French is well-know worldwide for its way of life and its tasty gastromy, the “french cuisine”. Since 2010, the french gastronomy ans its rituals is recognized by the UNESCO. Why ?
The three daily lunches do matter for the French people. It follows a specific daily routine: breakfast on waking, lunch around 1 p.m and the dinner around 8 p.m.
Boutique de France is a french but also, a Breton export alliance of Jean Hénaff and Conserverie Gonidec. That is why we will put forward the 5 most famous French food VS the 5 most famous Breton food.
The five most famous French food
Our team has selected the five most famous French food worldwide:
- Tartiflette
In Haute-Savoie, the region that is close to Swizertland, everyone cook the “pela des Aravis” for years. The preparation is made with potatoes, onion and Reblochon. Reblochon is a specific french non-cooked cheese certified AOC, (“Protected Designation of Origin“). This typical and rustic meal is prepared in a big pan that will call “péla”.
The Tartiflette is well inspired by the “pela des Aravis” but it includes also lards and white wine and is cooked it the oven.
Every French will assure you that a good Reblochon will guarantee you a good Tartiflette.
How can we recognize a good Reblochon?
You can find Farm-produced Reblochon which is always produced on the farm and recognizable with its green casein disc. Or you can cheese dairy produced with a red casein disc.
- Coq au vin
Copq au Vin is one of the most famous french food. It is the coast of arm of the french gastronomy, because the rooster is the French symbol. It is very popular in France because at the time, it was served to celebrate the harvest end.
To prepare a Coq au Vin, you need a rooster (off course!), a good french red wine, onion, cognac white mushrooms and smoked streaky bacon in lards. Flour, butter, oil and herbs will also be needed to create its tasty sauce. Last, but not least, you also need a lot of patience because the cooking is very slow and long (around 2h30 depending of the rooster size).
Depending of the region, you can find several various recipes suc as Coq au Champagne, Coq au riesling…
This familial french food goes usually well with warmed potatoes and caramelized onions.
- Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine is a very popular and familial french food in France, especially the french region, Lorraine. At the time, the recipe were very useful to eat the bread rest, that was garnished with typical french food in former farms: smoked lards, egg and cream.
This famous french food has been widespread with the exodus Lorraine citizens in 1870 during the war France/Prussia.
Nowadays, the Quiche Lorraine is the perfect french familial recipe: easy to prepare, tasty and symbol of friendly time. But the Quiche Lorraine faces now lot of various recipes.
A dedicated trade union, named “Syndicat National de Défense et de Promotion de la Quiche Lorraine” defends this traditionnal french food and is very strict: there are just 3 ingredients, lard, eggs and fresh cream. No milk, no cheese!
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- Boeuf Bourguignon (beef bourgignon)
Boeuf Bourguignon is the classic Sunday french familial food. This recipe part of the most famous french food is a symbol of the french region, Burgundy, that is well-know of its beef farming and red wine named Burgundy.
- Cassoulet
Cassoulet is a specific food from the french region Languedoc prepared with dried white beans ans meat in terra cotta containers. It is usually served with french red wine. You won’t be surprised to hearthe existence of the cassoulet brotherhood, that aims to promote this tasty and caloric famous french food during an annual celebrations, cooking training with chefs…
The five most famous Breton food
The Breton culture is a Celtic culture, geographical based in Brittany, France. Breton is a culture in its own right with its language, dance, music, costumes and gastronomy.
- Kouign-amann
The Eater Guide, New-York, has described this classic breton food “as a denser version of a croissant, and then gild that buttery, flaky lily with a generous dose of sugar.“ – Read this article.
This tasty and caloric dessert has been cooked the first time by chance in 1865 in Douarnenez, Brittany. Kouign-amann means literally cake (“kouign”) and butter (“amann”). You might quickly think that this breton food contains a significant quantity of butter. Yes, but not the least!
Kouign-amann is made with bead dough recovered of a mix of butter and sugar. The melting texture comes from the caramelization of butter, sugar and bread dough.
During the twentieth century, the kouign-amaan is well popularized thanks to the tourism in Douarnenez. This tasty cake become so famous that is been exported in the USA.
Few years later, smaller size of Kouign-amann called “Kouighnettes” are cooked and offered at Concarneau. Nowadays, this smaller size are well widespread in Brittany but also on the US market.
- Crêpes (“Crepes”)
Crêpes came into the breton gastronomy in the XIII century thanks to the importation of buckwheat from Asia.
The difference between salted and sweet crêpes :
=> Salted crêpes are prepared with buckwheat flour also called “black wheat flour” and are gluten free.
=> Sweet crêpes are prepared with wheat flour.
Breton sweet crêpes have lot of variants worldwie; pancakes, blinis, tortillas, piadine, etc.
Did you know that an ancient debate exists between crêpes & galettes?
All this perhaps comes from the subtlety of making, in Basse-Bretagne (“Lower Brittany”), sweet crêpes with wheat and savory crêpes (so called “galette”) with buckwheat.
In Haute-Bretagne (“Upper Brittany”), crêpes are made only with buckwheat, often with a thicker dough. So there is only one name for salted and sweet crêpes: crêpes.
- Salidou (“Salted butter caramel spread”)
The best ingredient that fits with sweet crêpes is definitely salted butter caramel.
Salidou is the recipe created by Alain Audebert who founded La Maison Armorine in 1966 with his wife. With simple and natural ingredients, milk, butter, cream and Guérande fleur de sel cooked in old copper cauldrons, he creates his delicious caramel that he calls Salidou, a world famous brand. Available in crème caramel, candies and coulis.
- Sardines in extra virgin olive oil | Cannery Gonidec
Sardines in extra virgin oil from the Cannery Gonidec are traditional french food that are part of the Breton gastronomy culture. The seafood french cannery perpetuates the traditional Breton know-how by handmade preparing and adding sardines in cans.
- Hénaff Pork Pâté | Jean Hénaff
The Hénaff Pork Pâté is the emblematic canned meat products that is in the Breton gastronomy culture. It is success is due to :
- Its familial history with its unchanged recipe since 1915
- Its short ingredient lists
- Its ingredients: local meat (from less than 50 km from Hénaff manufacturing plant), organic white pepper from Sao Tomé.
- Its delicious taste that will fit with every appetizer or meals!
The Hénaff Pork Pâté is so appreciated in France that Jean Hénaff is often called by french expatriates that are looking for importing or find this special french blue canned meat in foreign countries.
Cheers! What’s about the most famous french beverage?
The most famous french beverage, except wine, that will reunite every french people is the kir prepared with white wine and blackcurrant or peach cream.
This delicate beverage becomes a kir breton (with cider) or a kir royale (with champagne).
