French café culture and of course ‘la gastronomie’ is part of the national identity here. In fact, in 2010, the ‘gastronomic meal of the French’ was inscribed by UNESCO on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of...
If there’s one thing we know from feedback on our Facebook page – French cheese is a popular topic! There are entire websites dedicated to the stuff, and according to Wikipedia there are 1600 distinct types of French cheese grouped into eight...
There are a few icons that immediately identify as ‘French’ and one of those is most certainly a baguette! A stick of baked dough is at the very heart of the national culture: France has the highest density of bakeries in the world, and approximately ten...
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the time of year when poultry is on many tables across France. To help you shop for the right bird, and to save you a couple pitfalls, here are some poultry related terms and references that might be useful.Any bird that is...
France and food seem to always go together! We’ll take a look at some phrases that pop up frequently in restaurants and cooking – and often with completely different meanings than we thought! Cordon Bleu OK so we’ve all heard of a Cordon Bleu Chef...
You would think that ordering a cup of coffee in France is pretty straightforward. But it can be much more confusing than requesting une baguette or un croissant.Traditionally, un café will be a tiny cup of strong black espresso. If that surprises you,...
So you’ve been lucky enough to be invited to Christmas dinner with French friends? Congratulations, you’re in for a treat!Pretty much every country in the world with a significant Christian population has its own Christmas traditions. In the UK the main...
After an extended summer and some lovely warm October days, the autumn season has finally arrived in Languedoc! The wine-harvest ‘les vendanges’ has been one of the longest for many years, and in spite of hailstorms and heavy rains, indications are that...
Here in the south of France we eat well. Very well. To the south and west, Languedoc has Spain, Catalonia and the former French colonies of North Africa. The region has had many delicious and mediterranean influences throughout the centuries.From the rich...
When thinking of France, food is often one of the first things that pops into the head. After all, cuisine is a French word and so are most culinary terms: au gratin, au jus, bain marie, beurre blanc are all in the English dictionary. The likes of the late Paul Bocuse...
