The Cotentin Peninsula, nestled between land and sea in Normandy, is full of culinary treasures. Here, you can savor fantastic seafood like Saint-Vaast oysters, Barfleur mussels, Granville whelks. There are also have famous farmstead cheeses like Camembert and Livarot. But the Cotentin also has something special for those with a sweet tooth: brioche, shortbread, salted butter caramels — and of course, the beloved teurgoule, a traditional rice pudding flavored with cinnamon.
Teurgoule dates back to the 17th century, a time when exotic spices brought back from the New World began making their way into home cooking. Its name comes from the Norman dialect: “se tordre la goule”, meaning “to twist the mouth” — a nod to the spiciness of cinnamon. Cinnamon was once an unfamiliar and bold flavor for local palates. Traditionally, teurgoule is baked slowly for hours in a wood-fired oven, in a ceramic dish called a toupin. It is cooked until it forms a dark, caramelized crust and a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Here’s a simple, traditional recipe: place 150 g of round rice in an ovenproof dish, add 1.5 L of whole milk, 120 g of sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir well, then bake at 150°C (300°F) for about 5 hours without stirring. The milk will slowly thicken, the rice will soften, and a delicious golden crust will form on top. Serve warm or chilled — both are equally delightful. It’s a comforting way to eat traditional teurgoule at La Becterie, or wherever you might be enjoying Normandy’s cuisine.
Rice pudding and teurgoule at La Becterie
At La Becterie, I don’t make teurgoule per se, but I regularly serve a homemade rice pudding with star anise and cinnamon. Either at breakfast or during our table d’hôtes dinners. However, for guests who absolutely want to eat traditional teurgoule at La Becterie, I know exactly where to find the best. At the Les Pieux market, sold by Héloïse. It is baked in the wood-fired oven of the Château du Rozel. Their teurgoule is exquisite, and their rustic bread is just as worth discovering!