Buckwheat flour from Brittany PGI

Despite the name, buckwheat is not a cereal! It belongs to the same family as sorrel and rhubarb: polygonacae. Nonetheless, its nutritional properties are similar to those of wheat and it can be ground into flour. It originates from Asia Minor, appearing in Brittany in the 15th century. Its popularity peaked in the 19th century, when it became an essential part of the Breton diet. A low maintenance crop requiring no phytosanitary treatment, buckwheat gained ground and by the late 19th century, it made up 20% of crops in Côtes-d'Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine and a third of crops in Morbihan. The 20th century saw a decline in buckwheat however and to protect the traditional cultivation of this crop and their know-how, farmers joined forces and created the Farine Blé Noir de Bretagne organization. Their efforts were rewarded in 2010, when Farine de blé noir de Bretagne® was awarded PGI status. 

For consumers, this guarantees that the buckwheat has been grown, stored and ground in Brittany (including historical Brittany, which includes Loire-Atlantique), as well as the absence of phytosanitary products and traceability from field to mill.