French Country Cooking

French country cooking favors wholesome, locally grown produce, fresh from the earth and straight to the table.

French food is based on seasonality and the charm of French cuisine lies in the combination of in-season produce, flavorsome fresh herbs and simple ingredients, providing satisfying and zesty meals full of texture and goodness.

To the French food is extremely important - probably more so than anything else. It is to be savored and eaten at leisure - accompanied by fine wines and in fine company.

Growing, preparing and cooking the food is proudly maintained through tradition and expertise handed down from generation to generation.

Besides seasonality, French cuisine is also governed by locality; however, there are many regional dishes that have become both regional and national.

French country cooking has extreme diversity and style, with each region having its own distinctive cuisine based on its own produce and cooking styles, accepted by both the bourgeoisie and peasants.

A few examples of regional French Country cooking:

Normandy • Brittany

Normandy is famous for its seafood, apples and dairy products like Camembert cheese which originated in Normandy. The coastline provides an abundance of sea food and the region’s rich cream is widely used in sauces for traditional dishes like moules à la crème Normande.

From its apples come calvados (apple brandy) and cider, which are used in many local dishes. Tarte Normande, an apple tart is a favorite.

Buckwheat grows widely in Brittany which is home to Breton Galettes, a type of thin and large savory buckwheat flour pancake, while those made from wheat flour, much smaller in size and mostly served with a sweet filling, are branded crêpes.

Dishes unique to Normandy:

• Moules à la crème Normande
• Tarte Normande
• Teurgoule

• Crêpes
• Far Breton
• Kouign amann

Burgundy

Besides being famous for its wines, Burgundy also provides the best beef in France. Poultry too is a local cuisine with favourite dishes like Coq au vin.

Escargo (snails), also from this region are raised on grape leaves to enhance their taste. Burgundy is also home to Dijon mustard and the renowned Epoisses cheese (a pungent unpasteurised cows-milk cheese) often called the king of cheeses.

Dishes unique to Burgundy:

• Boeuf Bourguignon
• Coq au Vin
• Gougère

Languedoc-Roussillon

As these regions lie close to the Spanish border they share many food similarities with Spain, however there is still a noted difference between the two. Spicy sausage, plenty of peppers, onions and tomatoes are favourites. Haricot beans are central to Languedoc’s renowned dish called Cassoulet. Seafood and mussels from the coastline are also firm favourites.

Dishes unique to Languedoc-Roussillon:

• Brandade de morue
• Trinxat
• Cassoulet

Alsace • Lorraine

Being on the border these two regions are heavily influenced by German dishes including pickled cabbage and pork.

Lorraine is aslo well known for its fine fruit preserves but most of all it is famous for the dish Quiche Lorraine.

Dishes unique to Alsace:

• Choucroute garnie
• Tarte flambée
• Baba au rhum

Dishes unique to Lorraine

• Quiche Lorraine
• Potée Lorraine

Provence • Côte d'Azur

This region is often called the garden of France due to its high quality of citrus fruits, vegetables and herbs. Olives, creating superb olive oil, and Lavender grown in the area are widely used in many dishes found in Haute Provence. Provencal food favors olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, onions and fresh herbs.

Seafood is prolific with the regions most renowned dish being bouillabaisse, a hearty fish and lobster soup.

Dishes unique to Provence and Cote d’Azur:

• Ratatouille
• Salade Niçoise