When it comes to French cuisine, it starts with Henry IV the Great, the French king in the 16th century. Before his reign, France was still in a "barbaric" state of eating with hands, and the so-called gourmet food was out of the question. All this happened until Henry IV married an Italian princess. As the queen married to France, a large number of Italian chefs also married to Paris, and the queen herself was also a "Mother-in-law" who loved the kitchen. From then on, the food situation in Henry's court took on a new look, and many Italian delicacies began to be popular in the court. Knives and forks also began to become popular, and the French, under the leadership of Henry IV, began to elegantly learn to use knives and forks. In the later years of Henry IV, the court and lords from all over the country paid heavily to hire chefs from Italy to host banquets. The so-called aristocratic banquets in those days often involved eating, drinking, and having fun at the same time, with both delicious food and performances available. Troubadours and jugglers performed indispensably during the banquet, and the dishes were served by servants in turn for the hosts and guests to taste. Until the banquet was over, the serving of dishes became part of the performance. Riding on the east wind of the Renaissance, French cuisine also began to prosper, getting rid of the darkness and backwardness of the Middle Ages. But there is still a long way to go before it reaches real French cuisine.
In the era of Louis XIV, French cuisine had another opportunity to make a leap. With the rise of France's national power during this period, and because Louis XIV himself also loved luxury, the luxury of the French court's banquets has become the highest in Europe. James II, who was ousted from power due to the "Glorious Revolution", visited Versailles as a guest. Louis XIV held a grand banquet to welcome him. The luxurious banquet lasted for three days and three nights, and he also stayed up late at night. So much so that afterward, James II was so surprised and surprised that he recalled his past "hard days" and lamented that the previous dishes were in vain. At the same time, Louis XIV also began to work hard to train France's own local chefs to get rid of dependence on the Italians. What he does is to hold a national cooking competition. The winner will be recruited to the Palace of Versailles and awarded the "No. 1 Chef in France" with the merit award, which is the so-called CORDO NBLEU. This has become the most prestigious chef in France. It was their dream goal, and this award has been retained to this day. Later, Louis XV further developed French cuisine based on this. The social status of chefs has also been greatly improved, and it has become a noble and artistic profession. For a time, hundreds of schools of thought were contending in the French food scene, and it was a prosperous scene. In the religious world, Catholics advocate the use of sugar, and Protestants advocate the use of butter. In the ideological world, Voltaire was the first to propose that adding mushrooms to turkeys can increase the flavor. Rousseau also became the earliest vegetarian in the West to oppose eating meat. Diderot even said the following wise words: "I can live without poetry, without music, without art, without conscience, without feelings, without friends, without books, but as a civilized man, I cannot live without good food." During this period, the famous French chef Lavalette first published "The French Chef", the earliest food book in French history.
French cuisine is one of the three major cuisines in the world. In France, everything related to eating is regarded as a sacrament, because it provides two of the most appreciated aesthetic enjoyments at the same time. --Food and conversation. In addition to the exquisite taste, the pairing of wine and dishes during meals, and elegant dining etiquette are all prerequisites for entering French cuisine. You can’t go to France without ordering famous dishes such as truffles and foie gras. Although the portions are small, they are exquisite and worth savoring.
It is recommended that you don’t order all the dishes when ordering. You can only order according to your ability and budget. Generally, there are several levels of French restaurants: Bistrot (home-cooked restaurant), Brasserie (small restaurant), and Gastronomie. The consumption limit also increases according to different levels. It should be noted that when going to a high-end restaurant, you must make a reservation in advance. Men should wear a suit jacket and tie, and women should wear a suit or suit. Good food must be accompanied by good wine, or the right wine. French people are accustomed to pairing red wine with red meat or heavy-flavored dishes when eating, and white wine with chicken and seafood. It is a common phenomenon that red and white wine appear on the lunch and dinner tables, generally called dinner wine. The order of serving French food is: 1 appetizer plate; 2 soup or salad (seafood); 3 smoothie; 4 main course; 5 salad (vegetables); 6 cheese plate; 7 dessert; 8 coffee Or tea, don’t forget to pay attention next time you have the opportunity to taste French food.
[Foie Gras]
French cuisine, which plays an important role in modern European cuisine, is often used as a blueprint for the dishes and menu combinations of first-class restaurants and hotels, and in French cuisine , one of the three most famous delicacies in the world is French pan-fried foie gras.
The first people to know how to cook pan-fried foie gras were probably the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. Later, in the Louis XVI period of France, foie gras was brought to the French court as tribute and became very popular. It has since become a delicacy widely used by the court. At that time, many well-known musicians, writers and celebrities rushed to praise it, and it has since established its top status. The status of gourmet food.
Since foie gras can be regarded as the world's top delicacy, the raising process of goose has its own uniqueness. During the 14 weeks after hatching, the geese will be raised outdoors to provide a natural environment so that the geese's immunity can be greatly enhanced. After 14 weeks, the breeders began to force-feed the geese with specially prepared corn three times a day for four weeks. In order to prevent the geese from becoming stressed or even dying during this force-feeding process, all geese will be fed one-to-one, during which they will be constantly petted or allowed to listen to music to help them swallow and soothe their emotions. , which is why the price of foie gras is so expensive, because labor almost accounts for most of the cost.
Foie Gras is called Foie Gras in French, and fried is called Saute, so if you see Foie Gras Saute in the appetizers in French restaurants, it is French fried foie gras. When tasting fried foie gras, it is best to pair it with a sauce cooked with sweet wine, or add dried figs to fry together. The aroma of foie gras can be combined with the flavor of figs, giving it a unique taste.
[Caviar]
The most widely known "caviar" among the world's three major delicacies is actually salted fin fish eggs. This kind of enjoyment The famous food has been praised as the best in the world as early as the 13th century. Rumor has it that a Danish newspaper at that time mentioned that a local factory received an order for the production of fin fish caviar. This should be the earliest record of caviar.
In addition to fin fish, caviar also uses trout, sturgeon, cod, anchovy and other materials. Among them, the anchovy is the most special because it only grows in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Caviar can be paired with any material without losing its delicious flavor. Whether it is cold cuts, fine wines, pastries, etc., it can be combined with caviar to create wonderful dishes. If we really want to talk about the most common place where caviar is used, it is probably as an appetizer with champagne!
As for how to eat caviar, first spread it gently on your tongue, slowly crush the caviar bits with the tip of your tongue, and you will feel the mellow, rich, sweet and refreshing sauce. , the higher the grade, the fish fat content in caviar will increase accordingly, and the salt content will decrease accordingly. Therefore, caviar with higher quality will generally have a thicker texture and a more delicate flavor.
In addition to how to eat it, you also need to pay great attention to the spoon used to scoop caviar. In order not to let the utensil overwhelm its style, and to prevent the high temperature from affecting the quality of the caviar, a shell spoon is usually used. As for eating, as for the metal spoons used in general meals, because they will seriously destroy the aroma of caviar, they are absolutely prohibited.
[Truffle]
"Truffle", also known as "black mushroom", is known as the world's three major delicacies along with "foie gras" and "caviar". It is a mushroom that grows underground. Truffles, known as "black diamonds" in France, are not technically mushrooms because they live on the roots of trees and are hidden deep in the soil. Therefore, they must be discovered by well-trained dogs with a keen sense of smell. traces.
Truffles are very sensitive to temperature and humidity. If not handled properly, they can lose one-tenth of their weight in just three days. The weight loss means that the money disappears, which often makes the bosses feel distressed. Therefore, in order to preserve truffles, some people put them in a sealed rice bucket or put them in the same room as eggs. The result was an unexpected surprise. The rice and eggs fully absorbed the smell of the truffle, while preventing the water from evaporating quickly, creating another flavor of the truffle. The best season for tasting truffles is from December to March, and you can drink them with Bordeaux wine and general red wine.
[Cheese]
French cheese is famous all over the world, and cheese is absolutely indispensable on the French table. In France, there are 345 officially regulated cheese types. Each piece of cheese has a unique personality. No wonder someone once said that in France, from January 1st to December 31st, you can eat various cheeses every day. Same cheese. In addition, some French people say: "Just a good cheese from the farm, paired with a glass of fine wine and a piece of freshly baked bread, is the highest enjoyment in the world." This shows how much the French like cheese.
The essence of cheese is determined by the differences in climate, geographical environment, pasture, cattle and sheep. The texture and flavor of cheese are subtly affected by conditions such as yeast, container, production method, and aging time. In Normandy, which is close to the sea, cattle and sheep ate pasture with a slightly salty taste from the sea, giving birth to unique dairy products. Inland areas with scarce pasture are famous for goat cheese. Cattle and sheep eat fertile pastures during spring and summer and produce abundant milk. In addition to processing and drinking it, herders and farmers also make various cheeses to store for winter. Every autumn is the time when cheese slowly turns yellow. Gourmets agree that the cheese at this time has the best texture and the most charming taste. It is sweet and delicious and you can't stop eating it.
Dish description: Pan-fried scallops with foie gras
Features: Through ingenious combination of materials and techniques, it presents an elegant dish that melts in your mouth
Ingredients: 3 slices of French foie gras, 6 fresh scallops, 6 asparagus, 100 grams of onions, 30 grams of carrots, 20 grams of onions (slice, stir-fry with salt, and twist into puree)
Preparation: Soak the fresh scallops briefly in ice water and cool quickly, add green onion, ginger, salt and wine, then fry until both sides of the asparagus are yellow. Take the stamen part, blanch it in salt water and serve as a plate decoration; take out the foie gras and fry briefly. , place on fresh scallops, add sauce and serve
Dish description: French onion soup
Features: Typical French flavor, rich taste
< p>Ingredients: 2000 grams of beef, 500 grams of onions, 150 grams of salad oil, 20 grams of salt, a little pepper, a little bread slices, a little saucePreparation: Slice the onions and fry them in salad oil. , to brown. Add onion and beef broth to the pot and stir until boiling. Add salt and pepper. When the soup is ready, add bread slices to the soup basin, sprinkle with sauce and serve.
Dish introduction: French spicy pork chop
Features: Fresh and tender meat, spicy and appetizing taste
Ingredients: 4 pork chops, salt, coarse pepper , 250 ml thick milk, garlic, French mustard, coriander leaves
Preparation: Use the back of a knife to pat both sides of the pork chop evenly, put it in a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper; heat the pan Add oil, add pork chops, and fry until golden brown; add butter, garlic slices and mustard sauce to the frying pan and bring to a boil. Add appropriate amount of salt to adjust the taste. When the soup becomes a thin paste, add chopped ocean Coriander is ready to serve.