning...

-Black. -Red.

I have my girlfriend staying with me,

so they're gonna join our impromptu barbecue.

This is Brittany, who's named after Britannia --

Brittany.

-Yeah.

-Lucky, you sit there.

Hey, Arthur, you here.

Bretons just go with the flow.

And this farewell meal couldn't be more fitting.

Mmm. Really good. So good.

This is, like, way more tender than lobster I'm used to eating.

This is like falling apart in my mouth.

And it's sweeter than normal.

[ Laughter ]

-I'm gonna try the lobster.

-Ready? -Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh. Yeah, I liked it.

[ Laughter ]

-[ Smooches ] You're gonna eat all my lobster.

[ Laughter ]

It's not always easy to find the soul of a place,

but here in Brittany, I have such a strong sense of it.

Their pride, their connection to the sea,

their food is so unique.

And it's a cuisine that chooses simplicity over spectacle.

But, man, do they know how to elevate simplicity

to great, great heights.

They have the best butter, the best seafood.

And you feel that here in Brittany.

It's a way of life.

Its spirit is really gonna stay with me for a long time.