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Brittany
Kig ha farz
Kig is meat. Farz is far. Without far, there is no Kig Ha Farz.
Traditional dish from Brittany.
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AI-generated illustration
Brittany
Kig is meat. Farz is far. Without far, there is no Kig Ha Farz.
Traditional dish from Brittany.
AI-generated illustration
Kig ha farz is a hearty dish from northern Finistère, in the area historically known as the Léon. Until the French Revolution, it was the only known 'far': in Breton, the word far refers to a broad family of flour-based preparations. Buckwheat, or blé noir, appeared in the sixteenth century in the poor soils of inland Bretagne and quickly established itself as a dietary staple, replacing wheat. Not being a cereal, it called for new preparations that avoided the fee-paying use of the manorial oven: this gave rise to the galette and the far.
Originally, the recipe contained no vegetables: it was limited to the far, cooked in a cloth bag, accompanied by a piece of salted pork cooked separately. Only after the Revolution, with the emergence of other cooking methods, did the recipe gradually expand with a wider variety of meats and then vegetables, eventually becoming the complete dish known today: far noir cooked in a bag, meats and vegetables simmered together.
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In the farms of the Léon, kig ha farz would cook for hours while people worked in the fields; above all, it was the winter Sunday dish, warming the whole family gathered around the table after a long morning of simmering. Recipes are passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, each one jealously guarded: 'my recipe is not my neighbour's'.
Today, the dish has once again found a prime place in the social life of the Léon: it has become an essential feature of group meals, associations, and schools, and it is not uncommon to see a dozen kig ha farz offered in a single month on winter Sundays. Originating in the pays de Léon, between Brest and Morlaix, including Ouessant and Molène, it has since won its credentials throughout Bretagne.
Appearance
a generous serving platter where meats (beef, pork, salted pork) and pot-au-feu vegetables — carrots, onions, cabbage, turnips, sometimes leeks — sit alongside the far, served separately and crumbled into coarse grains like sand.
Aroma
the enticing aromas of the broth simmering all morning fill the kitchen with fragrance well before sitting down to eat.
Taste
a vegetable broth served first, then meltingly tender meats and a far that has absorbed all the aromas of the cooking, all enhanced by lipig, a sauce made with salted butter and onions or shallots that imparts 'an immense amount of flavour'.
Texture
once cooked, far noir crumbles between the fingers like sand — this is the gesture of 'bruzhuner' — whilst far blanc, sliced and browned in butter in a frying pan, offers a firmer texture that is crispy on the surface.
, made with buckwheat flour — the most common version, which established itself in the region following the arrival of buckwheat in the sixteenth century.
, made with wheat flour, sliced once cooked then browned in butter in a frying pan.
, the coastal variation: meats give way to fish (mackerel, pollack…), sometimes complemented with seaweed, for a more iodised dish.
, a vegetarian version where vegetables take the place of the meat entirely.
plunge the bag into boiling water with the pork hock and leave to cook for around three hours.
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Serving always follows the same order: the vegetable broth is served first, followed by the platter of meats and vegetables accompanied by the far (or fars) and the lipig. The latter — salted butter melted with onions or shallots, let down with a ladle of broth so as not to burn — is served on the side, in generous quantities for enthusiasts. Traditionally, no dessert follows kig ha farz: the hearty meal is sufficient in itself. It is a cold-weather dish par excellence, associated with winter Sundays spent with family.
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