MELISSA BENJAMIN French Cuisine

Overview Geography Holidays Religion French Impact on American Cuisine

Geography France’s climate has affects different kinds of foods Minerals in soil, chemicals, rainfall and temperature all affect taste of what is grown in France Adds to a stir of flavors in France Influences of climate also play in to the tastes and aromas

Map of Different Regions

France’s Regions Coastal regions such as Brittany and Normandy, on the northwest coast of France, favor fish; use it more often than inland areas French region of Alsace is similar to Germany in its food and wine In parts of the South; cuisine is imported from their original countries Rich meat dishes and cream sauces come from Burgundy Mountain regions producing cheeses, which allow food to be preserved over the long and difficult winters

French Cuisine Traditions Every region of France has own traditions Classical French cuisine includes all classical French dishes  Food is rich and filling; many dishes use rich cream based sauces Haute cuisine ; classical French cuisine,  Usually rich, and heavy  Finest ingredients used; meal is expensive in many cases The Cuisine Nouvelle style developed in the 1970’s  Food is light  Portions usually smaller  Made with more stress on local and seasonal ingredients Cuisine du Terroir focuses on regional specialties as a whole Local produce and specific traditions are the main part of this cuisine

French Impact on American Cuisine For a long period of time, French cooking was viewed as a lavish form of cooking  Also viewed as too high maintenance for many middle class Americans This changed in 1961, when Jackie Kennedy hired French chef Rene Verdon Suddenly, French cuisine suddenly became popular. Jackie Kennedy essentially popularized the elaborate French dishes that were seen as too fancy to be incorporated into the everyday American life

French Impact on American Cuisine, Continued Another public figure who had a profound impact on the American public was Julia Child  Single handily made French cooking more likable  Was also able to indirectly help American wives who were responsible for feeding their families  Child’s cooking techniques of fine French cooking was slowly brought into the American mainstream

Religion Secular Country Citizens primarily Catholic No eating restrictions, though many dishes have a Lenten variation Because of the lack of eating restrictions regarding the country, France has always been able to explore many different cultures

Holiday Traditions Celebrate Christmas Until the end of the middle ages, Christmas celebration was confused with the celebration of New Years Today, Christmas in France is a celebrated family holiday Popular meal served on Christmas include:  Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and a more rustic type of bread, served with a steamed vegetable, and wine to go along with the meal

Popular French Chefs Francois Pierre de La Varenne  Forged new methods of food preparation in a culinary revolution that occurred throughout France Marie-Antoine Careme perfected many elaborate cooking methods (haute cuisine), and prepared dishes for European royalty and wealthy patrons during his lifetime From his edible centerpieces, his published works include recipes as well as cooking tips, and organizational ideas

Popular French Chefs, Continued Auguste Escoffier  Modernized many of the traditional French recipes and cooking styles  Established a method of organizing kitchens that is still often used today and taught in chef schools  First chef to receive France's Legion of Honor cross (1920) for bringing French cuisine to the world  Paul Bocuse- Credited for promoting French cuisine internationally  Taught many well known French chefs when they were in culinary school  Established different restaurants in France and throughout the world  Julia Child - Introduced the French way of cooking to mainstream America  Sought out American Public through her cookbooks, and her popular television show, ‘The French Chef’

Conclusion French food; quite diverse Variety in French cuisine is supported by the French passion for exceptional food in all its forms  France's great range of different geographies and climates Meals range from the very basic to elaborate that can involve many courses and unusual wines French cuisine is simple, relying on high quality, fresh ingredients and careful preparation French cuisine evolved over time  Has appropriately gained a reputation for possessing a part of the world’s most delicious cuisines