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

You can't stay away from the French food, whileEscavêche (cold terrine of sweet
in France, the country known worldwide for itswater fish in wine and vinegar), Hochepot (four
numerous gastronomic delights and specialties.meats stewed with vegetables), and Flamiche.
Certainly, the French cuisine is extremely diverseNORMANDY dishes include Tripes à la mode
including a wide variety of foods and recipes fromde Caen (tripe cooked in cider and calvados),
national and regional cuisines. France really offersMatelote (fish stewed in cider), Moules à la
one of the richest cuisines in the World.crème Normande (mussels cooked
French cuisine is often categorized as Nationalwith white wine, garlic and cream), and Tarte
Cuisine and Regional Cuisine. National CuisineNormande (apple tart). BRITTANY specialties
includes the foods that have been integral part ofinclude Crêpes, Far Breton (flan with
the French culture for ages. These foods include aprunes), Kik ar Fars (boiled pork dinner with a kind
variety of breads, savory dishes, desserts &of dumpling), and Kouign amann (galette made
pastries, and some preserved foods. Commonflaky with high proportion of butter).
breads in the French cuisine include Ficelle,LOIRE VALLEY/CENTRAL FRANCH dishes include
Baguette, Flûte, Pain, and Pain PoilaneRillettes (spreadable paste made from braised
(large thick crusted circular loaf).pork and rendered fat, similar to
Savory dishes include Biftek frites (steak & fries),pâté), and andouillettes
Poulet frites (chicken & fries), Blanquette de veau(sausage made with chitterlings). Burgundy
(blanquette of veal), Coq au vin (chicken in redspecialties include Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stewed
wine), Pot au feu (beef stew with mixedin red wine), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails
vegetables), Bouillabaisse (fish soup), Les endivesbaked in their shells with parsley butter), Fondue
(Belgian endive), Boudin blanc (Delicate flavoredbourguignonne (fondue made with oil in which
sausage similar to bockwurst), Civet de Lapinpieces of meat are cooked), Gougère
(rabbit), Foie de veau (calve's liver), and(cheese in choux pastry), and Pochouse (fish
Andouillette (chitterling sausage).stewed in red wine).
Desserts & pastries include Chocolate Mousse,RHÃ"NE-ALPES dishes include Raclette (the
Crèmecheese is melted and served with potatoes, ham
Brûlée, Mille-feuilles,and often dried beef), Fondue savoyarde (fondue
Choux à la Crème (creammade with cheese and white wine into which
puffs), Tartes aux fruits (fruit tarts), Religieusecubes of bread are dipped), Gratin dauphinois, and
(chocolate éclair shaped to resembleTartiflette (a Savoyard gratin with potatoes,
a nun), Madeleine (small cake-like cookie), TarteReblochon cheese, cream and pork).
Tatin (caramelized apple tart),AVEYRON dishes include Tripoux (tripe 'parcels' in
Gâteaux (cake), Éclairs,a savoury sauce), Truffade (potatoes
and Profiteroles (baked puff pastries (choux) filledsautéed with garlic and young
with cream or ice cream). And, some typicallyTomme cheese), Aligot (mashed potatoes
French preserved foods include Cassoulet,blended with young Tomme cheese), Pansette de
Choucroute garnie, and Duck confit.Gerzat (lamb tripe stewed in wine, shallots and
Greatly influenced by the French geography, theblue cheese), and Salade Aveyronaise (lettuce,
French cuisine also includes a wide range oftomato, roquefort cheese, walnuts).
regional cuisines, including foods & dishes ofLANGUEDOC dishes include Brandade de morue
Lorraine, Alsace, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Artois,(puréed salt cod), Cargolade (Catalan
Flanders, Hainaut)-Picardy, Normandy, Brittany,style of escargot), Trinxat (Catalan cabbage and
Loire Valley/Central France, Burgundy,potatoes), Bourride (Monkfish stewed with
Poitou-Charentes, Limousin, Bordeaux, Perigord,vegetables and wine, garnished with
Gascony, Pays Basque, Toulouse, Quercy,aïoli), Rouille de seiche (Similar
Aveyron, Roussillon, Languedoc,preparation of squid), and Encornets farcis
Cévennes, Provence,(Cuttlefish stuffed with sausagemeat, herbs).
Côte d'Azur, and Corsica.PROVENCE/CÃ"TE D'AZUR specialties
LORRAINE dishes include Quiche Lorraine,include Bouillabaisse (stew of mixed Mediterranean
Potée Lorraine, andfish, tomatoes, and herbs), Ratatouille (a
Pâté Lorrain. ALSACEvegetable stew with olive oil, aubergine, courgette,
specialties include Choucroute garnie (sauerkrautbell pepper, tomato, onion and garlic), Pieds
with sausages, salt pork and potatoes),paquets (Lambs feet and tripe 'parcels' in a
Spätzle, Baeckeoffe, Kouglof,savoury sauce), Soupe au pistou (bean soup
Bredela, Beerawecka, Mannala, Tarteserved with a pistou (cognate with Italian pesto)
flambée, and Baba au rhum.of fine-chopped basil, garlic and Parmesan), Salade
NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS (ARTOIS, FLANDERS,Niçoise (varied ingredients, but always
HAINAUT) - PICARDY dishes include Andouilletteblack olives, tuna), Socca, and Panisses.
of Cambrai, Carbonnade (meat stewed in beer),Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website
Potjevlesch (four-meat terrine),providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Holidays in Paris,
Waterzoï (sweet water fish stew),France, and Holiday apartment Rentals.