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France makes plenty of things – from modern technologies like aircraft production or bridge building to what is perhaps our most famous cultural export: the wine and the food which shape our character and our persistent desire for the unique and the excellent.
France's culinary tradition is deemed so essential and unique that UNESCO has inscribed it on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Yes – our entire food tradition.
While France boasts many fine dishes, the history of its food traditions are intriguing and at least as important as the tasting of the dishes. We will delve into these histories in due time.
During the medieval era, show was everything. Food appeared en confusion, with all dishes together: no starter or main course, just food. Everything was laid out on huge tables rather than served individually, and eating utensils hadn't become mainstream yet. Manners dictated diving in with your hands. Meat and sauces were popular, as was the notion that great food should also be seen, not just tasted. For example, certain birds would be emptied, their meats cooked, and then stuffed back into the carcass, which would be sewn up, its feathers put back to their original place.
By the Renaissance, France looked to Italy for inspiration in many areas, from clothing to architecture and cuisine. For this you can thank Catherine de Medici, the Florentine wife of Henry II, who arrived at court with her retinue of cooks. She may have introduced lasagna to France, although it's a little difficult to imagine Henry slurping up oodles of noodles. Still, she believed in the harmony of colors at the table and used fine porcelain and serving dishes.
Things changed under Louis XIV at Versailles, servants would bring and serve each course separately rather than en confusion, and you would be expected to know and use silverware.
The cultural effervescence of the period leading up to the French Revolution saw the fall of the guild system (formally, at least), which allowed chefs throughout France to experiment with great creativity. This was encapsulated in a book by La Varenne, possibly France's first cookbook. This was the beginning of haute cuisine, or gourmet cooking as we have come to know it.
Haute cuisine would be born and some great chefs would see the day, whose names most French children know: Carême (introduced service at the table), Montagné (created Le Larousse Gastronomique, France's culinary bible) and Escoffier (who birthed France's haute cuisine), to name only a few. Escoffier, by the way, was known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings”.
These days, French cuisine continues to evolve. Local foods that are in season are prized, and sitting down for a delicious meal is considered one of our most agreeable pastimes (except for the typical French breakfast, which is nothing to write home about).
And our tastes are broad (including the weird French foods some people think we eat!)
Certain foods are common to France – the croissant, the baguette, the steak-frites... you'll find these anywhere. Other foods have regional origins and their spread across France is relatively recent.
Here's a snapshot of each region's culinary specialties.
Some French would argue this region is France's gastronomic heartland, since it is home to Lyon, which styles itself as France's culinary capital (and hence the world's). Not only is starting here alphabetically correct, but it happens to be my own region, and the one I know best. I'll start with some of my personal favorites:
This region contains the Alps and of course is heaven for alpine cheeses, like Beaufort and Abondance and Comté, and for all sorts of melted cheese dishes.
Do all French eat snails? This is a question that is asked of me often! We don't ALL eat snails (just like not all Brits eat Marmite or Americans hamburgers) but yes, it is a staple food and one which some of us (not all) learn to eat as children. Granted, the snails themselves don't have much taste, but the butter, garlic and bread make the supporting protein irrelevant.
Of course you've heard of Boeuf Bourguignon, which basically means beef from Burgundy (the region's English name). And Burgundy wine, which locals insist is far superior to Bordeaux, an argument that is known to have led to fisticuff throughout history.
Here are a few typical specialties from this region, which I also happen to know well because it is right next door to mine.
Bretagne, or Brittany, is a region of picturesque villages, wild beaches, and... megaliths. That's right. known for its coastal beauty and its rich food - and more than 3000 standing stones, like menhirs and dolmens dating from pre-Christian times.
As for culinary standouts, you'll probably be familiar with a few of these.
This is the heartland of France, so popular with royalty in the Middle Ages and Renaissance that it is dotted with many extraordinary chateaux. The region also hosts the superb cathedral at Chartres. One of its great claims to fame, perhaps, is its proximity to Paris - all that history (and good Touraine, Vouvray and Sancerre wines) just an hour's train ride away...
Food, of course, is stellar (where is it not in France?) and some regional exports include:
Corsica may be part of France, but it is best known as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte (or Napoleone Buonaparte, as he was known at birth). Intriguingly, many of its specialties have an Italian flavor, as befits an island halfway between the two countries.
If there's one product that exemplifies Corsica, surely it is the chestnut, which is milled and used as flour for bread (in centuries past, the chestnut was even used as currency). Superstitions still surround the use of chestnuts for healing, and it continues to be popular in everything from soup to cakes to jam. Speaking of which, jams and all sorts of cold cuts are typical of Corsican fare.
This richly traditional region is an administrative construction that contains three well-known former regions - the Alsace, the Lorraine, and the Champagne. It is a land of historical battlegrounds, feudal castles, sweet white wines and seat (shared with Brussels) of the European Parliament. Proximity to Germany and Switzerland has influenced its foods, and the region is home to many specialties renowned not only across France but worldwide. This is a region that loves its food... mind you, I can't think of a region that doesn't. People here particularly love:
This is a flat region whose plains bleed seamlessly into Belgium and what comes to mind here are its numerous World War I and II battlefields: Vimy Ridge, the Somme, Dunkirk... This may be an industrial area, but it is also strong on agriculture and while it has plenty of tourist attractions (especially religious architecture0, it is a bit off the beaten path so you'll have it all yourself (more or less). This is a foodie region, although you may mistakenly think you've wandered across the border - the foods are that similar.
This region requires no description: simply put, this is Paris. But just because it's the most romantic capital in the world, with incredible shops and stunning art and architecture, doesn't mean it doesn't have its own culinary specialties...
Normandy is a visual paradise, with its attractive beaches and pretty harbor villages, its rolling fields filled with Normandy cattle, D-Day beaches, Deauville – and home to the tapestries of Bayeux. But say Normandie to a French person and we'll immediately start dreaming of apples (cider) and butter and cream.
This is largely a coastal region and much of it is somehow linked to water, whether the seafood or the pleasant climate or the seaside resorts and attractions. This is the home of Bordeaux, deemed one of the world's best cities to visit, and Biarritz, one of France's least snobbish upper class resorts. There's also a distinctive Spanish influence – you're never very far from the border.
It is of course home to exquisite food: it is, after all, the French portion of the Basque country, and we know just how many chefs the Basques have exported across France and to the rest of the world.
I gained three pounds in Aquitaine, where I visited for a week. Nuff said. Now, about those culinary gems...
The Occitanie has beaches, the Pyrenee Mountains, but what strikes me most is the region's historical legacy: Carcassonne, the Cathar castles, Roman ruins and Gothic palaces, stunning villages and fortified towns. Whatever your preferred historical period, you'll find it covered here.
So it should be no surprise that Occitanie is also a hotbed of foodie traditions...
Don't confuse the Pays de la Loire with the Centre-Val de Loire, although the person who chose these names should be punished with a silly name of their own. So yes, they are both part of the Loire Valley, and they happen to be next to one another. The Pays de la Loire roughly covers the western part of what should logically be called the Loire region, while the Centre-Val de Loire covers the east. Did I mention the French were a complex bunch? In this case, I should say confused, not complex. The tip of this region abuts Brittany, and they often share a common history. For example, the city of Nantes is in the Pays de la Loire but historically, it belongs to Brittany... go figure. That controversy is ongoing. French logic.
So yes, plenty of chateaux here too, along with history galore, and agriculture, which leads to...
This is an emblematic region of France and, along with Paris, the most visited in France. There is little need to introduce this admirable region that stretches from the Camargue to the Italian border, covering the French Riviera – which we call the Côte d'Azur – as well as the Southern Alps and all the impossibly charming villages of the interior.
This combination of mountains, foothills and sea, along with proximity to Italy, guarantee a diverse palate with a hefty influence of sunshine. Here are some of my favorite specialties:
France's food is serious business, so serious we do everything we can to protect and promote our products. Walk into any French representation overseas and you'll soon see posters or brochures extolling our foods and wine. It's a topic that never tires us.
One particularity of France is its associative nature: there's an association for everything, from protecting a riverbed to promoting a cause. So it is not surprising to find associations that represent what we call the 'metiers de la bouche' or the professions of the mouth.
Take the MOF, for example, the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, or Best Workers of France (somehow the English doesn't sound half as dignified). This elite association is joined by passing incredibly difficult exams, and the successful outcome of these exams can make or break a career, especially in the culinary arts (although the MOF exists for many trades, from plumbing to ironwork). There's even a museum in the MOFs' honor (the site is in French).
But belonging to the MOF is not the only path to culinary greatness, and there are plenty of extraordinary non-MOF food specialists who sit on juries and are world-renowned: not every culinary artiste chooses to be subjected to the grueling MOF process because, like the Michelin stars, not everyone wants one; it may come with recognition, but also with heavy responsibilities.
Another group that represents France's culinary output are the country's product-based brotherhoods, the confréries, whose job it is to promote a specific product.
For example, the Chevaliers de l'Olivier de Nyons, the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Nyons Olive Tree, spends its summer season touring Provence to promote this most excellent of olives... You'll find similar brotherhoods for everything from garlic to wines. They are a joy to watch – colorful processions combined with local festivities and tastings. Many of France's less famous products may well owe their survival or renewed popularity to promotion by one of these traditional brotherhoods.
What is your favourite French food? Have you tried any on this list?