France

Geographical position

France covers an area of 547,026 km², making it the third largest country in Europe (after Russia and the Ukraine), while in terms of population it is the fourth largest country, with about 54 million inhabitants. It borders on 7 countries, while its coasts are surrounded by the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

France has a large, diverse and highly developed economy and France is Europe’s largest producer of automobiles, electrical equipment, tools and chemicals, while its cheese, cereals and wines are important agricultural products.

Historical influence

Way back in 1533, Catherine de Medici set off for France to marry the French King Henry II. She brought with her kitchen aids, waiters, dessert chefs and several head chefs.

Catherine was right to be suspicious of the gastronomic culture of the French court, as it truly was catastrophic in the early 16th century. Exotic, expensive ingredients were exceptionally popular, while the fresh, local ingredients were less appreciated. The aggressive food preparation methods and the use of various spices destroyed both the nutritional value and taste of ingredients. However, that all changed with the arrival of Catherine to the French throne.

Catherine, herself a great gourmet, succeed over time to remove the poor French approach to cooking, and the simultaneous serving of sweet and sour, spicy and salty.

Heavy pitchers were replaced by elegant glasses made of Venetian glass. She also introduced the use of glazed dishes and forks, which at that time were completely unknown to the French.

Pasta dishes became particularly popular (especially macaroni and vermicelli), followed by vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes and herbs (basil, oregano, sage).

Characteristics of the cuisine

Food is likely the most distinctive expression of an ethnic group, culture or, in modern times, a country.

Sense of preparing good food is natural to the French. Simple people talk about food with a particular flare, and the knowledge they show is surprising. With such an evaluation system, the French have developed a refined taste for creating exceptional delicacies.

Anyone who has travelled through France knows that the shops and crafts workshops are closed for at least two hours during the lunch break. They take time for their meals, and so the meal is not only for taking in food, but also for socialising and relaxing.

Lunch is usually made up of three, and oftentimes four courses: appetizer, main dish, cheese and dessert. These dishes alternate, but always in a way to create a harmony of flavours.

Reputation of French cuisine is based on the large number of delicacies such as cheese, meat products, champagne, cognac, wine and more.

During the meal, wine is drunk, and wine has since received the status of a nutritional ingredient. Today there is no French winemaker or wine-shop clerk that can only recommend a bottle of wine, without being ready to offer a little advice on the type of meal that the wine will best accompany.

At a time when ordinary products set our nutritional habits, it is necessary to preserve the tradition of preparing delicacies in order to retain their quality and their recognizable character.

Soups

Any traditional menu begins with soup. Soup is to the meal what a beautiful garden is to the house. Right up until the 20th century, soup was the main meal and the only hot meal for peasants. They would brew vegetables and other ingredients in a large pot for hours over a low fire. Few could afford meat and fats, so they would pour soup over a slice of bread

The French word souper, meaning dinner or supper, is the basis for the word soup in western European countries: suppe (German), soup (English).

Some of the best known French soups are: onion soup (Soupe à l' Oignon), Bean soup (Potée Dauphiné), Cream of zucchini soup (Soupe de courge à la crème) and Avignon fennel soup (Potage au fenouil Avignon).

Cheese

France is a nation that produces more than 370 different types of cheese. Each type of cheese tells something of the region in which it is produced. This is due to the particularities of the climate, vegetation, fauna and the traditional production method.

Based on its consistency, cheese can be divided into: soft, semi-hard and hard; cheese can have a rind or not, it can have blue mould inside or red mould outside. Depending on whether it is young or mature, seasoned, washed or macerated, it can be grouped into the following categories: fresh cheese, industrial baking cheese, soft cheese with white or red mould, cheese with noble blue mould, goat’s milk cheese and hard cheese.

During a good French meal, cheese is a mandatory ingredient.

Croissant

, which translated means half-moon, is the favourite pastry of the French, and originated from Hungary. At the end of the 17th century, the Turks surrounded Budapest and, in order to seize the city, they dug a trench around the city walls. The bakers noticed this as they returned home from their work in the early dawn and they raised a revolt, forcing the Turks to retreat.

As a sign of their victory, the bakers baked the half-moon shaped pastry.

Desserts

One of the best known French desserts is the Saint Honoré torte. Due to its creativity and refined flavour, it carried the name of the patron saint of French bakers and pastry chefs. With this torte, the French have best demonstrated their impeccable taste and sense of beauty. Miniature balls of cooked dough, also known as "princess doughtnuts", drenched in chocolate glaze, makes this torte recognizable and special.

Mustard

Already in the year 60 B.C., mustard was known in Rome under the name mustum ardens, which when translated means burning juice. This is the origin of the French word moutarde, the English word mustard and the German word Mostrich.

Even back in the time of Carl the Great, the peasants were well acquainted with the preparation of mustard, which quickly spread throughout the whole of France. At that time (1300 AD), there were ten mustard makers in Paris, while by 1650, there were six hundred.

The Dukes of Burgundy, who ruled over the Dijon province, had already in the 14th century begun to guarantee the quality of the mustard made in their towns. They prescribed that only good mustard seeds could be used during the preparation of mustard.

Mustard is thought to be a universal spice par excellence. It heightens flavour and is particularly suitable in salad dressings, on meat and fish.

Wine

In France, the wine brings together many of the characteristics of the region (similar as in cheese): structure of the soil and its composition, position and slope of the terrain, number of sunny days, precipitation, frost, heat and wind. Not only does the work in the vineyard influence the quality of the wine, but it is also of exceptional importance in the wine cellar. Wine says a great deal about the wine maker. It tells of his character, his cultural and historical heritage, his philosophy and his ethics.

Some of the best known wine regions in France are: Bordeaux, Burgund, Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhone and Provence.

Champagne

Champagne is the protected name of the natural sparkling wine that is produced from grapes in the French Champagne provinces by a special procedure called methode champenoise. Each party, each ball and each occasion is unthinkable without champagne. Opening a bottle of champagne is a celebration of its own, while it is often forgotten that champagne is a wine made in the north of France.

There are many factors that influence the taste of champagne; it can have a light flavour, full, fruity or flowery, fresh or mature, simple or complex.

Some serve it as an aperitif, others with the main meal (especially with white meat), others as dessert. Champagne is appropriate for all occasions, it is just important that the right champagne is selected.

Cognac

Cognac is an alcoholic beverage obtained through the double distillation of wine and is produced in the region of France bearing the same name. The production of cognac began in the 17th century, and the name itself arose only in 1783.

Nine litres of wine are required to make one litre of cognac. The characteristic aroma of cognac is achieved by aging it in oak barrels. Cognac that is up to five years old is light yellow, with a flavour reminiscent of vanilla, while cognac between five and ten years old is darker in colour and its flavour more pronounced. Only after 30 years of aging does its alcohol content begin to drop, and after 50 years it reaches the desired alcohol content of 40%, when cognac can be consumed as a beverage. However, the alcohol concentration can also be altered using distilled water.

Categories of cognac: three stars – aged in barrels more than 2 years, VSOP (Very Special Old Pale), VO – aged in barrels more than 4 years and Napoleon, Extra, XO – aged in barrels more than 6 years.

By:
Podravka Culinary Centre