History, Traditions and Features of French Cuisine

French cuisine is made up of the cooking traditions and practices from France. French cuisine dates all the way back to the medieval times until now. Back in the medieval times French cuisine resembled Moorish cuisine, which is an early cuisine from the Mederterainian countries. According to the university of ECPI in this time meals were served based on what food was abundant, this event was called “service en confusion”. In the medieval times their meals were made up of spiced meats like pork, poultry, beef, and fish, that were often smoked, salted, and preserved. Vegetables were salted and put in jars for the winter months. They used foods like egg yolk, saffron, spinach, and sunflower to add to the color and appearance or their dishes.

Moving on to the fifteen and sixteen hundreds, food became influenced by the culinary arts in Italy. Their food was influenced by Italy because Catherine de Medici brought chefs from Italy when she married King henry the second of france.

In the seventeen and eighteen hundreds the first french cookbook, “Le Cuisine François” was written by Francois Pierre La Varenne. His goal was to make meals “less extravagant” and focus on more individual ingredients. Meals began to be served in courses to prevent the food from getting cold. In this time that fork started getting used regularly at all meals.

In the widespread of the sixteenth through the eighteenth century, Ancien Regime took place. This was where the government managed the distribution of food. They permitted two guilds, or groups that have similar requirements and play a similar role in a community to do certain tasks. One of the guilds sold unprepared ingredients for buyers to make foods and the other sold prepared foods. This rule was brought to an end by the French Revolution. This let chefs practice out of their assigned area.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Georges Auguste Escoffier experimented with recipes. He wrote Le Guide Culinaire in 1903, a cookbook with more than 5,000 recipes. According to the University of ECPI “the 19th and 20th century started a modernization of haute cooking”. This means that the 19th and 20th century renewed the art of skillful cooking.

French cuisine is a variety of many styles of cooking with the freshest of ingredients. The French take pride in their craftsmanship with their cheesemakers, winemakers, pastry chefs, and bakers. “French, The Secrets of Classic Cooking Made Easy”, expresses that the french have a different attitude towards food. French families spend much of their budget on high quality ingredients for their food. France is a place with a wide variety of home-grown produce. “French cooking is simplicity- bringing out the best in the ingredients.”

The authors of “French” Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen layout the norms of basic meals prepared for families. An informal family meal usually consists of two courses, a starter and a main course. This could also include the addition of cheese and possibly fruit. If there is going to be dessert the starter will be something light.

The French have a wide variety of ingredients they use on a day to day basis. They are known for their these ingredients as their most important staples. Olive oil, it is used for many things, but mainly to cook or saute food with or to be drizzled over top to finish a dish. Dijon mustard is one of france's main ingredients. It is popularly used to thicken marinades and emulsify vinaigrette. Next on this list is Fleur de sel, it is large salt crystals made from seaweed. They use this to sprinkle on top of finished dishes. Number four, Crème fraîche. It’s mixture of heavy cream and buttermilk. This is usually used in soups, sauces, and to top sweet things for example a bowl of fresh fruit. Another one of their main ingredients is their truffles. Truffles are fungi used to flavor cooking oils and top dishes. Next there's herbes de provence. These are dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender used to flavor savory dishes. A common ingredient also used is shallots. Shallots are in the onion and garlic family. They have a more mild taste and are used like onions. The next main ingredient is their bread. The french use their bread in many dishes as well as along side of their dishes. A couple examples of these are the baguettes and the flakey croissants. One of the most popular ingredients is wine. According to the MasterClass article “France has one of the most productive wine regions in the world. Red and white wine is a beverage that is also used to simmer meat and create rich sauces.” Wine is important to the french because they use it to drink, but it is a part of many common dishes. The last of the main ingredients of many is cheese. “The French produce and eat more cheese per person than in any other country. Known as fromage in French, varieties include camembert, Brie, and Roquefort.” Cheese is very important when it comes to their diet, they have it as a starter and sometimes as a side.

When it comes to dining etiquette and manners are vital. There are a few rules you should always follow when dining “the french way”. The first rule is toast properly. When toasting you should always look your toasting partner in the eye and try not to link arms with anyone. A common toast is “à votre santé” which means “to your health” or “Santé” for short. The next rule is to be mindful of your bread. Don’t leave it to stay on the top of your food. Leave it to the side of your plate and clean your plate with it when your food is gone. The next rule is basic table manners. Keep your hands at the table at all times. For the placement of the silverware Always keep the knife in your right hand, and the fork in your left. Lay the knife and fork parallel to each other on the right side of the plate once done with the meal. Most importantly make sure you do not eat until your host says, “Bon appétit!”.

There are many traditions that make up a culture. France’s traditions are fairly different from the American traditions we have. On Christmas Eve or “le réveillon de Noël” families gather late in the evening and have a holiday dinner. The families usually eat caviar, oysters, lobster, foie gras, escargots, coquilles saint jacques, roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, and birds like quail, pheasant, fowl, and goose. At the end of this feast thirteen desserts are served. The thirteen represents God and the twelve apostles. These desserts consist sweets like dried fruit, traditional cake, and Bûche de Noël, a rolled chocolate log cake.

The norms of the cuisine differ throughout the different regions of France. In the South West region of France, there is an emphasis on rich foods, like duck, foie gras, prunes, oysters, mushrooms and truffles. In the North West they are known for their apple and seafood. Some examples of their popular seafood are oysters and mussels. A common eaten sweet here is their crepes. Crepes are folded thin pancakes usually filled with sweet cream or fruits. In the Northeast their food is less exciting than others. Their staples are potatoes, cabbages, beetroots, and cold meats. In Eastern France their food is greatly influenced by the German cuisine. Some of their popular foods are pickled cabbage and pork. They are known for their savory pastries and tarts. In Burgundy, the quality of wine and beef influences the local recipes. Dijon mustard, one of the main ingredients, comes from this region. Here they pride themselves on their ability to perfectly cook snails for escargot.

In France there are many different types of dishes made. Their meals mainly consist of some type of spiced meat like pork, poultry, and fish with cooked and seasoned vegetables as a side. A few examples of these typical meals are Soupe à l’oignon, Boeuf bourguignon, and Coq au vin. Soupe à l’oignon is French onion soup made with beef broth served with croutons and melted mozzarella cheese on top. This can be served as a normal dish or as a starter. Beef bourguignon is a common dish in eastern france. It's a dish made with beef braised in red wine with garlic, pearl onions, fresh herbs, and mushrooms. Coq au vin is a chicken dish braised with wine with, mushrooms, bacon or pork, onions, and garlic.

There are many elements to French cuisine that make it interesting. There is no one way to express this culture. There are so many possibilities with foods to cook and ways to cook them. The French are different in they ways they deal with cuisine. By not only making sure that when they cook they use the freshest ingredients, but they also make sure that the attitude they put towards making the food will resemble the results. All of the time, effort, and money put towards the quality of their food pays off when they can sit as a family and enjoy their meal.