French Delicacies

This is a resin fridge magnet souvenir depicting French delicacies or "delices" of France. French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices originating from France. French cuisine was heavily influenced by Italian cuisine in the 17th century. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles regionally and nationally. Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to acquaint people with the rich bourgeois and peasant cuisine of the French countryside starting in the 20th century. There are many dishes that are considered part of French national cuisine today. A meal often consists of three courses, hors d'ceuvre or entree (introductory course, sometimes soup), plat principal (main course), fromage (cheese course) and/or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert. Cafes serve coffee, alcoholic drinks and limited foods such as croque-monsieur, salads, moules-frites (mussels and pommes frites) when in season. Cafes often open early in the morning and shut down around nine at night.

Fresh And Locally Grown

French regional cuisines use locally grown vegetables, such as pomme de terre (potato), ble (wheat), haricots verts (a type of French green bean), carotte (carrot), poireau (leek), navet (turnip), aubergine (eggplant), courgette (zucchini), and echalotte (shallot). French regional cuisines use locally grown fungi, such as truffe (truffle), champignon de Paris (button mushroom), chanterelle ou girolle (chanterelle), pleurote (en huitre) (oyster mushrooms), and cepes (porcini). Common fruits include oranges, tomatoes, tangerines, peaches, apricots, apples, pears, plums, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries, grapes, grapefruit, and blackcurrants. Varieties of meat consumed include poulet (chicken), pigeon (squab), dinde (turkey), canard (duck), oie (goose, the source of foie gras), bceuf (beef), veau (veal), porc (pork), agneau (lamb), mouton (mutton), lapin (rabbit), caille (quail), cheval (horse), grenouille (frog), and escargot (snails). Commonly consumed fish and seafood include cod, canned sardines, fresh sardines, canned tuna, fresh tuna, salmon, trout, mussels, herring, oysters, shrimp and calamari. Eggs are fine quality and often eaten as: omelettes, hard-boiled with mayonnaise, scrambled plain, scrambled haute cuisine preparation, ceuf a la coque. Herbs and seasonings vary by region, and include fleur de sel, herbes de Provence, tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, thyme, fennel, and sage.