Speaking of French cuisine, we should start with King Henry IV of France in the 6th century. Before he took office, France was still in a "wild" state of grasping rice, and the so-called food was out of the question. All this until Henry IV married an Italian princess. With the Queen's marriage to France, a large number of Italian chefs accompanied her to Paris. The Queen herself is also a "Mrs. Ma" who loves the kitchen. Since then, the situation of food in Henry's court has changed, and many Italian delicacies have become popular in the court. Knife and fork became popular, and the French, led by Henry IV, began to learn to dance gracefully with them. In the late period of Henry IV, the court and even local lords hired chefs from Italy to hold banquets. On that day, the so-called aristocratic banquets were often held while eating, drinking and having fun, and food and performances were all eaten while eating. During the dinner, there will be performances by wandering poets and jugglers, and dishes will be served by servants in turn, and guests and friends will taste them. By the end of the banquet, serving dishes had become a part of the performance. Riding the east wind of the Renaissance, French cuisine also began to prosper, getting rid of the darkness and backwardness of the Middle Ages. However, there is still a gap from the real French cuisine.
By the time of Louis XIV, French cuisine had another chance to leap forward. With the rise of France's national strength during this period, and because Louis XIV himself liked luxury, the luxury of French court meals became the highest in Europe. James II, who was expelled because of the "glorious revolution", visited the Palace of Versailles. In order to welcome him, Louis XIV held a grand banquet, which lasted for three days and nights, and the evening was also a banquet. That later, James II was greatly surprised. He recalled his past "bitter days" and repeatedly lamented that all his previous dishes were eaten for nothing. At the same time, Louis XIV began to train local French chefs to get rid of the dependence on Italians. His practice is to hold a national cooking competition, and the winner will be recruited to Versailles to award the so-called CORDO NBLEU, which has become the dream goal of all French chefs, and this award has been retained to this day.
Later, Louis XV further developed French cuisine on this basis. Chef's social status has also been greatly improved, becoming a noble artistic profession. For a time, hundreds of schools of thought contended in the French gourmet market, and it was a thriving scene. In religious circles, Catholicism advocates the use of sugar, Protestantism advocates the use of butter, and in ideological circles Voltaire is the first to put mushrooms in turkeys to add flavor. Rousseau also became the first vegetarian in the west who opposed eating meat. Diderot even said the following quip: "I can live without poetry, music, art, conscience, feelings, friends and books, but as a civilized person, I can't live without food." Lavalette, a famous French chef, first published The French Chef, the earliest food book in French history.
Dietary customs and etiquette also began to develop. In the past, at banquets in Europe, every dish was a secret, and there was no so-called menu, just to surprise the guests like a show. The only exception is that in 152 1 year, Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire held an imperial meeting in Vorm to discuss Martin Luther, during which the Duke of Brunswick from Salzburg wrote the name of this dish on a piece of parchment. In the era of Louis XV, this was followed by French courts. At that time, great efforts were made to describe the text of the menu, making it an integral part of the banquet, which made the guests' appetite open and their mouths water when ordering. Through the above, French cuisine has gradually formed its own system in terms of production, classification, serving methods and dining etiquette, and has also produced fruitful results. But it was the French Revolution that really made French cuisine world-famous and well-known and recognized by all walks of life.
With the gunfire in the Bastille, Louis XVI was guillotined and said goodbye to court food helplessly. French cuisine has not been negatively affected by this. With the great revolution, a large number of court chefs fled to the people, and they began to open restaurants and restaurants on the streets of Paris to make a living. Therefore, with the emergence of these "royal kitchens", a large number of court meals have become delicious for most French classes. While enjoying them, the middle class began to imitate the dining style and etiquette of the nobles in the past, coupled with the unique "petty bourgeoisie sentiment" and a little unique artistic charm. After that, a Napoleon appeared in France. Because his tricolor flag flies almost all over the European continent, just as the slogan of "freedom, equality and fraternity" has been widely welcomed by people all over the world, French cuisine has also spread to all countries with Napoleon's army. As a result, Goethe, a great German writer at that time, commented that "Napoleon's iron hoof conquered the monarch of Europe, while the French chef's delicious food conquered everyone's stomach." Just like today, when American soldiers have traveled all over the world, McDonald's chain stores have landed all over the world. Big countries often engage in military forces and also promote "new dietary ideas" in various countries. During the Second World War, Coca-Cola was so popular all over the world. Off topic, back to the point. The gourmet revolution triggered by the Great Revolution, like a powerful booster, really pushed French cuisine to the throne of world cuisine.
After Napoleon, French cuisine had a period of silence, but fortunately it was maintained by the Renaissance movement of a literary master. This man is Dumas, who wrote three musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. The last work of his life is not a novel or a script, but a thick food dictionary. In his later years, he ate almost all the restaurants in Paris and became the first person in France to write a food review. Wherever he went, he took notes while eating, and almost all the chefs in major food stores became his friends. At that time, all the famous chefs in France praised Dumas as a "bosom friend". This food dictionary is generally evaluated as "readable and easy to use", which has become a classic in the catering industry in the19th century and a booster for the continuation of French cuisine. During the Franco-Prussian War, although the French army suffered repeated battles and defeats on the battlefield, some Chinese poems said that "the country is unfortunate and the poet is fortunate", while for the French, "the country is unfortunate and the family is fortunate". During the siege of Paris by the Prussian army, due to the shortage of goods around major restaurants, they operated on the Paris Zoo in succession. Roasted camels, trapped donkey heads, cat and mouse platters, and even world-famous snails all appeared on the menu of Paris diners at this time. The war was defeated, but French cuisine has been greatly enriched as never before, and further rushed to the peak of world cuisine. I think this is the so-called "two sides" of dialectics.
Today, the industrialized fast food culture has not defeated the traditional French cuisine. You can often hear the news that farmers smashed McDonald's fast food restaurants in * * *. The tradition of eating is stronger. For example, the French basically only eat clams in the months with the letter R in their names, that is, in the past May, June and July, because it is difficult to preserve this food in these three months, that is, in summer. There is a refrigerator today, but the French still stubbornly adhere to this habit. For another example, when President Mitterrand held the G-7 Summit in Paris, he held a luxurious dinner in accordance with the tradition left by Jean-Jacques de Gon Basel, the Secretary of State during the Napoleonic Empire, and informed the newspaper to publish a menu, so that the people of China could have an eye addiction and share the fun with the people.
In fact, the so-called "food culture", as a part of culture, can often be a side mirror. It is inextricably linked with a nation's historical tradition.
The French have an unspeakable ambivalence about the topic of Chinese food and cooking on the plate. They are proud of their reputation as "gourmets", but they are greatly annoyed to see that they are fair-weather friends. In fact, Descartes, a world-famous French philosopher, pays attention to eating and drinking. Pascal, another French philosopher, Pasteur, a French chemist and bacteriologist, and lavoisier and Charles de Gaulle, the originator of modern French chemistry, are not inferior in this respect. France's Concorde, luxury high-speed trains, advanced laser research and nuclear strike force are also among the best in the world. But none of these, people's impression of France is still cream chocolate and wine-cooked tender fried chicken.
People also go to other parts of the world to enjoy delicious meals, even unparalleled delicacies, such as Italy. However, due to the historical opportunity, the natural beauty of the French and the diligence of people in innovation, the French have established an extraordinary relationship with diet after centuries. Now, other parts of the world are also studying how to improve their cooking skills, but no matter how hard they try, the ability to appreciate wine and food is still illegal. This is no accident. The French groped for a long time before they entered the beautiful world.
French bread
Stepping into the French city, a bakery immediately came into view. The well-dressed clerk smiled and received tourists from all directions politely. French people have the habit of eating while walking, and children also like to chew long bread at school. Sometimes, they use bread as a stick and chase it, which has a unique taste.
Remote villages are no exception. No matter whether it is a small hotel or a big hotel, as long as you choose a table to sit down, the clever waiter will immediately come forward and respectfully offer you a basket of white bread. At this point, you just sit and eat your sweet bread slowly, and don't worry that no one will bring you wine and food.
French restaurants, big or small, generally have no bakeries. Shops are close to the bakery, and sometimes they are separated by boards to facilitate delivery.
When you buy bread in France, you should bring your own container, because bread is naked and rarely packaged. It is most interesting for children to buy bread. They put long loaves into open jackets one by one and sent them home casually.
French cuisine is well known. When you come to France, you can wear a formal dress and enjoy an authentic French dinner. You can also sip mellow grapes and enjoy foie gras and lobster in a popular restaurant. Dessert after dinner is a delicious food that can't be missed.
In Paris, it is easy to find restaurants. Restaurants can be found everywhere in the capital of this gourmet country. It can be said that there are all kinds of restaurants, which set off the prosperous and gorgeous atmosphere of Paris. Visitors can not only eat authentic French food, simply fill their stomachs, but also have an excellent leisure experience.
In Lyon, the second largest city in France, there is a famous Lyon sausage among its authentic dishes, which is a good French dish. Another Lyon dish, Lyon Visceral Sausage with Fried Onions, is worth a try. Lyon's cheese is world-famous, there are more than 100 kinds, so it has a completely different taste. In addition to direct slicing, you can also add melted cheese to wine or mix it with cold meat and potatoes. , is the top grade to supplement physical strength.
Special attention: Generally, the lunch time in French restaurants is 12:00- 14:00, and the dinner time is 19:00-22:30 or later. Regular restaurants have more exquisite dishes and higher costs. You need to make an appointment in advance, and some need formal attire. It is best to confirm in advance. The beer house offers seafood cold cuts and traditional dishes, with long business hours, from breakfast to midnight snack; Small home-cooked dishes provide traditional home-cooked dishes at a lower price; The cafeteria charges for taking food, which is cheaper than ordinary restaurants; The pancake shop provides a simple roadside restaurant, which specializes in making sweet or salty pancakes and is suitable for ordering cider; In addition to coffee drinks, cafes also provide simple dishes, such as hamburger fries; In the afternoon, the teahouse serves candy, tea, salad and pie.
Paris is famous for French cuisine: foie gras, traditional snacks, cheese and wine. Paris can meet all your needs for food tasting. French cuisine is world-famous. There are 25,000 restaurants in Paris alone. Some restaurants are luxurious, but some ordinary restaurants feel very warm, but no matter what kind of restaurant, there will be unexpected surprises when eating.
French cuisine is one of the three major cuisines in the world. In France, everything related to eating is regarded as a sacrament, because it provides two most appreciated aesthetic enjoyment-food and conversation. In addition to the exquisite taste, the combination of wine and dishes and elegant dining etiquette are prerequisites for entering French cuisine. You can't go to France without ordering famous dishes such as truffles and foie gras. Although the weight is small, it is exquisite and worth tasting slowly.
It is suggested that you don't need to order all the dishes when ordering. You should do what you can and see the budget. Generally, there are several grades of French restaurants: Bistrot (home-cooked restaurant), Brasserie (small restaurant) and Gastronomie, and the consumption quota also increases with different grades. It should be noted that if you want to go to a high-end restaurant, you should make an appointment in advance. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear dresses or suits.
Good food must be accompanied by good wine, or wine. French people are used to eating red wine with red meat or heavy dishes, and white wine with chicken and seafood. It is a common phenomenon that red wine and white wine appear on the table at noon and dinner, which is generally called wine in the meal. The order of serving French food is: 1 appetizer; 2 soup or salad (seafood); 3 cups of smoothies; 4 main course; 5 salad (vegetable leaves); 6 cheese plate; 7 desserts; 8 coffee or tea, don't forget to pay attention to it when you have the opportunity to taste French food next time.
[foie gras]
French cuisine plays an important role in modern European cuisine and is often used as a blueprint for serving and menu combination in first-class restaurants and hotels. In French cuisine, French fried foie gras is known as the three major cuisines in the world.
The Romans knew how to make fried foie gras about 2000 years ago. Later, in the period of Louis XVI in France, foie gras was deeply loved after being presented to the French court. Since then, it has become a delicious dish widely used in the court. At that time, many famous musicians, writers and celebrities rushed to praise it, and since then it has established the status of top food.
Since foie gras can be regarded as the top food in the world, the feeding process of geese also has its own uniqueness. Within 14 weeks after hatching, geese will be kept outdoors, providing a natural environment and greatly enhancing their immunity. 14 weeks later, the breeder began to force feed the geese with special millet three times a day for four weeks. In order to prevent the geese from being nervous or even dying in the process of forced feeding, all the geese will be fed one by one, and they will be patted or listened to music constantly to help them swallow and calm their emotions. This is also the reason why foie gras is so expensive, because its labor has almost accounted for most of the cost.
In French, foie gras is foie gras, and the soup is fried, so if you see that foie gras is fried in the appetizer of a French restaurant, it is French fried foie gras. When tasting fried foie gras, it is best to match the sauce cooked with sweet wine, or add dried figs to fry it together, so that the aroma of foie gras can match the aroma of figs and taste different.
[caviar]
Caviar, the three most familiar cuisines in the world, is actually salted fin fish eggs. This famous delicacy was known as the best in the world as early as13rd century. It is rumored in a Danish newspaper that a local factory received an order to make finfish caviar, which should be the earliest record of caviar.
In addition to fin fish, caviar also uses materials such as trout, sturgeon, cod and snakehead. Among them, snakehead is the most special, because its growing place is limited to the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Caviar can be paired with any material without losing its delicious taste, whether it is cold dishes, wine, cakes, etc. And caviar can be combined into a wonderful dish. If caviar is really the most commonly used place, it is probably an appetizer with champagne!
As for how to eat caviar, first spread it gently on your tongue, and slowly crush the caviar one by one with the tip of your tongue, and you will feel the rich, sweet and clear sauce. The higher the grade, the higher the fish fat content in caviar and the lower the salt content. Therefore, caviar with high quality and trade generally has a sticky taste and a more refined flavor.
Besides eating, pay great attention to the spoon used to scoop caviar. In order not to let the vessel overwhelm its elegance, but also to prevent the quality of caviar from being affected by high temperature, it is generally eaten with a shell spoon. As for the metal spoon used in general dining, it will seriously damage the aroma of caviar, so it is definitely forbidden to use it.
[Truffle]
Truff, also known as "black mushroom", "foie gras" and "caviar", is an underground mushroom. Truffles, which have the reputation of "black diamonds" in France, are not mushrooms strictly, because they are parasitic on tree roots and buried deep in the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on a well-trained dog with a keen sense of smell to find its trace.
Truffles are very sensitive to temperature and humidity. If it is not handled properly, it can be "thin" by one tenth in just three days. Losing weight means losing money, which often makes bosses feel distressed. So in order to preserve truffles, open them, for example, someone puts truffles in a sealed rice bucket or in a room with eggs. The result was unexpected. Rice and eggs fully absorb the taste of truffles, and at the same time, the moisture of truffles will not evaporate quickly, creating another taste of truffles. The best tasting season for truffles is1February to March of the following year. Bordeaux wine can be drunk with ordinary red wine.
[buttermilk]
Fromage is world-famous, and cheese is absolutely indispensable on the French table. In France, there are 345 kinds of cheese only through official regulations, and each kind of cheese has its own unique personality. No wonder someone once said that in France, you can eat different kinds of cheese every day from 65438+ 10 to 65438+February. In addition, some French people say, "As long as a good piece of farm cheese, a glass of wine and a piece of freshly baked bread is the supreme enjoyment on earth." This shows that the French like cheese.
The essence of cheese is determined by the difference of climate, geographical environment, pasture, cattle and sheep. The texture and flavor of cheese are subtly influenced by yeast, container, preparation method and ripening time. In Normandy near the sea, cattle and sheep ate slightly salty grass, which gave birth to distinctive dairy products. This barren inland land is famous for goat cheese. Cattle and sheep eat fertile pasture in spring and summer and produce abundant milk. In addition to processing and drinking, farmers also make all kinds of cheese for storage in winter. Every autumn, it is the time when cheese turns yellow slowly. "Gourmet" recognized that the cheese at this time had the best texture, the most charming taste, and was sweet and delicious.
Fried scallops with foie gras.
Features: through ingenious combination, matching of materials and techniques, it presents an elegant food that melts at the mouth.
Ingredients: 3 slices of French foie gras, 6 fresh scallops, 6 asparagus strips, onion 100g, 30g carrot and 20g onion (sliced and fried with salt, twisted into paste).
Production: soak fresh shellfish in water, that is, soak them in ice water, then cool them quickly, add onion and ginger salt wine, fry until the stamens of yellow asparagus are taken out on both sides, and scald them with salt water as a dish decoration; Take out the foie gras, fry it slightly, put it on fresh shellfish, and add sauce to serve.
Description: French onion soup
Features: typical French flavor, rich fragrance.
Ingredients: 2000g beef, 500g onion, 0/50g salad oil/kloc-,20g salt, a little pepper, a little slice of bread and a little sauce.
Production: Slice the onion and fry it in salad oil until brown. Add onion and beef soup into the pot and stir until it boils. Add salt and pepper. When the soup is served, put the slices of bread into the soup basin and sprinkle with sauce.
Description: French spicy pork chop
Features: fresh and tender meat, spicy and appetizing.
Ingredients: 4 pork chops, salt, coarse pepper, 250 ml concentrated milk, garlic, French mustard sauce and coriander leaves.
Production: pat pork chops evenly on both sides with the back of a knife, put them in a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper; Heat the pot, put oil, add pork chops and fry until golden brown; Add cream, garlic slices and mustard sauce to a frying pan and bring to a boil. Add the right amount of salt to adjust the taste. When the soup is cooked into a thin paste, add chopped coriander and take it out of the pot.