FRENCH ASSIGNMENT 1

SUBMITTED BY
SOUMYADEEP SENGUPTA, 15BCL0178

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 FRENCH CUISINE

French food and cooking is generally considered the backbone or the underpinning of many
cuisines across the Western World. The influence and recognition of classical French cooking
techniques are legendary, and this status is precisely why French cuisine can be intimidating for
a beginner to learn. French food leaves many cooks feeling that they have something to live up
to a certain unattainable elegance and flair. In the US that fear comes mainly from the influence
of Julia Child, reputed to be the writer who brought French cooking to the country with
her. Mastering the art of French cooking is considered by many to be the pinnacle of her
culinary achievement.

The French have elevated food into an art form. Nowhere else on earth is so much attention
paid to what people are going to eat and how they are going to eat it. The reason is steeped in
history – the fostering of the royal court, the subsequent revolution, the discipline of the
apprentice system, the quality of ingredients and creativity of the chefs, the availability of
incredible produce and simply, the love of good food. The focus on food has elevated French
chefs to almost godlike status and one of the symbols is the coveted Michelin star system that
rates chefs and restaurants. Published since 1900, it awards stars to a very small number of
European restaurants of outstanding quality.

In the 14th century Guillaume Tirel, a court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote Le Viandier,
one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. During that time, French cuisine
was heavily influenced by Italian cuisine. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La
Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking
away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous
style. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine. They play different roles regionally
and nationally, with many variations and appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated
appellation) laws.

French cuisine was codified in the 20th century by Auguste Escoffier to become the
modern haute cuisine; Escoffier, however, left out much of the local culinary character to be
found in the regions of France and was considered difficult to execute by home cooks.
Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to acquaint people with the rich bourgeois and
peasant cuisine of the French countryside starting in the 20th century. Gascon cuisine has

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also had great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France. Many dishes that were
once regional have proliferated in variations across the country.

Knowledge of French cooking has contributed significantly to Western cuisines. Its criteria
are used widely in Western cookery school boards and culinary education. In November
2010, French gastronomy was added by the UNESCO to its lists of the world's “intangible
cultural heritage”. French cuisine has an array of complex flavors. They maintain a five basic
taste of flavors called umami (a loanword from Japan). It can be described as pleasant savory
flavor; sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness- altogether. Many umami rich foods are used
in French cooking, mostly in the south of France, they have a large variety of umami dishes.
For example, there is coq au vin, traditional French onion soup. Besides this, they use fresh
herbs and spices to give your tongue that heavenly feel. French gastronomy is all about using
fresh ingredients with well mastered techniques.

Typical French foods rely heavily on local products. Fresh apples, berries, haricot verts, leeks,
mushrooms, and various squash and stone fruits are among the most commonly used products.
Poultry, beef, lamb, and veal are readily available year round; game meat is especially popular
and abundant during the hunting season that runs from early autumn to February. No matter the
location, France has an abundance of artisan cheese and wine.

The French have a real sense of Terroir which is why rural French cooking alive and kicking in
France. In Metropolitan France, they are likely to sample a wide array of regional and national
dishes as is true in many cities around the world where the residents are multi-cultural or
different ethnicities. Southern France features the rich, sophisticated flavors of mushrooms and
duck as well as the dramatic herbs, tomatoes, and olives borrowed from neighboring
Mediterranean cuisines. Northern France also showcases a remarkable assortment of tastes,
focusing heavily on farmhouse-style specialties using apples, dairy, pork, potatoes, sausage,
and beer. Paris is famous for its incredible cheeses, chocolates, pastries and gateaux; the
centre is known for its hearty peasant fare, pâté and clafoutis (a kirsch-laden dark cherry pie);
Burgundy is home to coq au vin, Dijon mustard and escargots; coastal Brittany has abundant
fresh seafood, such as moules marinières(mussels in white wine) and moules frites (mussels
with French fries); and Bordeaux is synonymous with many of the most decadent of French
foods – foie gras, truffles, duck confit, and fine wines and cognac. Many people shop every
day to source the freshest produce and local markets are an essential part of life.

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The modern restaurant has its origins in French culture. Prior to the late 18th century, diners
who wished to "dine out" would visit their local guild member's kitchen and have their meal
prepared for them. However, guild members were limited to producing whatever their guild
registry delegated to them. These guild members offered food in their own homes to steady
clientele that appeared day-to-day but at set times. The guest would be offered the meal table
d'hôte, which is a meal offered at a set price with very little choice of dishes, sometimes none
at all. Throughout the various regions of France, dining is both a pleasure and a deep-rooted
ritual. UNESCO declared French gastronomy to be an Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity in 2010. This cultural arm of the United Nations recognized French culinary
culture as "a social custom aimed at celebrating the most important moments in the lives of
individuals and groups."

Notor restaurants – these words being the origin of the name "restaurant". This step took
place during the 1760s–1770s. These locations were open at all times of the day, featuring
ornate tableware and reasonable prices. These locations were meant more as meal
replacements for those who had "lost their appetites and suffered from jaded palates and
weak chests." In 1782 Antoine Beauvilliers, pastry chef to the future Louis XVIII, opened
one of the most popular restaurants of the time – the Grande Taverne de Londres – in the
arcades of the Palais-Royal. Other restaurants were opened by chefs of the time who were
leaving the failing monarchy of France, in the period leading up to the French Revolution. It
was these restaurants that expanded upon the limited menus of decades prior, and led to the
full restaurants that were completely legalized with the advent of the French Revolution and
abolition of the guilds. This and the substantial discretionary income of the French
Directory's nouveau riche helped keep these new restaurants in business.

Major ingredients that make French regional cuisines one of the best in the worls are the use
locally grown vegetables, such as pomme de terre (potato), blé (wheat), haricots verts (a type
of French green bean), carotte (carrot), poireau (leek), navet (turnip), aubergine (eggplant),
courgette (zucchini), and échalotte (shallot). French regional cuisines use locally grown
fungi, such as truffe (truffle), champignon de Paris (button mushroom), chanterelle ou girolle
(chanterelle), pleurote (en huître) (oyster mushrooms), and cèpes (porcini). Common fruits
include oranges, tomatoes, tangerines, peaches, apricots, apples, pears, plums, cherries,
strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries, grapes, grapefruit, and blackcurrants.
Varieties of meat consumed include poulet (chicken), pigeon (squab), canard (duck), oie

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(goose, the source of foie gras), bœuf (beef), veau (veal), porc (pork), agneau (lamb), mouton
(mutton), caille (quail), cheval (horse), grenouille (frog), and escargot (snails). Commonly
consumed fish and seafood include cod, canned sardines, fresh sardines, canned tuna, fresh
tuna, salmon, trout, mussels, herring, oysters, shrimp and calamari. Eggs are fine quality and
often eaten as: omelettes, hard-boiled with mayonnaise, scrambled plain, scrambled haute
cuisine preparation, œuf à la [Link] and seasonings vary by region, and include fleur de
sel, herbes de Provence, tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, thyme, fennel, and sage.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and meat, can be purchased either from
supermarkets or specialty shops. Street markets are held on certain days in most localities;
some towns have a more permanent covered market enclosing food shops, especially meat
and fish retailers. These have better shelter than the periodic street markets.

The french have three meals in a day. Le petit déjeuner (breakfast) is traditionally a quick
meal consisting of tartines (slices) of French bread with butter and honey or jam
(sometimes brioche), along with café au lait (also called "café crème"), or black coffee, or
tea and rarely hot chicory. Children often drink hot chocolate in bowls or cups along with
their breakfasts. Croissants, pain aux raisins or pain au chocolat (also named chocolatine in
the south of France) are mostly included as a weekend treat. Breakfast of some kind is always
served in cafés opening early in the day. There are also savoury dishes for breakfast. An
example is "le petit déjeuner gaulois" or "petit déjeuner fermier" with the famous long narrow
bread slices with soft white cheese topped or boiled ham, called mouillettes, which is dipped
in a soft-boiled egg and some fruit juice and hot drink. Another variation called "le petit
déjeuner chasseur", meant to be very hearty, is served with pâté and other charcuterie
products. A more classy version is called "le petit déjeuner du voyageur", where delicatessens
serve gizzard, bacon, salmon, omelet, or croque-monsieur, with or without soft-boiled egg
and always with the traditional coffee/tea/chocolate along fruits or fruit juice. When the egg
is cooked sunny-side over the croque-monsieur, it is called a croque-madame. Le
déjeuner (lunch) is a two-hour mid-day meal or a one-hour lunch break. In some smaller
towns and in the south of France, the two-hour lunch may still be customary. Sunday lunches
are often longer and are taken with the family. Restaurants normally open for lunch at noon
and close at 2:30 pm. Some restaurants close on Monday during lunch hours. In large cities, a
majority of working people and students eat their lunch at a corporate or school cafeteria,
which normally serve complete meals as described above; it is not usual for students to bring
their own lunch food. For companies that do not operate a cafeteria, it is mandatory for white-

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collar workers to be given lunch vouchers as part of their employee benefits. These can be
used in most restaurants, supermarkets and traiteurs; however, workers having lunch in this
way typically do not eat all three dishes of a traditional lunch due to price and time
constraints. In smaller cities and towns, some working people leave their workplaces to return
home for lunch. Also, an alternative, especially among blue-collar workers, eating
sandwiches followed with a dessert; both dishes can be found ready-made at bakeries and
supermarkets for budget prices. Le dîner (dinner) often consists of three courses, hors
d'œuvre or entrée (appetizers or introductory course, sometimes soup), plat principal (main
course), and a cheese course or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or
dessert. Yogurt may replace the cheese course, while a simple dessert would be fresh fruit.
The meal is often accompanied by bread, wine and mineral water. Most of the time the bread
would be a baguette which is very common in France and is made almost every day. Main
meat courses are often served with vegetables, along with potatoes, rice or pasta. Restaurants
often open at 7:30 pm for dinner, and stop taking orders between the hours of 10:00 pm and
11:00 pm. Some restaurants close for dinner on Sundays. At home, French dining
etiquette connected to meals is less formal than you may think. Most of all, it is important to
relax and gather round a table to eat and talk. The French don't approve of grazing,
scrounging around in the fridge, grabbing a snack on the go, or standing over the sink to
munch on an apple. Dropping coins into a vending machine that dispenses candy bars, potato
chips, and soda isn't a viable option in the accepted French way of life.

In French cuisine, beverages that precede a meal are called apéritifs (literally: that opens the
appetite), and can be served with amuse-bouches (literally: mouth amuser). Those that end it
are called digestifs. The apéritif varies from region to region: Pastis is popular in the south of
France, Crémant d'Alsace in the eastern region. Champagne can also be served. Kir, also
called Blanc-cassis, is a common and popular apéritif-cocktail made with a measure of crème
de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with white wine. The phrase Kir Royal is used
when white wine is replaced with a Champagne wine. A simple glass of red wine, such as
Beaujolais nouveau, can also be presented as an apéritif, accompanied by amuse-bouches.
Some apéritifs can be fortified wines with added herbs, such as cinchona, gentian and
vermouth. Trade names that sell well include Suze (the classic gentiane), Byrrh, Dubonnet,
and Noilly Prat. Digestifs are traditionally stronger, and include Cognac, Armagnac,
Calvados, Eau de vie and fruit alcohols. Not only the ingredients, French food is also widely
known to be delightfully presented. Extra care is given on how beautiful it looks on the plate,

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making it not only pleasing to the taste buds, but to the eyes as well. This is the reason why
modern culinary schools are highly influenced by the French cuisine.

With the development of modern french cuisine, some major points were kept in mind which
made French cuisine different from the rest. The first characteristic was a rejection of
excessive complication in cooking. Second, the cooking times for most fish, seafood, game
birds, veal, green vegetables and pâtés was greatly reduced in an attempt to preserve the
natural flavors. Steaming was an important trend from this characteristic. The third
characteristic was that the cuisine was made with the freshest possible ingredients. Fourth,
large menus were abandoned in favor of shorter menus. Fifth, strong marinades for meat and
game ceased to be used. Sixth, they stopped using heavy sauces such as espagnole and
béchamel thickened with flour based "roux", in favor of seasoning their dishes with fresh
herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. Seventh, they used regional dishes for
inspiration instead of haute cuisine dishes. Eighth, new techniques were embraced and
modern equipment was often used; Bocuse even used microwave ovens. Ninth, the chefs paid
close attention to the dietary needs of their guests through their dishes. Tenth and finally, the
chefs were extremely inventive and created new combinations and pairings.

French cuisine also varies according to the season. In summer, salads and fruit dishes are
popular because they are refreshing and produce is inexpensive and abundant. Greengrocers
prefer to sell their fruit and vegetables at lower prices if needed, rather than see them rot in
the heat. At the end of summer, mushrooms become plentiful and appear in stews throughout
France. The hunting season begins in September and runs through February. Game of all
kinds is eaten, often in elaborate dishes that celebrate the success of the hunt. Shellfish are at
their peak when winter turns to spring, and oysters appear in restaurants in large quantities.
With the advent of deep-freeze and the air-conditioned hypermarché, these seasonal
variations are less marked than hitherto, but they are still observed, in some cases due to legal
restrictions. Crayfish, for example, have a short season and it is illegal to catch them out of
season. Despite the invasion of American fast food chains and a youth culture that is more
open to Anglo influences, the traditional French eating habits still live on, even though many
have predicted their downfall. France is still a country where eating is seen as pleasure rather
than just giving the body what it needs to get through the day.

From the simplest crusty baguette eaten with ripe brie to a beautiful lobster bisque or hearty
boueuf bourguignon, France is heaven for any food lover. French cuisine is a unique, cultural

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experience that melds flavorful, nutritious foods with beauty, leisure, and therapeutic
preparation. Making and savoring French food is an art that takes a lifetime to master, yet
requires that time stands still to appreciate its splendor. Explore French cuisine: an art, a
tradition -a way of life.