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About French Food
The French have elevated food into an art form... nowhere else on earth is so much attention paid to what people are going to eat and how they eat it. The reason is steeped in history - the fostering of the royal court, the subsequent revolution, the discipline of the apprentice system, the quality of ingredients and creativity of the chefs, and simply, the love of good food.
The focus on food has elevated French chefs to almost godlike status and one of the symbols is the coveted Michelin star system that rates chefs and restaurants. Published since 1900, it awards stars to a very small number of European restaurants of outstanding quality.
There are many regions with their own specialty foods, and the origin of produce is of critical importance - from cheese and butter to salt and wine, the DOC symbol denoting origin is prized. Many people shop every day to source the freshest produce and local markets are a real feature of life.
French cuisine has developed fine techniques and perfected the equipment needed for many jobs. Some families pass on treasured cooking pots and crepe pans through generations.
From the simplest crusty baguette to a boeuf bourguignon full of flavour, perfect mashed potatoes to a light souffle French cuisine is truly gastronomic heaven!
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Vegeta for your schnitzels
Add extra flavour to your schnitzel mix by adding a teaspoon of Vegeta (a Croatian vegetable stock powder) to the egg mix. This unique flavour enhancer is used in much Croatian cooking.
Glossary
Sushi
A Japanese specialty based on moulded rice patties flavoured with rice vinegar. It comes as maki - rolled in Nori seaweed, or nigiri - slices of fresh raw seafood or other delicacies laid across the rice patty.
