7 secrets of French cuisine

French people are in many ways a mystery to their neighbours. We could argue for a long time about their most interesting qualities. However, we do know that cooking is the strongest trait of the French. All over the world French cuisine is highly valued and considered one of the best. This is proven by the fact that it has been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status. So it would seem that the French cuisine is full of secrets which are not accessible to others. But in fact, it’s not that hard to find out the basic secrets.

Only fresh and natural ingredients are used

For many years France was an agricultural country. That is why only fresh and natural ingredients are used in cooking. If someone in France heats food in the microwave or cooks from half-finished and frozen products, this person is definitely not French. Even simple housewives start the cooking process from scratch and going to the markets to buy ingredients is considered a tradition by many. Almost all French agree that a great dish can only come out of the freshest produce.

Local and seasonal

The love of cooking has taught the French to keep track of when certain fruit or vegetables ripen, when it is best to get fresh beef or pork. That’s why you won’t be able to find berry pie in winter in France. They are out of season and the chef is ashamed to use frozen berries. Thus, the cuisine is clearly differentiated by the seasons and this is one of the reasons for the perfect flavour of the dishes.

Instead of seasoning you can take the ingredients

Most French dishes do not use spices and seasonings. Local chefs do very well without spices and know how to enhance the flavour of their food. They serve meat with mustard, potatoes with hard cheese and so on. But it’s important to preserve the flavour of the dish during cooking.

No waste

This tradition has a lot to do with the history of France. The fact is that the country was constantly involved in wars, most of which took place on its territory. As a result, people were constantly starving and using almost anything they could for food. That’s why even now in France, it’s common to find a use for something that would have gone to the rubbish bin in another country. For example, chicken is almost completely ‘dismantled’ and used in cooking. The same goes for the leafy parts of many vegetables. All waste products go either as a dish or as an ingredient. Wastefulness is definitely not a characteristic of French cooking.

Fat goes with it too

A lot of people think that olive oil is a staple on the French table. But it is hardly ever used in traditional recipes. Generally the French prefer butter and sour cream. Despite this, France has the lowest number of cardiovascular diseases in Europe. And this is because fresh produce is always a healthy food, even if it is greasy.

Every meal is a solemn occasion

The French don’t eat when they go out or grab a quick bite to eat in the nick of time. Here eating is a ritual. That’s why most establishments in the country close for lunch every day. For the French, eating is a ritual and one must prepare for it responsibly. In many ways, this is why the country is famous for its cuisine. After all, you have to really love food to cook well.

Everything is good, but not too much

The French do not go on diets and feel it is not worth restricting oneself. They may have a fried dish, then a cake and a coffee. The French are considered the skinniest in Europe. This is due to the fact that they simply know their limits and eat in small portions. It is not uncommon to see a Frenchman enjoying a delicious dessert and coffee for an hour.