Kig ha farz is a traditional Breton dish made by cooking a large buckwheat flour dumpling in a pot of pork, beef, and vegetables. The dumpling is then rolled and served with the meat and vegetables. It was traditionally made by farmers before going to work and is still popular in Brittany and France.
Kig ha farz, which roughly translates to meaning “meat with far”, is a traditional peasant Breton dish. Lontano is a large buckwheat flour dumpling that is placed in a muslin or linen bag. The bag is placed in a large pot of simmering pork, beef, and vegetables for several hours. After the kig ha farz has been cooked, the far bag is rolled on a countertop until the dumpling inside has been reduced to a crumbly texture and stuffed. It is served with boiled meat and vegetables from the pot.
Farmers in the Brittany region of France traditionally began making kig ha a lot in the morning before going to work. They would put whatever bits of fatty beef and pork they had on hand into a large pot filled with water. Then they would add root vegetables, such as turnips and carrots, to the pot before finally placing the far sack filled with the buckwheat flour mixture.
They would come home to a full meal in a pot. The vegetables in broth worked as a soup which was followed by the main course of meat and fillings. Lard or shortening would often be poured away to give it more flavor.
Far is made from buckwheat flour which is mixed with eggs, butter, cream, sugar and salt. The mixture is poured into the far bag, leaving about a third of the area free to allow for the dumpling to expand during cooking. Some are said to have used the sleeve of a man’s shirt as a dumpling bag, but square cotton cloth can also be used. Using modern cooking methods, the sack is closed and cooked in the meat and vegetable broth for around two hours.
When the far is cooked, it is fully dumped while still in the sack. The sack is then rolled over a hard surface to break the dumplings into small pieces. These chunks are served as a side dish to the meats and vegetables that used to be cooked in the Kig Ha Farz pot. Sometimes the whole dumpling is removed from the bag and served in slices as one would serve a pate.
Kig ha Farz is not an attractive dish by nouvelle cuisine standards. Far resembles a dark filling and is traditionally served with chunks of fatty bacon. Health-conscious diners are switching to leaner cuts of beef and pork. While many are unfamiliar with this dish, there is still a demand in Brittany and elsewhere in France.
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