Interesting Facts.

• France is the largest European country in terms of land area after Russia and Ukraine.
• 20% of the French people live in the Parisian region.
• There are over 300 kinds of cheese made in France.
• There are about 2 new cooking books published every day in France.
• France is the world’s leader in luxury goods, including haute couture, perfumes and cosmetics.
• France is the world’s first producer of wine and liquors.

Food Habits pertaining to reliigious practices.

Fasting is very important amd fasting has been identified as the mechanism that allows one to improve one's body or to earn the approval of Allah or Buddha, or to understand and appreciate the sufferings of the poor.

Foods that Originated in France

There are alot of different  foods that originated in France some of them are : Escargots, Crepes, Fruit Tars, Cassoulet, Brie, Camembert, Feta cheese.

Typical Meal

Breakfast- French people love their croissants at just about every french breakfast meal.  Whether you choose the fanciest restaurant or the most inexpensive café, you’ll have your choice of a few different types of croissants, usually served with butter or jam. 

Lunch-The French like to eat lunch at a leisurely pace, even if it’s in the middle of a hectic business schedule.  For the French, partaking in good food, at a relaxing pace, is part and parcel of the French culture, with lunch lasting as long as two hours.

Dinner-French dinners, like lunches, tend to be big affairs.  Three course meals are common, accompanied with the traditional cheese, wine, bread, and mineral water.  Dinner starts at about 7:00 to 7:30 pm and can last up to a couple of hours.  Like lunch, dinner is a time to relax and spend time with friends and family. 

Thee Meal Schedule

While eating out today Kirstie & I found out alot of interesting things about the French Meal Schedule.
 The morning meal is light, the noon meal is usually dinner. Dinner begins with hors d'oeuvres, fish would then be served followed by a meat, poultry or game and is never carved at the table. After the main course salad is usually served with vinergerrete dressing and at every french meal bread is served. Water is never on the French table they usually only serve wine at the table, no matter what age nor race.

Delicious Herbs & Spices .

Today we went to the wonderful French Market Spice and it was absolutely lovely.
They had a lot of seasonings and herbs there. It smelt as if a garden was growing. Some of the herbs
& spices used are
 
Herbes de Provençe

Fine Herbes

Quatre Épices

Bouquet Garni

Spice Parisienne

Québec Steak

Common Cooking Methods in France .

Today Kirstie & I tryed out this small, cute French restaurunt . We realized that
French chefs use numerous intricate cooking methods.
Flambéing is a somewhat dangerous technique used to add flavor to food at the end of cooking.
Sautéing is a low-fat method of range-top cooking.

Poaching is a gentle way to simmer food and bring out a tender texture.
Broiling and grilling are nearly identical because they both cook an oiled piece of food over direct, moderately high heat.
Braising uses a small amount of flavorful liquid to cook food.
Baking is a dry heat method using an oven to slowly cook food.