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French cuisine facts for kids

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Terrine de saumon au basilic
Basil salmon terrine
Blini-Demidoff
Blini-Davidoff: Buckwheat cakes with caviar and onions
Potatoes lyonnaise
Potatoes Lyonnaise
Salade de printemps avec bricks de chèvre
Spring salad with goats' milk cheese
Vlaamse Hutsepot
A pot-au-feu, the traditional French stew

French cuisine is a famous style of cooking. It has inspired many other types of food across Europe. French chefs are known all over the world.

French cooking became more modern thanks to chefs like La Varenne (1615–1678) and Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833). Carême was even the chef for Napoleon. These chefs made food lighter than in the Middle Ages. They used fewer spices and more herbs. They also added creamy ingredients.

They created new cooking ideas. These included roux (a mix of fat and flour for thickening) and fish stock. They also invented ways to marinate food and dishes like ragout (a slow-cooked stew). Carême was also a master pastry-maker. This skill is still a big part of French cooking today. He created important basic sauces, called 'mother sauces'. From these, he could make over a hundred different sauces!

The Father of Modern French Cooking

Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935) helped make French cooking popular in the 1900s. He was very good at organizing kitchens. He figured out how to run big restaurants in hotels or palaces. He planned how staff should work and how menus were made. Escoffier managed famous restaurants. These included the Savoy Hotel and Carlton Hotel in London. He also worked at the Hôtel Ritz Paris and on large cruise ships.

Escoffier also wrote a book called Le Guide Culinaire in 1903. This book helped spread French cooking ideas everywhere. But Escoffier's book didn't include all the special foods from different regions of France.

Exploring French Regional Dishes

In the 20th century, people started to discover the rich food of the French countryside. This was helped by food tourism and the Guide Michelin. Many dishes that were once only found in one area are now popular across France.

Cheese and wine are very important in French cooking. They are used differently in various regions.

Each region in France has its own special dish.

In November 2010, UNESCO added French food to its list of 'intangible cultural heritage'. This means French cooking is seen as a special part of the world's culture.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gastronomía de Francia para niños

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