Bonjour et bienvenue to La Marmite, your source of fun food information from France.
Ready for a whirlwind culinary tour of France? Fasten your seatbelts, but not too tightly because there is a lot to be eaten along the way.
Politically, France is divided into 26 regions, which are further divided into a total of 100 departments. I've decided to introduce you to one specialty from each of the 22 European regions of France. Bear in mind that each food
is just the tip of the ice berg, and each region boasts an amazingly vast tradition of food and drink, that is many times quite distinct from the other regions.
Let's start in the north and next month we'll head south. Allez, on y va!
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
In the very north and close to the Belgium border, you will find the town of Arleux, the garlic capital of France. It is here that the famous rose-colored
Ail Fumé d'Arleux is smoked and braided into decorative tresses. This
garlic soup recipe comes from the region, where it is made from Arleux garlic, but you can use any high quality garlic you might find.
Picardie
The town of Amiens is famous for its macarons.
Les Macarons d'Amiens are different from the shiny, smooth and boisterously flavored Parisian-style macarons that are all over the place these days. In Amiens, the macarons are denser and
don't show off with a lot of loud colors. You can find these cylinder shaped macarons sold in discretely elegant foil wrappers.
Basse Normandie
If you visit Normandy, you are sure to see two things: cows and grass.
La Crème d'Isigny, which is crowned with an AOC (
appellation d'origine contrôlée) comes from this region. The fabulously rich milk of Normandy also finds its way
into a wide variety of other dairy products, all contributing to the culinary reputation of this region.
Haute Normandie
This is where the mystical liqueur
Benedictine was first elaborated in the 15th century. It is still made here in the town of Fécamp, and yes, it was first elaborated by a monk. Concocted from a blend of 27 different plants,
the exact formula for this amber colored alcohol is a carefully kept secret.
Ile de France
If you travel just a little way out of Paris to the east, you will soon find yourself in a patchwork of farmland and small towns. Tasty traditions abound including
La Moutarde de Meaux.
Meaux sits among the fields with its lovely cathdral and this mustard was originally made by monks living in the area. Meaux Mustard is grainy, flavorful and surprisingly mild. You can buy
it in cute decorative crocks that you can use for other things when empty.
Champagne Ardenne
In amusing contrast to this region's best known export, the rustic
Andouillette de Troyes is no less loved - there is even an association of very serious folks dedicated to the preservation of this regional delicacy.
The recipe for Andouillette Sausage which dates back many centuries, calls for thinly slicing chitterlings, then cooking them with onions and pepper, before stuffing them in their casing.
Lorraine
It is in this eastern region of France that the Madeliene cookie, later made famous by Proust, got its big break.
Les Madeleines de Commercy were originally sold by street vendors at the local train station. These shell
shaped tea cakes are incredibly popular in France, where many people buy them already made. You can also
make your own madeleine cookies and get very good results.
Alsace
The abundance of good hearty eating in this region makes it difficult to limit our scope to just one speciality, but
La Choucroute Garnie admirably represents this region's culinary traditions. In days of yore, everyone knew
how to make their own sauerkraut, or fermeted cabbage, and serving it with an abundance of sausages and other pork products was reserved for special occasions. These days you should be able to sample it in just about any local restaurant.
Bretagne
Stretching out into the Atlantic ocean, this region is well known for many foods, but it is often the baked goods that attracts the most attention.
Far Breton is a flan like cake that features rum soaked prunes. You can
follow this
prune cake recipe if you'd like to get a taste of a Far at home.
Pays de la Loire
With easy access to the Atlantic Ocean and shipping routes, it is not surprising to find the city of Nantes is home to a number of successful large-scale manufacturers. One of the most famous is the LU cookie factory, and it is here
where the French after school snack,
La Petite Beurre is made. Sometimes topped with a slab of chocolate these charming little
French cookies can now be found the world over
Centre
This region makes up part of the Loire Valley, famous for its wines and chateaus. However, it also has been the home of much humbler folk and food.
Le Crottin de Chavignol made around the town of the same name, is a yummy little
goat cheese, that has quietly gone about its business for many centuries. Did you know that traditionally goat cheese is made in small portions because you can only get a little bit of milk from a goat herd at a time?
Bourgogne
Hard to narrow things down in a region that elevates eating truly to an art, but
Le Poulet de Bresse, is arguably a very good representative. (Bresse is actually an area that includes a little of three different regions.)
The title Bresse Chicken is not given to any old bird, indeed the controls placed on this national treasure are intense and precise. Worth trying at least once, so that we remember what a chicken is supposed to taste like.
Franche Comté
Here we are in the mountains and back to hearty food, including
La Saucisse de Morteau, a locally produced pork sausage. Its unique flavor is conferred by smoking the sausages slowly in a special chimney called a
tuyé. You can use
Morteau Sausage in any number of cooked dishes, and it is especiallygood in soups and stews.
Next Issue:
Hope you enjoyed the culinary tour of the northern regions of France. Thanks for spending some time with me. In next month's issue, due out on November 12th, we'll be heading south.
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A bientôt and remember to enjoy your food!
Your friend in France,
Kim
