Entries Tagged "france cuisine"

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Lunch in France is generally served between 12 and 2pm. It may be difficult to find restaurants open in the afternoon. Dinner is served from 7-9pm. Set menus, like the menu du jour, the menu of the day, is usually good value.

A bistro may offer a better value than a restaurant. A brasserie is also a less formal experience than a restaurant. Traditional rich and heavy French meals are no longer everybody's choice but modern French cuisine - light and healthy, in stylish bistros - is becoming more popular. There is also a fantastic selection of ethnic foods thanks to ex-colonial immigrants from Indochina, the Middle East, Caribbean and South Pacific. But best of all is taking your time over a simple petit déjeuner [breakfast] - a big cup of strong coffee and brandy with a perfect croissant.

Traditional French cuisine of the protein-covered-with-rich sauce kind has been top of the gastronomic world since Romans travelled there to eat wild boar with cranberries in 34AD. But it's finally out of fashion - too heavy, too fattening, too taste-limited, but the quality and variety of regional ingredients is still outstanding and simple seafood dishes are particularly exquisite, not only on the coast, but inland too.

Ethnic cuisines are also excellent, interesting and widely available, but the real pleasure of French food is the simple mid-trip picnic bought from a local market or shop - freshly baked baguettes with cheese, salami or paté, olives, salad and wine.

Steak-frites [steak with chips/ fries] is typical fast food in France, along with crêpes [pancakes with fillings], pizzas and baguettes [sandwiches] with various fillings - which can be found on streets everywhere, and make popular meals for Euro poor or time poor travellers. Vegetarian travellers can often have problems with fixed menus [menu fixe] as the French do love meat.

French cuisine is very varied, with the differences based on the produce and gastronomy of each region, a few are below;

PERIGORD/DORDOGNE: Some regard this as the best regional cuisine in France. This region is famous for truffles, foie gras (goose liver pate) and poultry. Walnut oil and goose fat are used in a lot of the cooking. Also popular is pork, duck, freshwater fish (which can all be stuffed with foie gras or cooked with truffles), crayfish, rabbit, beef. Keep a look out for desserts such as chestnut gateaux, tarts and flans with plums, quinces, grapes, cherries and pears,

PROVENCE: This region is sometimes called the “Garden of France” due to its fantastic range of spices, herbs, fruit and vegetables. The culinary term á la provençale relates to this region, you can guarantee that if you order a dish á la provençale, it will come with garlic and olive oil infused tomatoes. Other ingredients that frequently appear on menus are aubergines, zucchini, squash and onions, combine these ingredients with garlic and herbs and you get the all-time Provençal favourite, ratatouille. Aïoli is a sauce made by mixing olive oil made mayonnaise with plenty of fresh crushed garlic, which can be spread over asparagus or eggs and codfish. Provence’s most famous soup is bouillabaisse, which is made with at least 3 different kinds of fresh fish, onions, tomatoes, saffron, bay leaves, sage, and thyme.

Information provided by Peregrine Adventures