By Marine Proudhon
Bœuf Bourguignon? Escargots? Homard? Croissant? Baguette? Champagne? Sounds familiar? Then let’s taste the French “Art de vivre”! French cuisine is renowned throughout the world, and has been for many years. But this is no coincidence. For centuries, France has been building its reputation thanks to its cuisine, and to the favorite art of the French: gastronomy.
Since when has French cuisine fascinated the whole world so much?
Today, French cuisine is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but this reputation already appeared in the Middle Ages when a food identity began to emerge. French royalty played a very important role in understanding that the image of France would also be reflected in the arts of the table. Thus, already at that time, the ancestors of restaurants already existed: a take-away food service.
The whole world participates in its fame by bringing a piece of France to each country!
Every country in the world has its own culinary specialties, which contribute to its identity. France can count on its regions, which all have different specialties. France exports its know-how, and its different dishes, but it also exports a lot of high-end products such as wine, cheese, champagne, butter, baguette etc…
And it can also count on the presence of French chefs who have their own restaurants all over the world. Restaurant is a French word? Simple coincidence? It’s no coincidence. The word restaurant comes from the French, precisely because of the renown of the cuisine.
Worldwide recognition : Unesco
France was the first country to obtain such recognition. Indeed, it was the first time that a country saw its cuisine obtain the award of “belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage“. This recognition allows France to continue to shine on the road to excellence.
Travelling in France and testing the French art of living: instructions for use.
Today, France welcomes more and more tourists, curious to discover France, but above all curious to discover its culinary traditions. But how can you find out about the good addresses of French cuisine? The “Michelin Guide” is the solution! This guide lists all the best restaurants in all regions of France.
There will never be enough time on a trip to France to discover all the very special recipes for which France is famous. Each region is different, and each region has its own specialties. So you’ll have to come back!
Snails? Really?
French cuisine is known all over the world, including for cooking snails. Indeed, this dish is very famous in France, especially during a Christmas party. The French have always eaten snails, but especially in times of famine, because the snail is a crawling animal, so it had a bad reputation among rich people. But during the Renaissance, Tsar Alexander I, was supposed to have lunch with Napoleon’s intendant in a restaurant. Arriving very late, the restaurant owner had nothing left to serve them, so he would have seen snails in his garden, and cooked them with parsley and butter. The Tsar would have loved it, and that’s how snails became so popular in France. So why not try snails on your next trip to France ?
A little recipe before you go?
As Iris Mitteraere, Miss Universe France, would say “come taste the beef bourguignon”. This dish is an amblematic dish of French cuisine, and all French people know it. So here is a recipe made in France of a dish that the greatest chefs are constantly revisiting.
- 1.5 kg of beef for bourguignon
- 200 g bacon
- 60 g butter
- 10 small onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 60 g flour (4 tablespoons)
- 2 large glasses of red wine (50 cl) Burgundy (obviously)
- 2 large glasses of meat stock (2 beef stock cubes for 50 cl = 1/2 litre of water)
- 250 g mushrooms
- 1 bouquet garni
- salt
- pepper
Preparation :
- Cut the beef into 3 to 4 cm cubes. Peel the onions without peeling them. Peel and slice the carrots into rings not too thin (2mm minimum). Peel the garlic and remove the germ.
- In a large casserole, melt the butter. Add the whole onions and bacon. Sauté, stirring constantly. When they are golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In the same pan, brown the pieces of meat over high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- When the meat is well browned, sprinkle with flour (60g) and let it brown, stirring all the time.
- Pour in the stock (which you will have prepared by melting the 2 meat stock cubes in 50 cl of boiling water). Scrape the juices well. Put the bacon and onions back into the casserole. Pour in the red wine. Season with salt and pepper and add the bouquet garni and crushed garlic cloves. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 3 hours (small stock).
- To finish, at the end of this time, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another half an hour. Remove the bouquet garni and pour into a dish. Serve with pasta (tagliatelle for example), or steamed potatoes (the sauce should be thick but not thick, otherwise add a little water).
If you want to taste other recipes, Fly Aeolus accompanies you to France!
To get an idea how much a flight to a city in France would cost, have a look at our price calculator. Are you already a fan of France or you want to become one? Then you should also check out our blog about “Fly into horse city Deauville, the Parisian riviera”.
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