Why go
A crêpe offers two familiar French styles in one menu category: sweet wheat crêpes and unsweetened buckwheat galettes. Cheese, ham and eggs can turn a galette into a substantial meal. That split is useful when choosing between a quick sweet snack and a savoury lunch, especially at a crêperie where both appear side by side.
The full story
Crêpes and galettes are strongly associated with Brittany, although they are eaten across France. Sweet crêpes usually use wheat flour, while savoury galettes use buckwheat. Their thinness comes from spreading batter evenly over a frying pan or flat hot plate, then turning it to cook the other side. The filling is added before the edges are folded over it. The range extends well beyond sugar sprinkled on a pancake. Savoury fillings include ham, cheese, eggs, mushrooms and ratatouille, making a galette suitable for lunch or dinner. Sweet versions can contain preserves, fruit, custard or chocolate spread. Crêpe Suzette adds orange peel and liqueur, with the dish flambéed for presentation; mille crêpes turns many thin layers into a cake. These variations explain why the same basic cooking technique can produce a quick snack, a substantial meal or an elaborate dessert.