| Copyright 2006 I have been travelling to France | | | | the word chowder) makes good use of the |
| for nearly 25 years- usually on holiday- to most | | | | region's fish. The cosmopolitan city of Lille is a big |
| of the main regions. I so enjoyed all my trips, that | | | | producer of charcuterie and beer. Pastries are |
| I decided to move lock, stock and 2 smoking | | | | quite basic with gaufres (waffles eaten with sugar |
| barrels to start my new life actually living in this | | | | and fresh cream) being among the best known. In |
| great country. I bought a 300 year old house, | | | | Champagne, biscuits de Reims are sweet and |
| part of which was the original ramparts of the | | | | delicious paper-thin macaroons. |
| walled town. I am in heaven- the weather is 38 C | | | | Alsace and Lorraine |
| as I write this article, the cicadas are screeching | | | | They both have been under German rule more |
| outside, and soon I shall walk the 30 yards to the | | | | than once in the past and this influence is evident |
| river and swim in mountain water at a | | | | in many of the local dishes, in which pickled |
| temperature of 20 C. Bliss. | | | | cabbage and pork are common. Baeckeoffe is a |
| Before I can frolic, let me share some stories, | | | | stew of marinated meat and vegetables and |
| myths and information about one of the French's | | | | choucroute alsacienne is pickled cabbage flavoured |
| and also its visitors favourite pass times. Food, | | | | with juniper berries and served with sausages, |
| glorious food. What is perhaps less widely | | | | bacon or pork knuckle. The locals also enjoy all |
| recognized is that France's reputation for fine | | | | kinds of savoury pies and tarts, the best-known |
| food is not so much based on long-held traditions | | | | being tarte flambée or flammekuche which is a |
| but on constant change. In fact, the general | | | | thin layer of pastry topped with cream, onion and |
| expectation of good eating is a relatively new | | | | bacon and cooked in a wood-fired oven. From |
| experience for the French. At the time the Bastille | | | | Lorraine comes the most famous of all, quiche |
| was stormed in 1789, at least 80% of the French | | | | lorraine. Originally, this dish was made without |
| population were subsistence farmers, with bread | | | | cheese, but most recipes now include it and also |
| and cereals as the basis of their diet, essentially | | | | add vegetables, seafood or ham to the basic mix |
| unchanged since the time of the ancient Gauls | | | | of eggs and cream. Burgundy and Bordeaux. |
| nearly two millennia before. In the mid-nineteenth | | | | Dishes make liberal use of their famous red and |
| century, following the demise of the aristocracy, | | | | white wines. Burgundy provides the best beef in |
| food was a conspicuous symbol of social position, | | | | France and is famous for its boeuf bourguignon. |
| swiftly adopted by a new ruling class of | | | | It's also home to Dijon mustard which is used to |
| bourgeoisie, who recreated the sumptuous meals | | | | enhance the flavour of many dishes. Coq au vin |
| of the very aristocracy they had once criticized. | | | | (chicken in red wine) is another perennial favourite, |
| At the same time, two-thirds of Parisians were | | | | and in this region you'll find the biggest escargot |
| either starving or ill-fed, five times more likely to | | | | (snails) in France - because they're raised on |
| be nourished from vegetable proteins than from | | | | grape leaves they're also meant to be the |
| any meats or dairy products. The golden age of | | | | tastiest. Bordeaux is carnivore country and its |
| haute cuisine benefited only those at the very top | | | | most celebrated dish is entrecôte marchand de |
| of the social ladder. It took a world war at the | | | | vin - rib steak cooked in a rich gravy made from |
| beginning of the twentieth century to halt the | | | | Bordeaux wine, butter, shallots, herbs and bone |
| gross inequality of wealth at the table, and to | | | | marrow. Sweet treats include cannelés |
| bring about a more even distribution of the | | | | (caramelised brioche-style pastries) and the |
| nation's produce. The advent of improved | | | | famous marrons glacés (candied chestnuts). |
| transportation, especially by train, brought culinary | | | | Languedoc-Roussillon, Gascony and the Basque |
| revolution to the regions, and slowly the spreading | | | | Country. |
| affluence could put a chicken on every peasant's | | | | These regions lie on the Spanish border and, using |
| table. Eventually, tourism fanned the flames of | | | | an abundance of tomatoes, peppers and spicy |
| change in France's commercial kitchens, as chefs | | | | sausage, their food shares many similarities with |
| were obliged to create dishes appealing to an | | | | that of Spain. Cassoulet (a casserole with meat |
| ever-widening audience of British, Japanese, Middle | | | | and beans) is Languedoc's signature dish; Roussillon |
| Easterners, and Americans, as well as French | | | | has a similar dish called ouillade. There are strong |
| travellers hungering for new experiences. In some | | | | Spanish and Catalan influences in Roussillon too, |
| instances the reasons for change in regional | | | | with tapas-style dishes served in many wine bars. |
| products were a pragmatic reaction to a decline in | | | | Gascon dishes are kept simple but hearty with |
| other industries (such a silk) or to the economic | | | | lots of meat, fat and salt. Garbure is a thick stew |
| disaster brought about by the Phylloxera pest, | | | | made with vegetables, herbs, spices and |
| which wiped out most of France's grape vines at | | | | preserved meats. Poulet Basque is a chicken stew |
| the turn of the century. | | | | with tomatoes, onions, peppers and white wine |
| Today, eating is very regional. There still is a | | | | and piperade is Basque comfort cooking - |
| strong culture of seasonal eating, which is very | | | | peppers, onions and tomatoes cooked with ham |
| well reflected on menus. Each region has its own | | | | and eggs. The locally prepared Bayonne ham is |
| dishes that history shows, or has been adapted | | | | usually eaten sliced with bread but is also the basis |
| to show, that certain popular dishes stem from. | | | | of jambon à la Bayonnaise (ham braised in |
| Here is a small list of some of the most popular | | | | Madeira |
| ones: | | | | Provence and the south of France. |
| Brittany and Normandy | | | | The region has glorious weather to thank for its |
| Tarte Tartin, Moules Mariniere, and the drink | | | | colourful, flavoursome specialities like ratatouille |
| Calvados. Brittany is famous for its crepes. These | | | | and salade Niçoise. It is often called the garden |
| can be savoury or sweet. Buckwheat flour is | | | | of France because of the high quality of its herbs, |
| used to prepare galettes- a savoury pancake | | | | fruit and vegetables. Dishes here rely on |
| usually eaten with ham, cheese and an egg as its | | | | tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and plenty of fresh |
| filling | | | | herbs. It's not an area famous for its meat dishes, |
| Champagne and the North Champagne's main | | | | but a winter staple is boeuf en daube - beef |
| contribution is obvious, but being on the Belgian | | | | stewed with red wine, onions, garlic, vegetables |
| border there are also rich dishes of Flemish | | | | and herbs. Perhaps its most famous dish is |
| influence; the region's cooler climate also lends | | | | bouillabaisse, a hearty fish soup brimming with |
| itself to growing potatoes, cabbages, beets, | | | | lobster, crab, mussels or clams, served as a main |
| watercress, endive and leeks. Flamiche is a simple | | | | course and accompanied by rouille - a spicy |
| dish of leeks cooked with cream and eggs in a | | | | mayonnaise made with olive oil, garlic, chilli and fish |
| pastry crust, and endive flamande is made by | | | | broth - and warm bread. |
| wrapping endives in ham and serving them with a | | | | I am now hungry from sharing all this information |
| white sauce. Carbonnade de boeuf is another | | | | with you. I shall have a small slice of quiche |
| classic dish, where the beef is slowly braised in | | | | lorraine, and then have my swim. Bon apetit. |
| onions and beer. A stew called chaudrée (hence | | | | |