When you walk into a French pharmacy, the first thing you notice is that you’re probably not in the right place to buy food, unless you consider medicine a food -but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. Then you can find cosmetics, toiletries and, if you’re lucky, French curry!

Now, if you’ve ever been to France maybe you’re familiar with Brittany, the western region famous for its rain, wind, fishing boats, crepes and sea-salted caramel flavoured sauce. But did you know that Bretons actually have their very own curry?

This secret recipe, called Kari Gosse, goes back to the seventeenth century when the French East India Company was based in the harbour town of Lorient, in southern Brittany. The origins of the name are pretty simple: Kari, as in the Tamil word meaning ‘sauce’ and Gosse as in the last name of its creator, a pharmacist.

And even though the Kari Gosse is very close to Indian curry, insiders will tell you the Breton mix of spices has nothing to do with regular curry and is a whole different experience. A fact that can’t actually be verified since the recipe is still a well-kept secret. The particular specialty of the Kari Gosse though is to be served with lobster and other seafood. The dish is now such a classic in Lorient that rumour has it kids think lobsters were born naturally all spiced up!

So, curry lovers, if you’re ever in the area make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to bring home a jar of Brittany’s special curry powder. Just remember, you won’t find the unique blend in your average grocery store. True to its tradition, the Kari Gosse is only sold in pharmacies!