What grain is traditionally used for buckwheat galettes in Brittany?

The grain traditionally used for buckwheat galettes in Brittany is buckwheat.

A Breton galette is a large, thin savoury pancake made from buckwheat flour, known in French as farine de sarrasin. Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat or a cereal grass; it is a pseudocereal cultivated for its grain-like seeds. Its flour gives galettes a characteristic earthy flavor and gray-brown color.

Buckwheat became important in Brittany because it could grow in relatively poor soils and, at times, served as an economical substitute for bread. The galette was especially associated with Brittany, though buckwheat pancakes also appeared in other French regions where the crop was cultivated, including Limousin and Auvergne.

A classic galette complète is filled with ham, grated cheese, and an egg cooked on the pancake. The word galette can also describe rustic pastry or fruit tarts, so not every French galette is a pancake. In crêperies, wheat-flour crêpes are usually sweet, while buckwheat galettes are generally savoury.