French Cuisine
French cuisine is considered one of the best in the world. The most famous French specialties are the croissants, chocolate bread, baguette, long loafs, last but not least Burgundy snails, Kokott eggs with tarragon, pea flour "sokka" pancakes, Lyon-style sausages, lobster with parsley, Pisaladier onion pies, and of course onion soup. The use of various sauces is a must (over 3000 unique recipes) and a multitude of spices and seasonings. And don't forget that every region of France has its own culinary tradition which is completely different from the neighbouring one.
The food in Provence, Languedoc and Gascogne is distinguished by its spiciness and the wide use of wine and seasonings during food preparation. On the Loire coast you can taste some very original specialties from dandelion leaves and freshwater fish. Alsatian cuisine somewhat resembles German. The food in Burgundy boasts its assortment of cheese products (Chaorce, Valencay, Macconais, Epoisses, Charolais, and Soumaintrain), Chablis sausages, chicken in red wine, Dijon mustard, Burgundy snails, Macconais goat cheesecakes, Bressay poultry, ham with parsley, Burgundy truffles, and last but not least the world famous Burgundy Charolais beef. Another popular specialty of the local culinary tradition is the Othe region cider and black currant liquor.
Bretagne (Brittany) is well known for its seafood. Almost all the edible representative of the sea fauna are a consumed around here, and fish, oysters, crabs, lobsters, spiny lobsters, and shrimp are used in the preparation of every second dish. Crab cakes are very popular here as well; these are a type of pancakes with various seafood fillings.
Normandy is famous for its dairy products, primarily cheeses (Camembert, Pont l'Eveque, Livarot, Neufchatel, and others), sour cream and mushrooms, which are added to just about every meal, and also Vire sausage and Trou-Normand – an fruit ice-cream with apple calvados.
The cuisine of Provence is – before anything else – Bouillabaisse prepared from a variety of fish with Rouille sauce, fresh mussels in spicy onion bullion, a boat-shaped bread, called "navette", dishes prepared from crab meat and fish with sauce or fried with anise liquor, fish soup with garlic sauce, called Bourride, vegetable ragu Ratatouille and lamb ragu, Provençal tomatoes, goat cheese, truffles and much more. All the dishes are generously seasoned with olive oil. And, finally don't forget the famous Motelimar nougat.
Corsica is famous for its ewe milk cheese called Broccio, Coppa ham, and fig jam. Another popular dish is the mint and cheese omlette, game, corn porridge, seafood, delicious sweets, several types of honey and fragaria jam. Exquisite meat dishes are prepared here – chestnut soup with onions and garlic prepared with meat bullion, pork fillet "Lonzu", "Prisutu" ham, bacon and eggs or fried potatoes "Panzetta" and smoked liver sausage "Figatellu". The most popular "fruit" on the island is the sweet chestnut, which is used to prepare a very large variety of dishes, as well as the famous Corsican tangerine "Clementine".
French wine deserves special attention. France produces thousands of wines from grape strains of all colors. Vineyards are considered a national treasure in this country, which is also the home of Cognac (in the contemporary sense of the word), Champagne and Armagnac. The enticing and delightful wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy were considered the liquid currency of Europe during Medieval times. Brettany and Normandy are famous for their Cider (a sparkling white wine made from apples, contains between 3-5 percent alcohol) and Calvados (a distilled drink made from cider that has aged for about two or three years, contains about 40% alcohol). These drinks were produced here as early as the beginning of the 12th Century. Corsican wines are usually stronger and have a more prominent aroma compared to the continental brands, and use a mix of grape strains in their production. Names like Sciacarello and Nieluccio are probably the most well-known. Other varieties include Vermentino –a dry white wine, Cap Corse (liquor), Corsican vodka called Aquavita, Ratafia liqueur, as well as numerous sorts of liqueurs from mirth, lemon, and fragaria; you can also try wines made from oranges, plums, and even nuts.
