Cuisine of France
Cuisine of France
French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. French cuisine is considered to be one of the world’s most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical (”haute cuisine”) and provincial styles. Many of the world’s greatest chefs, such as Taillevent, La Varenne, Careme, Escoffier, or Bocuse were masters of French cuisine. Additionally, French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines, and almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.
Diversity
Traditionally, each region of France has its own distinctive cuisine:
Cuisine from northwest France uses butter, cream (creme fraîche), and apples;
Cuisine from southwest France uses duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms (cepes), and gizzards;
Cuisine from southeast France uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, and shows Italian cuisine influences.
Cuisine from northern France uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer, and shows Flemish cuisine influences.
Cuisine from eastern France uses lard, sausages, beer, and sauerkraut, and shows German cuisine influences.
Besides these five areas, there are many more local cuisines, such as Loire Valley cuisine (famous for its delicate dishes of freshwater fish and Loire Valley white wines), Basque cuisine (famous for its use of tomatoes and chili) and the cuisine of Roussillon, which is similar to Catalan cuisine. With the movements of population of contemporary life, such regional differences are less noticeable than they used to be, but they are still clearly marked, and one travelling across France will notice significant changes in the ways of cooking and the dishes served. Moreover, recent focus of French consumers on local, countryside food products (produits du terroir) means that the regional cuisines are experiencing a strong revival in the early 21st century, especially as the slow food movement is gaining popularity.
What is often known outside of France as “French cuisine” is the traditionally-elaborate haute cuisine, served in restaurants for high prices. This cuisine is mostly influenced by the regional cuisines of Lyon and northern France, with a marked touch of refinement. It should be noted, however, that average French people do not eat or prepare this cuisine in their everyday life. As a general rule, elderly people tend to eat the regional cuisine of the region where they are located (or the region where they grew up), while younger people will be more inclined to eat dishes from other regions and foreign dishes.
French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine (both high cuisine and regional cuisines), both as ingredients and accompaniments. France is known for its large ranges of wines and cheeses.
Exotic cuisines, particularly Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine and some dishes from former colonies in Northern Africa (couscous), have made inroads.
Ingredients
French regional cuisine uses locally-grown vegetables. Let us cite:
potatoes
green beans
carrots
leeks
turnips
aubergines (eggplant in American English)
courgettes (zucchini in American English)
Mushrooms such as Champignons de Paris, oyster mushrooms (pleurotes), Porcinis (bolets and cepes), truffles, and other mushrooms, in order of increasing rarity and price.
Common fruits include:
oranges
tomatoes
tangerines
peaches
apricots
apples
pears
Meats commonly consumed include:
chicken
turkey
duck and Guinea fowl are less common
goose, mostly a holiday dish
beef
veal
pork
mutton (generally, lamb) is often a holiday dish
rabbit
Horse meat is available from special butcher stores (boucheries chevalines), but a minority of people consume it.
Seafood commonly consumed include:
cod
sardines (often canned)
tuna (often canned))
salmon used to be a luxury food but is now quite common.
trout
mussels
oysters, mostly a holiday dish
shrimp, calamari etc.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and meat, are purchased either from supermarkets and grocery stores or smaller markets. Street markets are held on certain days in most localities; towns of a certain importance generally have a more permanent “covered market” in which food shops, especially meat and fish retailers, have better shelter than the periodic street markets. Generally, a street market for vegetables takes places on certain days outside such “covered markets”.
Present-day food and drink in France
For French people, cooking is part of culture, and cooking and good food are well appreciated. The French generally take a high pride in the cuisine of their country, and some, particularly in the older generations, are reluctant to experiment with foreign dishes.
Structure of meals
The normal meal begins by a light breakfast in the morning, generally consisting of:
bread with jam and spreads (tartines), often replaced nowadays by breakfast cereals,
often, coffee or more rarely tea,
possibly some fruit.
Hotel breakfasts often contain croissants, but most people eat croissants at breakfast at home only on special occasions.
Lunch is had at some point between noon and 2 pm, and dinner in the evening (often, 7.30 pm). A normal complete meal consists of:
appetizers, often consisting of crudites (raw vegetables), or a salad;
a main dish (generally, meat or fish with a side of vegetables, pasta, rice or fries);
some cheese and/or dessert (fruit or cake).
Meals, particularly lunch, are often followed by a cup of coffee.
Alcoholic products may be consumed as follows:
The meal may be preceded by an aperitif, typically some dose of flavoured Vermouth or some Pastis.
Wine is often drunk with the meal, though this is rarer today. Occasionally, people consume beer though the frequency depends on the region of the country. Typically, wine or beer is chosen to match with the food.
The meal may be followed by a digestif - some small dose of liqueur or other high alcoholic spirit, but this is uncommon.
Festive meals may include several main dishes. Some meals incorporate a trou normand - some small dose of a highly alcoholic liquor or sorbet, perhaps calvados, which props up appetite for what follows.
In large cities most working people and students eat their lunch at a cafeteria. In the case of smaller companies, it is commonplace for employers to distribute lunch vouchers (Ticket Restaurant, etc.) that workers use to pay for meals in neighbouring budget restaurants. It is to be noted that corporate and school cafeterias normally serve complete meals (appetizers, main dish, dessert); it is not usual for students to bring sandwiches. In smaller cities and towns, some working people leave their offices to return home for lunch, generating four rush hours during the day (8 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, and 6 pm).
With contemporary lifestyle, especially the reduced number of housewives, the French rely a lot more on canned or frozen foods for weekdays. Cooking evening or weekend meals from fresh ingredients is still popular. In most cities, there are street markets selling vegetables, meat and fish, several times a week; however, most of those products are now bought at hyper- or supermarkets.
Drink
Traditionally, France has been a culture of wine consumption. While this characteristic has lessened with time, even today, many French people drink wine daily [1]. The consumption of low-quality wines during meals has been greatly reduced. Beer is especially popular with the youth. Other popular alcoholic drinks include pastis (in the south), an aniseed-flavoured beverage drunk diluted with cold water, especially in the summer, or cider in the northwest.
The legal drinking age for most spirits is 16. However, it is not customary for shopkeepers or bartenders to verify a client’s age, and teenagers eating with their family in restaurants will be served wine if the family requests so. On the other hand, it is very unusual to witness the kind of public inebriation that is customary cities of the United Kingdom or Scandinavia on Saturday nights. Usually, parents tend to prohibit their children from consuming alcohol before these children reach their early teens. Students and young adults are known to drink heavily during parties (vodka and tequila being very popular), but usually drunkenness is not displayed in public. Public consumption of alcohol is legal, but driving under the influence can result in severe penalties.
(more…)