French Gastronomy.

Culture.

French Gastronomy.

French Gastronomy is one of the most important ones in the whole world. Its fame is due to its variety and its refinement. French Cuisine has influenced many other ones abroad, too. Principal ingredients are vegetables, cheese, butter, fruits, meat, fish and other ones) and they often have got a very good quality. In France most famous eating establishments are restaurants and “bistros”. French cuisine has got a sort called “High Cuisine” that develops in luxury restaurants .

In France people have lunch at between 12:00 and 13:00 hours and they have dinner between 20:00 and 21:30 hours.

Now, the principal meals in France are the next ones:

-Breakfast.

Nowadays French breakfast follows European traditional patterns in Latin region. It is not an abundant meal, composed by some hot drink like coffee , chocolate, milk or tea; and some “baguette” toasts with butter and jam (they say “tartine”) or some bakery products (croissants, brioches, cupcakes, Neapolitan biscuits, etc.).

However, French traditional confectionery, it is not extincted. There is Auvernier´s where are cooked a cherries cake called “millards”, a milk bun called “fouasse”and many apple´s sweets; Alsace-Lorraine´s cakes like the “brioche” (a eggs, butter, flour and milk cake) and “Kougelhopf” (an Alsatian cake crown shaped).

However, French people also take this cakes as a dessert.

-Lunch and dinner.

Lunch and dinner are, in France, very similar to Spanish in quantity (more than breakfast). Wine usually accompanies lunch and dinner, changing its color and taste depending of the course. So courses for lunch and dinner are:

The “Apéritif”, the appetizer, composed by some alcoholic drink as wine (wine from Bordeaux or Bergerac, Burgundy´s or from Pyrenees´ are very important ones), cocktails or Champagne (born in the region Champagne-Ardenne), accompanied by some cold food (canapes, red sausage, nuts, olives,etc).

The “hors d´ouvre” or first course. It is composed by light courses: salads, crud vegetables, soups, some cooked pork meats, quiches, pates,etc. In Alsace-Lorraine was invented the Quiche Lorraine (bacon, cheese and ham cake); the region of Aquitaine has got the “foie gras” (duck´s pate), the “garbure” (a thick cabbage soup) ; “la mique” is a vegetables and pork soup from Loire´s Valley; in Rhône-Alpes truffle soup is cooked; Bayonne´s ham; and other important cooked pork meats came from Auvergne or Corsica.

The “Plat de résistance”, main course. Meat and fish are usually served, but rice, legumes and pasta are not excluded.

Let´s start with meat: the most famous meat is the “toumedos” , sirloin with bacon; the “pôt-au-feu”, a meat and vegetables stew; in the North, in Champagne-Ardenne region, celebrate meats are the “Andouillete de Troyes” and “Boudin blanc de Rethel”, two kinds of sausages, the first, the most famous, is a roast pork or beef sausage.I in the West-South of France, in Aquitaine, there is the “Chicken Henry the fourth” the “Poularde” and Bayonne´s ham; and Rhône-Alpes region (East-South) has got grilled poultry (“à la Bresse”) and their hot sausage with almonds and pistachios. And, a little more to the West from Rhône-Alpes, in Auvernier, it is cooked the Wine Cock and a preparation of beef, bacon, onion and wine called the “Tripoux”.

Now, in France, fish cuisine is wonderful because of its variety and their many coast zones. Let´s follow the correct region order starting from the North and continuing to the South: The fish soup called the “Touquet” is typical in the North (Strait of Dover and “Picardie”). Brittany has got oysters, shellfish and “Cotriade” (more fish course). “Pays de la Loire” region cooks more valued oysters and shellfish. Marennes-Oléron Oysters with bread and Echiré butter are famous in Poitou-Charentes region. And, finally, there is Aquitaine´s caviar.

There are more typical courses in France, but, for a main course, fish and meat are the most important ones.

“Fromages” are the French cheese. This course consists in taste some cheese before dessert. French cheese are: “Camembert”, “Roquefort”, “Bleu d´Auvergne”, “Fourme d´Ambert”, “Saint Nectaire”, “Valençay”, “Neufchâtel”, “Epoisses”, “Ossau- Iraty”, “Le Pont d´Evêque”, “le Livarot”,”Cabichou” etc. (Cheese from everywhere in France).

Dessert. Although the typical citizen eat yogurt or fruit for dessert there are many other ones more elaborated: the classic pancakes “Crêpes”, “Nougat” and “Marron glacés” (Rhône-Alpes´s), “Broiche vendeenne”.

Some French cakes.

French seafood.