A Guide To French Food - Some Interesting Facts And Information About French Dishes

You can't stay away from the French food, while in France, the country known worldwide for its numerous gastronomic delights and specialties. Certainly, the French cuisine is extremely diverse including a wide variety of foods and recipes from national and regional cuisines. France really offers one of the richest cuisines in the World.

French cuisine is often categorized as National Cuisine and Regional Cuisine. National Cuisine includes the foods that have been integral part of the French culture for ages. These foods include a variety of breads, savory dishes, desserts & pastries, and some preserved foods. Common breads in the French cuisine include Ficelle, Baguette, Flûte, Pain, and Pain Poilane (large xed vegetables), Bouillabaisse (fish soup), Les endives (Belgian endive), Boudin blanc (Delicatethick crusted circular loaf).

Savory dishes include Biftek frites (steak & fries), Poulet frites (chicken & fries), Blanquette de veau (blanquette of veal), Coq au vin (chicken in red wine), Pot au feu (beef stew with mi flavored sausage similar to bockwurst), Civet de Lapin (rabbit), Foie de veau (calve's liver), and Andouillette (chitterling sausage).

Desserts & pastries include Chocolate Mousse, Crème Brûlée, Mille-feuilles, Choux à la Crème (cream puffs), Tartes aux fruits (fruit tarts), Religieuse (chocolate éclair shaped to resemble a nun), Madeleine (small cake-like cookie), Tarte Tatin (caramelized apple tart), Gâteaux (cake), Éclairs, and Profiteroles (baked puff pastries (choux) filled with cream or ice cream). And, some typically French preserved foods include Cassoulet, Choucroute garnie, and Duck confit.

Greatly influenced by the French geography, the French cuisine also includes a wide range of regional cuisines, including foods & dishes of Lorraine, Alsace, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Artois, Flanders, Hainaut)-Picardy, Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley/Central France, Burgundy, Poitou-Charentes, Limousin, Bordeaux, Perigord, Gascony, Pays Basque, Toulouse, Quercy, Aveyron, Roussillon, Languedoc, Cévennes, Provence, Côte d'Azur, and Corsica.

LORRAINE dishes include Quiche Lorraine, Potée Lorraine, and Pâté Lorrain. ALSACE specialties include Choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with sausages, salt pork and potatoes), Spätzle, Baeckeoffe, Kouglof, Bredela, Beerawecka, Mannala, Tarte flambée, and Baba au rhum.

NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS (ARTOIS, FLANDERS, HAINAUT) - PICARDY dishes include Andouillette of Cambrai, Carbonnade (meat stewed in beer), Potjevlesch (four-meat terrine), Waterzoï (sweet water fish stew), Escavêche (cold terrine of sweet water fish in wine and vinegar), Hochepot (four meats stewed with vegetables), and Flamiche.

NORMANDY dishes include Tripes à la mode de Caen (tripe cooked in cider and calvados), Matelote (fish stewed in cider), Moules à la crème Normande (mussels cooked with white wine, garlic and cream), and Tarte Normande (apple tart). BRITTANY specialties include Crêpes, Far Breton (flan with prunes), Kik ar Fars (boiled pork dinner with a kind of dumpling), and Kouign amann (galette made flaky with high proportion of butter).

LOIRE VALLEY/CENTRAL FRANCH dishes include Rillettes (spreadable paste made from braised pork and rendered fat, similar to pâté), and andouillettes (sausage made with chitterlings). Burgundy specialties include Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails baked in their shells with parsley butter), Fondue bourguignonne (fondue made with oil in which pieces of meat are cooked), Gougère (cheese in choux pastry), and Pochouse (fish stewed in red wine).

RHÔNE-ALPES dishes include Raclette (the cheese is melted and served with potatoes, ham and often dried beef), Fondue savoyarde (fondue made with cheese and white wine into which cubes of bread are dipped), Gratin dauphinois, and Tartiflette (a Savoyard gratin with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, cream and pork).

AVEYRON dishes include Tripoux (tripe 'parcels' in a savoury sauce), Truffade (potatoes sautéed with garlic and young Tomme cheese), Aligot (mashed potatoes blended with young Tomme cheese), Pansette de Gerzat (lamb tripe stewed in wine, shallots and blue cheese), and Salade Aveyronaise (lettuce, tomato, roquefort cheese, walnuts).

LANGUEDOC dishes include Brandade de morue (puréed salt cod), Cargolade (Catalan style of escargot), Trinxat (Catalan cabbage and potatoes), Bourride (Monkfish stewed with vegetables and wine, garnished with aïoli), Rouille de seiche (Similar preparation of squid), and Encornets farcis (Cuttlefish stuffed with sausagemeat, herbs).

PROVENCE/CÔTE D'AZUR specialties include Bouillabaisse (stew of mixed Mediterranean fish, tomatoes, and herbs), Ratatouille (a vegetable stew with olive oil, aubergine, courgette, bell pepper, tomato, onion and garlic), Pieds paquets (Lambs feet and tripe 'parcels' in a savoury sauce), Soupe au pistou (bean soup served with a pistou (cognate with Italian pesto) of fine-chopped basil, garlic and Parmesan), Salade Niçoise (varied ingredients, but always black olives, tuna), Socca, and Panisses.

James Burrows writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Holidays in Paris, France, and Holiday apartment Rentals.

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Let Them Eat French Fries

Seems like the fat cats are on a mission to get fatter. The middle class is in decline, income disparity continues to grow, and now the dining section of the New York Times reports that, "Junk Food Is a Source of Comfort on Capitol Hill."

What we eat and drink is always very telling about ethos of society, pointing the way for marketers in the short and long-term.

Meat Loaf

It should come as no surprise that comfort is in. We crave it more than ever with the news getting worse every day. Any escape from dysfunctional leadership, the worldwide economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, global warming and host of other serious problems is certainly welcome. The obesity epidemic? Who cares? How is the world a bad place when you're gorging on a big, warm, juicy cheeseburger and a side of crispy, deep-fried potatoes? Nothing like self-indulgence to forget your troubles.

At the close of the 1980's, an era marked by high fashion, luxury and indulgence, a trend emerged that I called, "It's so downscale it's upscale." Rolling Rock beer, what was once a regional workingman's brew became popular in upscale New York bars and restaurants at premium prices. The popularity of blue-collar heroes like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp surged. Traditional comfort foods such as meat loaf and regional favorites like blackened redfish were ubiquitous in high-end eateries on the coasts. Oatmeal became the power breakfast of choice.

Of course, those are comfort foods as well, but there is a major distinction. People then were reacting to the superficiality and over-the-top lifestyles of the Reagan era, searching for authenticity. Now it seems, we just want to kill the pain.

The irony of elected officials and lobbyists in the corridors of power focused on short-term hedonism rather than long-range solutions might be troubling, but the message for marketers is crystal clear.

We have to give the people what they want. Ambiguity was never in, but it's really out for now. We might want our leaders to put aside petty differences, stop playing politics and act like grown-ups. But in reality, in our own lives, tough love and sacrifice are not in the cards. Pity the poor politician who says they are. Just cut my taxes and increase my benefits. If pigs in a blanket make me feel good in the moment, well, why not? I'll save the diet for another day.

That day will surely come, but for now, let them eat french fries. We are in dire need of comfort wherever we can find it.

Let Them Eat French Fries

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Let Them Eat French Fries

Seems like the fat cats are on a mission to get fatter. The middle class is in decline, income disparity continues to grow, and now the dining section of the New York Times reports that, "Junk Food Is a Source of Comfort on Capitol Hill."

What we eat and drink is always very telling about ethos of society, pointing the way for marketers in the short and long-term.

It should come as no surprise that comfort is in. We crave it more than ever with the news getting worse every day. Any escape from dysfunctional leadership, the worldwide economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, global warming and host of other serious problems is certainly welcome. The obesity epidemic? Who cares? How is the world a bad place when you're gorging on a big, warm, juicy cheeseburger and a side of crispy, deep-fried potatoes? Nothing like self-indulgence to forget your troubles.

At the close of the 1980's, an era marked by high fashion, luxury and indulgence, a trend emerged that I called, "It's so downscale it's upscale." Rolling Rock beer, what was once a regional workingman's brew became popular in upscale New York bars and restaurants at premium prices. The popularity of blue-collar heroes like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp surged. Traditional comfort foods such as meat loaf and regional favorites like blackened redfish were ubiquitous in high-end eateries on the coasts. Oatmeal became the power breakfast of choice.

Of course, those are comfort foods as well, but there is a major distinction. People then were reacting to the superficiality and over-the-top lifestyles of the Reagan era, searching for authenticity. Now it seems, we just want to kill the pain.

The irony of elected officials and lobbyists in the corridors of power focused on short-term hedonism rather than long-range solutions might be troubling, but the message for marketers is crystal clear.

We have to give the people what they want. Ambiguity was never in, but it's really out for now. We might want our leaders to put aside petty differences, stop playing politics and act like grown-ups. But in reality, in our own lives, tough love and sacrifice are not in the cards. Pity the poor politician who says they are. Just cut my taxes and increase my benefits. If pigs in a blanket make me feel good in the moment, well, why not? I'll save the diet for another day.

That day will surely come, but for now, let them eat french fries. We are in dire need of comfort wherever we can find it.

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I Love French Wine and Food - A Red Cotes du Rhone

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Rhône Valley region of southeastern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Côtes du Rhône.

Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the Rhône Valley ranks second in acreage. The region extends 125 miles (200 kilometers) along the Rhône River. This region is actually composed of two parts, the north and the south whose wines tend to be quite different. The northern Rhône Valley is quite narrow. The major red grape variety is Syrah, while the major white variety is Viognier. The southern Rhône Valley produces about 95% of the Rhône Valley wines. This is the kingdom of grape blending. For example the famous Châteauneuf-Du-Pape AOC wine may be made from up to thirteen different grape varieties. The better wines are clearly defined as coming from the northern or the southern part of the Rhône valley. We will be reviewing some of these wines in later articles.

The site of Avignon was probably settled by the Celts. It was a flourishing city in the time of the Ancient Romans. But it is best known as the home of seven popes between 1309 and 1377. Who would have thought that when Pope Clement V chose this southern French city for the site of his Papacy, it was ruled by the King of Sicily, albeit through the house of Anjou, in the opposite corner of France? Avignon and the surrounding area remained more or less papal property until the French Revolution. The major tourist site is the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace), which unfortunately is missing many of its original furnishings. But there is a lot more to see including several churches and museums, the beautiful hilltop garden Rocher des Doms (Rock of the Domes), the opera house, the Clocktower Square, and of course the Pont-St.-Bénézet (St.-Bénézet Bridge) made famous by a children's song Sur le pont d'Avignon (On the Avignon bridge). Parts of this bridge are said to date back to the Twelfth Century. And you're only a little more than ten miles (less than twenty kilometers) from the village of Châteauneuf-Du-Pape.

Before reviewing the Côtes du Rhône wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Fois Gras de Canard (Duck Liver Pâté).
For your second course savor Caillette (Pork-Liver Meat Loaf).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Sorbet (Sherbert) and fresh fruit.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Réserve Perrin Côtes du Rhône P2004 13% about $12

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Roaming Rhône. This wine will transport you to the South of France. Five generations of Perrin winemaking culminate here as you breathe in aromas of candied cherries, plum, spice, and earthy tones. There's volumes of juicy cherry flavors surrounded by good ripe tannins on the medium-bodied palate. Gourmets can savor it with chicken or lamb tajine.

Most of the wines that we have reviewed are made from a single grape variety. This wine, like most of the wines in the southern Rhône Valley, is a blend, in this case 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 10% Cinsault.

My first meal consisted of rib steak and fried potatoes. The steak was marinated in a homemade ketchup and horseradish mustard sauce. By accident too much mustard fell into the sauce, but I didn't want to throw it out and start over again. No problem, this wine rose to the challenge easily and wasn't in the least overwhelmed by all that horseradish. I still tasted dark fruits and spices.

My next meal involved slow cooked ribs and potatoes. The wine was very round and full. While it wasn't complex it was quite pleasant. In addition to the above components I tasted a bit of tar. When the food was gone the wine tasted peppery. I liked it.

Once again I went to beef, this time a slow cooked beef stew. The wine was a bit chewy. It was powerful and mouth-filling.

The first cheese was a French Saint-Aubin, a soft cow's milk cheese traditionally packed in a wooden box. This cheese has a creamy brie-like texture and a stronger taste. Unlike many other wines, this Côtes du Rhône retained its fruit when paired with the Saint-Aubin.

I next tried the wine with an Italian Bel Paese, a mild buttery cheese suggested to accompany fruity wines or to be eaten alone as a snack or a dessert. This combination was even better; the wine became rounder. There was a little wine left in the bottle. Instead of slicing off a bit more cheese, I tried it with a slice of mint chocolate cake. Unfortunately the combination was no success, the cake denatured the wine a bit. But, as always, I don't blame a wine for an unorthodox pairing choice that turns out to be a mistake.

Final verdict. This wine is a definite winner, especially when you consider its price. I'll be buying it again, but not before tasting several other wines from both the north and the south of the Rhône Valley.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Presently his wine websites are http://www.theworldwidewine.com and http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com.

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