French food culture

Posted by Sneha on August 30th, 2017

A cuisine is considered to be the food transcended from nature. It transforms into a product that is shared socially.It’s an artifact, a creation, and a tradition. It evolves and progresses with the human race. It further crosses borders and becomes part of other countries. The present day culture to order food online makes this seemingly herculean task simple. Entities like Freshmenu are trailblazers in this practice.

There is a famous saying; French are obsessed with two things. First is art and the second is food. French food is one of the most celebrated cuisines around the world. It has rich culture and history. Food became an integral part of French culture like religion, language, customs, and values.

French dining typically consists of three meals a day. It starts with light breakfast. It comprises of toast bread with cheese and butter, whipped cream topped with fresh fruits, hot coffee and tea are usually consumed. In Lunch and dinner, a meal consists of three courses.

An introductory course (entrée`) mostly soup and appetizers, main course (plat principal) and dessert or cheese course (Fromage). Instead of water, wine is the classic beverage of choice and readily served. The main course comes with meat dishes accompanied with vegetable garnishes. Simple and seasonal vegetables are also served. Elaborate salads and dressing flavors are taken to aid digestion.

The experience of eating French food is incomplete without cheese. Before dessert and after salad cheese applied smoothly on bread is eaten as customary practice. An estimation says, approximately a French consume 45 pounds of cheese annually. Such is their love for cheese. It is considered as staple food. There are also 400 varieties of cheese available.

French food typically ends with a sweet dessert. It is beautifully decorated with cream, chocolate, and fruits. French desserts are widely popular across the world.

The French are known for formality and politeness. Relishing French food as an experience is never complete without some attention given to table manners. For instance, the French fine dining has a certain dining etiquette. There is a simple rule - never keep your hands on your lap while you are dining in France. It is equally awkward to place elbows on the table. One must only keep hands visible. French almost never eat with fingers. Bread is often served with the meal. It usually comes with a plate called bread plate. If there is no bread plate then bread rests on the table cloth. There is also a manner the bread is eaten. One should not take a bite out of the bread. It is properly sliced with the knife, picked by the fork, soaked in the sauce or cheese and then eaten.

The beauty of current day practice to order food online is that one can enjoy an elaborate French menu also in the comfort of one’s own space. Freshmenu has made it possible to enjoy freshly prepared French food also from home.