French cuisine
French cuisine not only borrowed some culinary traditions of different nations, but also acted as an inspiration for culinary experts from different countries..
National cuisine of France
Generally speaking, the national French cuisine cannot be imagined without soups (cream soup, gravy soup, jack soup, broth “consomme”), meat (lamb, beef, poultry, game, veal), sauces (“bechamel”, “bordeaux”, “mornay”), spices (Provencal herbs, thyme, rosemary), cheeses (Roquefort, Camembert, Brie), vegetables, mushrooms, fish, seafood, desserts (meringues, savarens, croissants, soufflés, flans).
But regional cuisine should be considered separately. For example, Brittany's cuisine is based on fish and seafood dishes: here you should enjoy bouillabaisse soup, shrimps and oysters in lemon juice, “crepes” - pancakes with different fillings.
A feature of the cuisine of Normandy is the use of sour cream, cream and cheese for cooking dishes - be sure to try veal and local mushrooms with the addition of cream and butter.
In Burgundy, they like to cook sauces, in the recipe of which red wine, onions, mushrooms are used. In the cuisine of this region, Burgundy meat (beef stew in wine sauce) and Burgundy snails (stewed snails with vegetables, spices and white wine) are especially prominent..
If we talk about the cuisine of the Loire Valley, then fruits, vegetables, river fish are in high esteem, so it is worth tasting the perch fillet with ber-blanc sauce and tart-taten (inverted apple pie).
As for the traditional Provence dishes, here you will be offered to feast on mussels in onion broth, fish soup in garlic sauce, tapenade pasta (a dish that includes olives, anchovies and capers).
Popular French dishes:
- “bouillabaisse” (soup from different types of fish);
- “foie gras” (goose liver pate with the addition of truffle, spices, Madeira wine and cognac);
- “lang de buuf” (an appetizer based on beef tongue);
- “ratatouille” (vegetable-based stew, which are first fried separately and then stewed together).
Where to taste the national cuisine?
In Paris, you can implement your plan in “La Coupole” (the restaurant pleases visitors with fish and seafood dishes) or “Le meurice” (in this restaurant it is worth eating langoustine fricassee with zucchini, blue lobster in the soup, beef tongue with artichokes and onions); in Avignon - in “Christian etienne” (lovers of Provencal cuisine will like it here); in Colmar - in “La Table du Brocanteur” (the house's specialty is foie gras).
Cooking courses in France
Vacationers in Beaune (Burgundy region) can visit the culinary school “The cook’s Atelier”: here they will be taught how to cook 5 dishes of French cuisine and will reveal the secrets of Burgundy culinary traditions (for those who wish, programs are organized, designed for both 4-5 hours and 1-5 days). And guests of Paris can be invited to look into the culinary school of Alain Ducasse: the eminent French chef will teach them how to cook their own specialties, including pastries..
Travelers should plan a trip to France for the frog festivals (Vittel, April) and lemons (Menton, March), as well as the chocolate fairs (Paris, October).
