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In fact, more snails are eaten in
France than in any other country in the world and most are from the retrieval of wild
snails, rather than those bred for food.
Snails are normally prepared with a sauce, which apparently is essential, and the most
famous preparation is called les escargots à la Bourguignone, which basically translates
to snails with butter, garlic, parsley and other spices.
But, another way you can serve snails is in a flaky pastry, which is another firm
favourite in French cuisine.
Oysters
Oysters are very popular and in French are called les huitres, and France is the main
producer in Europe.
Sauce, parsely, spices, flaky, pastry, les huitres,
They are especially popular at Christmas time and are classed as a real delicacy and a
treat, plus they are also graded for their size as well.
Le Foie Gras
Foie gras is a French specialty, which is exceedingly popular during Christmas time and
through the New Year celebrations and France was actually the first producer of foie gras
in the world.
The most common foie gras is duck foie gras known in French as foie gras de canard
although you can also get goose foie gras, which is basically obtained from the force
feeding of either ducks or geese.
French Mustard
The French for mustard is moutarde and it is used a lot in French cooking, especially for
sauces like mayonnaise and vinaigrette.
Most French mustards are made with white wine, which is why they can be quite strong in
taste, especially compared to those made with water and sugar.
The most famous French mustard is the Moutarde de Dijon from the Burgundy region of
France, which is made with white wine.
Crepes
Crepes are a traditional French dish that originally comes from the Bretagne region of
France or as we know it, Brittany.
They can be served as a base for a whole meal right through from an entrée-crepe to a
dessert-crepe and you will find that there are restaurants in France called Creperies that
only serve Crepes!
Boeuf Bourguignon
Now we are sure that you have heard of Boeuf Bourguignon.
Well, it is the white Charolais cattle, which can be seen in the green pastures on the
hill slopes in the Burgundy region of France that are bred to give a remarkable quality of
beef, which of course is the most important ingredient within Boeuf Bourguignon.
Also the name of this dish is taken from the French spelling of the region in France of
Bourgogne.
Other Regional Specialities
Regional specialities from the Aquitaine region of France include Patés and the famous
fois gras, plus crepes are commonly used in the region's cuisine.
The Dordogne is famed for its truffles.
Also, the Aquitaine region grows half of France's kiwi fruit, almost half its
strawberries, and most of its prunes, so you will find these are incorporated into the
cuisine quite frequently.
Alsace is a very varied region that has changed hands between Germany and France several
times, so the cuisine has a mainly German influence. In fact it is also the area
that produces over half of the French beer especially in the vicinity of Strasbourg, with
most commonly known of Kronenbourg.
Wild boar is a delicacy of the Limousin region and this region also is famed for some of
the best beef farming in the world. You will see herds of Limousin cattle, which are
a distinctive chestnut red, and hence beef is also something that is served frequently, as
is quail.
Bar the wine, the major crops produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon region are apricots,
peaches, melons, nectarines and rice, and having a Meditteranean feel to the area, these
ingredients feature heavily within the cuisine.
The Poitou-Charentes region is most well known for its
cognac.
Quiche Lorraine is, as you would expect, the well known speciality of the Lorraine region
of France.
We all know that wine and cheese go together and the varieties of cheese on offer in the
Burgundy area are incredible. They come in all different styles from strong in
character or mild and fresh, so a visit to Burgundy is not complete without trying a
cheese board with your red wine of choice.
The Auvergne region is famous for its cheeses and the export of mineral waters, with one
in particular that you are sure to have heard of is called Volvic.
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