The Breton caramel story
The origin of salted butter caramel ...
Salted butter is a Breton specificity that dates back several centuries. We must indeed go back to the 14th century, a key period when we first discovered the virtues of salt, especially with regard to the preservation of food.
In 1343, King Philippe VI generalized the tax on salt throughout France. So salt had become a luxury commodity that only wealthy families could afford. But the Frankish countries, which included Brittany, were exempt from this royal tax on salt. Thus the Bretons were able to continue to consume and use the inexpensive salt and to incorporate it into the butter. When Brittany was attached to the kingdom of France, it demanded that its privileges remain unchanged. The production of salted butter developed there and the cooks very quickly got into the habit of cooking it. In 1977, a chocolate maker from Quiberon imagined making a salted butter caramel, which seemed to him to be obvious in Brittany. The salted butter caramel candy immediately became a real hit.
