Division B Another characteristic: special know-how

The former practice was to use the meats immediately after the pig was cut up. In the old days, the mechanical tools (meat axes, knives) used to cut up the pig and the meats resulted in large pieces and therefore in a coarsely minced pâté de campagne.

‘Pâté de Campagne Breton’ used to be cooked in the baker’s or village’s bread oven, in open dishes called ‘plats sabots’ or ‘casse à pâté’ or in receptacles. Cooking in a dry oven in open dishes causes the sugars to caramelise and provokes reactions that contribute to the brown colour of the crust. Prior to cooking, the pâté was also covered with a pig’s caul intended to smoothen, shape and protect the preparation. It prevented the stuffing from running out and the product from drying. ‘Pâté de Campagne Breton’ owes its specificities to its production method, which has been passed on from generation to generation in the charcuterie trade and is officially recognised, as shown by the fact that a special definition of it is included in the ‘Code des usages de la Charcuterie, de la Salaison et des Conserves de Viandes’, under the category ‘Pâté de campagne supérieur’.