Although there does not need to be any special occasion to share our best impressions about French gastronomy and everything it has given to us, nowadays this nation of real gourmets is preparing to celebrate a big holiday. And we decided that it could be a nice reason to discover something utterly delicious about them.
Thirteen years and ten days after the Declaration of Independence was signed in Washington (July 4th, 1776), on the opposite shore of the Atlantic Ocean, in Paris the French people stormed the Bastille, one of the most terrible prisons and largest ammunition depots at that time. July 14th, 1789, became the day when the French protested against infringement of their human rights by the monarchy and stood up for Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood. This day has become a great French national holiday, known as La Fête Nationale which means the National Celebration. To commemorate the events, it is also called Bastille Day.
So do not hurry to put away your red-blue-and-white bows, stripes and paints. There is a fine opportunity to add something different and themed to your leisure time. Find your favorite chansons or a good old French comedy to create a light and elegant atmosphere, and enjoy the exquisite deliciousness of French culinary masterpieces.
Indeed, France can be proud of its gastronomic inventions. By the way, if some time you decide to spend another evening at your favorite restaurant or bar, note that the names for both these food establishments, as well as for many others all around the world, were actually given by the French. Traditional French cuisine is what can be talked over and over for an especially long or rather an infinitely long time. Even if you still did not have a chance to try some really French treat, you certainly know foie gras, brie cheese and Sauvignon Blanc wine, just to name a few.
Nevertheless, the proof of the French crêpes is in the eating. Let us see what is so gorgeous about cuisine française and what it can offer to the most discerning connoisseurs.
About 400 different types of cheese are grouped in the so called “eight families”. This sounds quite impressive, and is likely to be the world’s record! France has created so many cheeses with so different qualities that everybody can find his or her favorite combination of textures and flavor profiles, and enjoy the sublime epitomes of French cheesemaking tradition. Brie and Camembert cheese, Emmental cheese and Mimolette cheese, as well as a vast variety of blue cheeses and chèvres (or goat cheeses) make up just a small part of this huge gastronomic treasure. By the way, l'assortment de fromages (the cheese assortment), which should include at least three different cheeses, is served as a separate course, usually at the end of the wholesome meal.
Here are a few tips for making a beautiful plateau de fromage.
Normandy butter is an irreplaceable element in many French-style dishes. Whether it is slathered on a crunchy warm slice of baguette or added to pastry, you can taste its natural delicate creaminess and enjoy its wonderful versatility.
There is no wonder that a few years ago the UNESCO added French cuisine to the list of the world’s “intangible cultural heritage”. This fact should go without saying when French traditional desserts and pastry have become the country’s delicious symbols, favored and imitated almost everywhere outside France.