France is a country recognized worldwide, both for its beautiful landscapes and for its outstanding influence on fashion. But that is not the only thing that identifies this country, because the french gastronomy It is one of the largest and most recognized in the world.
The geographical position, together with the large number of techniques used in the French cuisine makes many call it the base of kitchens. So you can already get an idea of how interesting this part of French heritage must be.
Join us in the development of this article and fall in love with this wonderful gastronomy through the typical French dishes. No!or you can miss it!
French gastronomy
We all know how famous it is. cuisine of Francefor its elegant dishes and varied ingredients. It has had such a great impact on the culinary world and on other cultures that since 2010 it has been considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
typical dishes of France they have the reputation of being refined and diverse, since each region of the country has its own characteristics. For example, in the southeast the cuisine is characterized by the use of many olives, tomatoes and fine herbs, with a clear Italian influence. While in the north, pork and potatoes are used much more.
The truth is that from the middle ages to the revolution, the traditional french cuisine It has formed an image that has given it a lot of prestige. Even today, many professionals in fine restaurants around the world continue to work and strive to be faithful to the original recipes and maintain that prestige.
Hence the main characteristics of french dishes are:
- Color brightness.
- Strong and provocative aromas to enhance the senses.
- Attractive and elegant plating.
- Many of their dishes are served in small portions.
Best typical dishes of France
Now that you know a little more about French gastronomy, the time has come to present you with a list of best typical dishes of France.
1. Quiche Lorain
It’s one of the most recognized dishes of France, and originally from the Lorraine region, near the border with Germany. From this dish, thousands of types of quiche and derivations have been created with ingredients from other regions.
But the original recipe is based on a shortcrust pastry or shortcrust pastry, which is filled with crème fraîche, which in simple words is fresh cream. Also with a pancetta seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper and eggs.
The intense and unique flavor that results from the mixture of these ingredients explains why it is one of the most famous dishes of this culture.
2. Soupe à l’oignons
This dish is quite simple, as it was invented during a very difficult time in French history, the French Revolution. Both before and during the revolution, the French people were experiencing severe famine and had few ingredients at their disposal.
That is why using only a few pieces of bread, caramelized onion and meat broth, they managed to create this delicious representative dish of the French region.
3. Coq au vin
One of the things that stands out most in the French cuisine, is the use of ingredients such as wine for their preparations. The coq au vin, is a very popular stew in FranceAnd it has a really interesting story.
It is said that the person who invented this dish was a cook close to Julius Caesar, and that he accompanied him during the conquest of Gaul. One of the French resistance fighters sent them a chicken as a sign of their people’s strength and endurance, and that chicken was used to prepare the well-known stew for the first time.
This dish, in addition to being simple, is quite rich and distinguished in the French region, it is just chicken stewed with wine, preferably French. Of course, it is complemented with a wide variety of ingredients, such as turnips, carrots, potatoes, garlic, onion, etc.
4. Bouillabaisse or Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a typical provence dish, although it has spread to many regions around the world. The name Bouilabaise comes from the French words boullir, which means to boil, and abaisser, which means low.
This name refers to the way in which this dish is prepared, since all the ingredients are cooked over high heat to wait for them to thicken and take on flavor to lower it after it boils.
There are many types of bouillabaisse from various areas of the country, with slight changes. This dish was initially prepared by poor fishermen who did not have many ingredients to cook with, but today hundreds of types of fish are used.
5. Macaroons
It is no secret that France is a very beautiful, colorful and fashionable country, and you can also find this showiness in its dishes. Macarons, is one of the most outstanding dishes from Francebecause it is a delicious dessert, filled with cream.
This French emblem, apart from being very pretty and striking due to its color, is made only with almonds, milk and eggs. And after being cooked, they are filled with cream. Without a doubt, a French delicacy that you cannot miss.
6. Croissants
It is totally impossible to mention French dishes and leave out one of the best known dishes worldwide, such as the croissant. This is usually part of the daily life of the French, as it is usually eaten for breakfast, although it can also be consumed at any time.
It is incredible that with just puff pastry and butter you can get a delicacy like this as a result. Exquisiteness and softness that is part of the magic of this gastronomy.
7. Galette des Rois
A good way to get to know French culture, and at the same time taste one of the best french cuisine dishesIt is to try the Galette des Rois. This dish is synonymous with the feast of the epiphany.
The recipe comes from a Roman tradition known as the Saturnalia, which was the festival in which the Sun God and Saturn were worshiped. In this it was customary to prepare a cake in which a bean was inserted inside. Then the lucky person who got the bean in their cake slice will become the king of the celebration.
This custom continues to be put into practice in this dish, and even after the Christianization of the celebration, it continues to remain almost intact. That is why in the French gastronomy and its typical dishesthis is one of the most popular you can find.
8. Duck confit
This is another dish that has great weight in the representation of the traditional cuisine french. And as its name says, it is made with duck, which is one of the most used meats in the French cuisine for the preparation of various dishes.
Duck confit is one of the most exquisite dishes you can find on the extensive menu that France has. And its preparation is quite a long process, as an ancient traditional method is still used to prepare it.
The legs of the duck are skipped and left to rest for about 36 hours. After all this time has elapsed, which is what gives the recipe its touch, they are poached in their own fat and served.
9. Aligot
This dish uses as a base another of the most used ingredients in French gastronomy, the potato. Aligot is a mashed potato that is mixed with unripened cheese, usually cantgal or laguiole.
The names of the typical dishes of France usually have very interesting meanings, and the aligot is a good example. Well, “Aligot” means “something”, and this dish has a very modest origin, as it was what the monks served to people in need.
It is common to find aligot as an accompaniment to other French recipes.
10. Beurre blanc
If you are looking for the best of French cuisine, you have to try the beurre blanc or white butter. This sauce is usually mixed with any type of fish or shellfish, but it is mainly mixed with hake.
The beurre blanc is done with butter, mixed with white wine and shallots. Its origin was very picturesque because they claim that it was created by mistake. He was born in Saint Julen de Conceller, by the hands of Clámense Lefeuvre. Who was a village cook, who was preparing a béarnaise sauce, but she forgot to add an egg and that’s how this sauce came about.
There are many other representative dishes of French cuisine, but if we mention them all, the list would become too long. Today we have only shared these ten samples of typical dishes of French gastronomy. If you are a curious taster of new recipes, try any of the dishes mentioned here and you will fall in love with this rich gastronomy.