FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Mark R. Vogel
Epicure1@optonline.net
French Food
What comes to mind when you think of French cuisine? Lavish
food? Cream and butter? Red wine? Pastry? Big price tag? There are many facets
to French food and cooking. First of all, there is no one type of French
cuisine. The nature of French cooking, just like Italian, is highly dependent on
the particular region of the country in question. However, technique, culinary
history, and stylistic trends do play a unifying role in shaping the scope of
French cooking.
Geography affects gastronomy via two key mechanisms. First,
the microclimate, and the unique characteristics of the land in any given
location determines which food products can be cultivated. Second, proximity to
certain natural food sources, (oceans, forests, etc.), as well as to the
influence of neighboring cultures, will shape a region’s culinary destiny.
It is no surprise then that the cuisine of Brittany &
Normandy, on the northwest coast of France, is dominated by seafood. However,
the land here is suitable to raising cattle and apple trees. Thus, dairy
products, cheeses and various apple preparations, (including the infamous apple
brandy Calvados), play an integral role.
The food of Alsace, which borders Germany in the northeast,
is clearly infiltrated with German influences, most notably the dish Choucroute
garni, which is sauerkraut combined with pork and/or sausages. Even their wines
are more similar to neighboring Germany than the rest of France. Alsace is also
known for its fruits, use of foie gras, and savory tarts, such as quiche
Lorraine. Foie gras is the liver of fattened (from over-fed), ducks or geese.
This delicacy is high in fat and expensive. All I can say is taste it. See if
you care about your heart or your wallet as this puddle of heaven sublimely
melts in your mouth.
Provence is located on the southeast coast and naturally
reflects the flavors of the Mediterranean. Here we depart from the French
stereotype of fat, cream and butter. In Provence, olive oil is king, as well as
greater use of vegetables, herbs, and seafood. One cannot discuss the bounty of
Provence without mentioning the renowned bouillabaisse, a Mediterranean seafood
stew with tomatoes, herbs, olive oil, onions, and wine. It doesn’t get any more
Provencial than that.
The southwest part of France is known as the Midi. Nearest to
Spain, the Spanish influences of chile peppers and salted fish are evident.
Lamb, snails, foie gras, duck, and organ meats are also common. But the classic
concoction of the Midi is cassoulet, a stew made from white beans and any
combination of duck confit, (duck cooked in it’s own fat), lamb, pork products,
and sometimes even partridge. Every town in the Midi has it’s own unique recipe.
Cassoulet is the French epitome of comfort food. Southwest France is also the
home of Bordeaux wine and the famed brandies Armagnac and Cognac, all of which
find their way into the cooking.
And that brings us to Burgundy, considered by many as the gastronomic heart of
France. Burgundy is of course known for its stellar wine but that is only the
beginning. Charolais cattle, highly prized for their exceptional meat, render
Burgundy the mecca of beef production and consumption in France. Beef
Bourguignonne is a hearty stew braised in wine which, along with coq au vin,
(chicken in red wine), are the signature dishes of the area. Other ingredients
characteristic of Burgundian cuisine include wild game, mushrooms, cream, Dijon
mustard, freshwater fish, crayfish, pork, pastry, and cassis, a liqueur made
from black currants.
In classic French haute cuisine, (elaborate and elegant
cuisine utilizing the finest ingredients), paramount importance is placed on
cooking technique, food fabrication skills, and artful plate presentation.
Vegetables, for example, are often cut with obsessive-compulsive perfection and
uniformity. Dishes are typically not presented in a rustic fashion but rather in
a sophisticated, aesthetic, and organized manner.
Interestingly, some feel it was the Italians who taught the
French how to cook. Catherine De Medicis, a Florentine princess, married Henry
duc d’Orleans, (later King Henry II of France) in 1533. She brought an entourage
of Italian chefs to France who introduced a myriad of dishes, food preparations,
and dining practices. The roots of many aspects of traditional French cooking
can be traced back to her. The French then applied their evolving devotion to
technique and elaborate fabrication methods to these Italian underpinnings.
Classic French preparations were arduous, time consuming, burdened with
methodology, and characterized by rich ingredients and heavy sauces.
Modern French cooking is dominated by nouvelle cuisine.
This trend, spearheaded by the famous chef Fernand Point in the early 20th
century, is characterized by simpler, less time consuming dishes, lighter
sauces, smaller portions, and a greater emphasis on local, high quality, in
season ingredients. Nouvelle cuisine exploded onto the American culinary scene
in the 1970s and remains a significant culinary influence.
