Food Pattern Of France

 Food Pattern Of France

Haute Cuisine

                       The concept of French haute cuisine surprisingly stems from the Italian Renaissance igure Caterina de' Medici, who brought her Florentine chefs with her when she moved to France as a bride to the future King Henry II in 1553. The elegance and ap Preciation of fine food grew amid the splendor of King Louis XIV. A cookbook writ en by Françoise Pierre de la Varenne, a famous chef of that period, added further efinement to French cooking despite the emphasis on gluttony in the royal court.

                      Another famous French food writer is Brillat-Savarin  wh rote the classic The Physiology of Taste. Escoffier, perhaps the most famous rench chef who was also a writer, wrote definitive books chronicling haute cui- ne during his lifetime. It remained for Julia Child, in collaboration ith Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck, to bring widespread interest in French od to America in 1961 via their book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

                  Sauces play a significant role in French cuisine. Béchamel (basic white sauce ade with butter, milk, seasonings, and flour), hollandaise (emulsion of egg yolks, mon juice, seasonings, and melted butter), béarnaise (similar to hollandaise ex- pt that vinegar, shallots, and seasonings are reduced and then used in place of the mon juice), and velouté (similar to béchamel except that a veal or chicken stock is ed instead of milk or cream) are some of the basic Frence sauces.

                   Classic French cooking is time consuming in its preparation and presenta tion but is deemed by many appreciative diners in fancy restaurants around the world to be well worth the effort. The range of menu items is complete, from elaborate hors d'oeuvres to the most delectable and eye-appealing desserts possi ble. Some dishes, such as quiches, utilize flaky pastry. Soufflés and crêpes are other French creations that may be found at just about any point in a menu.

                         Even the names of French creations heighten the drama of the food. Exam ples might be quenelles (dumplings made of puréed fish or other protein mixed into a cream dough and then poached), moûsse (molded creation given its stabil ity by using gelatin in the recipe), paté (finely mashed and seasoned spread of some type of meat), flan (baked custard), and gâteaux (cakes).

Provincial French Cooking

              Provincial French cooking is less elaborate but certainly as flavorful and delight ful on the palate as is the haute cuisine. As the name implies, provincial French cooking originated in the various provinces; it features particularly fine ingredi ents from the immediate locale.

Brittany
                The provincial foods of Brittany emphasize dishes with seafood be cause of its peninsular setting . Crêpes, thin delicate pancakes often served in Brittany, may be part of an entrée or a dessert. Sometimes they are rolled with a filling, or they may be folded and simmered briefly in a sweet syrup.

Normandy
                            Dishes from Normandy frequently feature milk, cream, and apples, all of which are abundant there. Brioche (a yeast bread rich in butter and eggs) is a specialty of the area that is baked in a fluted, tapering pan to give its unique shape, complete with a top knot. Camembert from the town of that name in Nor mandy is a ripened cheese that may be served at the end of a meal. Calvados (apple brandy) and tarte tatin (a distinctive inverted apple tart) are two popular products using apples. Coquilles St. Jacques, scallops in a tasty wine sauce fla vored with mushrooms, is a dish from Normandy that brings a hint of the sea to the table.

Alsace-Lorraine
                   
                          Quiche Lorraine a tart with an open face revealing its flavor ful custard and bacon filling, is named for its origin in Alsace-Lorraine, Choucroute garnie is a casserole of sauerkraut, pork, and sausage that reflects the heritage from neighboring Germany. Wines are used in making such dishes as coq au Riesling, which features chicken cooked with a white wine.

Burgundy

                        Burgundy boasts of boeuf bourguignon, its namesake beef dish uti lizing beef stock, red wine from the region, onion, carrot, boiled with beef stew meat, all of which are braised together for up to four hours until the meat is ex tremely tender. Dijon, medieval capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, is noted for the mustards created there (Figure 9.12). Burgundy is noted also for escargot (snails) served in butter and other sauces as well as coq au vin (chicken in red wine).

Provence

                     Dishes originating in Provence are especially flavorful creations, stemming in large measure from the judicious use of the flavorful herbs that flourish in this region of southern France. Ratatouille is a wonderful vegetable medley that comes from Provence, Other Regional Specialties

Cassoulet,
                   a delectable casserole starring white beans, carrots, and onions, plus duck and herbs, was created in Toulouse in southwestern France. The Bordeaux region in western France contributed bordelaise, a dark sauce made with meat juices, bone marrow, tarragon, shallots, and a hearty Bordeaux red wine. The fish soup called bouillabaisse is another fa mous dish; it came from Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast of France.

Dining Patterns

Breakfast (le petit déjeuner) in France gets scant attention, usually being simply café au lait (coffee with milk) and a croissant (always available at the boulangerie) or bread, maybe with jam, eaten in time to get to work by 8 A.M. is popular. Lunch is important in the middle of the day, requiring at least an hour and a half to do it justice. This meal, preferably eaten at home, often is a three course meal that starts with soup or an appetizer and continues with a main dish,
followed by cheese and fruit or dessert.

                    The afternoon work schedule occasionally is broken for a snack (le goûter), but leaves a good appetite when people depart from the job either to go home or to a café for l'apéritif, a bit of spirits (Figure 9.13). Eventually a pleasing meal, but less elaborate than midday lunch, ends the day's dining pleaures.