In A Whirl...The Great Pain au Chocolat Debate.

My Mum, who was ordinarily quite liberal, had certain, inexplicable lines drawn in the sand that we could not cross, one of which was the strongly held belief in the unsuitability of chocolate as a breakfast staple.  No amount of wheedling from me would dissuade her of this notion, and thus, much like her irrational blanket ban on "HR Pufnstuf", it led me to wanting it all the more.

Our French cousins have no such qualms, but as a consequence of my childhood spent bereft of Coco Pops, I still, to this day, regard chocolate as a bit of a treat at breakfast time and all the more so if it's wrapped in flaky puff pastry. But when the lure proves too great, what should I ask for in the boulangerie? Well, that all depends on one's location... 

Here in the Dordogne we are firmly in Chocolatine territory, so don't go asking for any of yer fancy Pain au Chocolat around here.  The two names for essentially the same thing have caused national debate and much controversy, in a way that only the French know how.  It's nicely explained in this article here.



Whatever they're called though, they're going to taste v.good and with a boulangerie only 3.5km from the cabin (I've measured it) there's no excuse not to indulge. Whatever would my Mum say?

Next Week: (Maybe) Croissants!...not as French as you'd think.