Read about just a few of the best reasons to love French food and wine, some of the most delicious cuisines in the world.
90 million tourists visit France every single year for its beaches, architecture, history and of course, food. If you’ve ever tried French food then you don’t need us to tell you why it’s so delicious, but then again, who needs an excuse to talk about one of the most delicious cuisines in the world? Let’s take a closer look at just 11 reasons to love French food & wine:
- It’s Not Just About The Food
French food is delicious but, one of the best things about it is actually not the food itself. The French place a heavy emphasis on enjoying the food and the experience of eating and enjoying it. This makes every dish that much more special and memorable.
- Bread….
Bread is loved worldwide and boy do the French do it well. There are 32,000 bakeries in France, 10,000,000,000 baguettes are eaten every single year and 95% of French people eat baguettes. And lets not forget other incredible French breads like pain complet, pain de seigle and pain graines-cereales.
French don’t just do bread they do bread.
- French Wine Is Not Just Considered But Expected
In France, French wine isn’t just something a family would consider having with their food. Instead, wine is expected and has been for centuries at French mealtimes.
- Traditional French Christmas Food Is A Fancy Affair
French food can be very fancy, but none so much as at Christmas. A traditional French Christmas menu contains upmarket additions like scallops, fois gras and oysters, not to mention lashings of Champagne.
- French Markets Are A Cut Above Any Other
French food markets are not just a convenience, but a love affair. They showcase the very best food with a true emphasis on quality over quantity. That means you can get the most delicious, local, fresh ingredients for your meal anytime you want to.
- Lunch Is Two Hours
In the UK many of us rush our lunch in about 30 minutes. In France, they spend a whole 2 hours on it! It is the main meal of the day and commonly consists of 4 courses. Even schools have a 3 course lunch in many places.
- Wine Is A Passion
France is considered to be the best winemaker in the world, with a history of winemaking that spans over 2,000 years. There are multiple winemaking areas, climates, winemaking styles and blends. That means there will never be a shortage of wines for you to try.
- Pastries Galore
French cuisine is famed for delicate, beautiful pastries that some top chefs study years to perfect. Pain au chocolat, macarons, eclairs and of course millefeuille sit delicately in shop windows waiting to be sampled by passers by. There is not just an emphasis on the flavour, but the beauty of the pastries that makes them world class.
- Cheese…
In the same way the French really do bread like no other country, the same has to be said for their cheese. Roquefort, Camembert, Brie, Munster – they are all glorious and conveniently enough, go exceptionally well with a big, crusty baguette and a glass of red wine.
- Simple Soup Made Into A Main
The French have taken a simple side or starter dish – soup – and perfected it into a main meal. Potage, bisque and oille are just some examples of the incredible French soups on offer to try. It’s a humble dish made into a champion.
- Fancy Desserts
The fancy desserts in France, as we mentioned above, can centre around pastries. The French haven’t stopped there though. True chocolate mousse, creme brulee and baba au rhum are even more incredible French desserts famed for their delicate flavour and exceptional textures.
If you’ve seen a real French chef speak with a subtitling service, or audio translation, you’ll pick up the passion he or she has for what she creates in the tone they use, in their gestures and descriptions of their food. French cuisine is a passion, not just a type of food. It’s a world of discovery.
Don’t just take our word for it, get some Camembert and a baguette for a picky tea, or some macarons and French dessert wine for a fancy supper. There are 11 reasons above to love French food and wine, but many more reasons for us all to discover through enjoying this exceptional cuisine.