French Regional Cooking - a culinary tour through the land

By Mike Kingdom-Hockings

There's no universally-accepted definition of the 'cooking regions' of France. The French don't even agree how many there are.

Even the magazine 'Pleine Vie', which publishes a special cooking edition every year, changes its judgment from time to time.

I'll be a little conservative, and take my definition from the October 1999 edition, which defines 13 culinary regions:

1. North-Picardy (Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardy, western Champagne-Ardenne).
2. Normandy (Normandy).
3. Brittany (Brittany, northern Loire).
4. Ile-de-France (Il-de-France, central Champagne-Ardenne).
5. Anjou-Touraine-Berry (Pays-de-la-Loire, Loire Valley).
6. Burgundy-Lyons (Burgundy, western Rhone-Alpes).
7. Jura-Franche-Comté (Franche-Comté).
8. Savoie-Dauphiné (Eastern Rhone-Alpes).
9. Languedoc-Provence-Corsica (excludes northern Languedoc).
10. Auvergne-Limousin-Périgord (includes northern Languedoc).
11. Grand South-West (southern Pays de Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine except the northe-east, Pyrennees except the Pays Basque).
12. Basque (southern Aquitaine, south-west Pyrenees).
13. Alsace-Lorraine (eastern Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine, Alsace).

Let's take a look at each of these in turn.

North-Picardy

From the ferry ports and coastal towns of Dunquerque, Boulogne and Calais, this region stretches east to include the industrial city of Lille and the gothic cathedrals of cities such as Amiens. Further south, closer to Paris, you'll find the chateaux of Chantilly and Compiègne. To the east, the poppy-strewn fields of World War I memorials, and the beginning of the champagne country.

There is a strong Flemish influence to the cuisine. Here, a 'baguette' may be a sweet, macaroon-like biscuit rather than a loaf of French bread. Meat course ingredients include beer and a soft cheese called maroilles.

Normandy

A land of lush pastures and orchards that produces pungent soft cheeses and cider, this region also includes the harbors, cliff walks and windy beaches of the Cotentin peninsula and the wooded valleys of the Seine. Well-known attractions include the island of Mont-St-Michel, Monet's garden at Giverny, and the Bayeux 'tapestry' (strictly, a giant piece of embroidery).

Since Normandy has always had both farmers and fishermen, its food reflects the working diets of these people. Expect to see cream or cider in dishes with plenty of good farm vegetables. Meats include rabbit, and various products derived from offal. Seafood is fresh and served simply, in generous portions. This is the home of Tarte aux Pommes, and older families will offer you Calvados at any time of day. This is apple brandy, sometimes home-brewed under ancient licences, and they'll offer stronger brews as the day progresses - from 36 degrees in the morning to a fiery overproof 46 in the evening. Traditionally, a long, heavy meal includes a break for a 'Trou Normand' - a small glass of Calvados - to settle the stomach and prepare it for the next course.

Brittany

I like to think of the Bretons being to the Normans what the Cornish are to the people of Devon - to an outsider the one is like the other but even more so. But there are more Bretons than Cornish who can still speak their ancient languages.

They are fishermen and farmers who live on a peninsula with the English Channel on one side and Biscay on the other. The details of their Celtic ancestry are delightfully portrayed in the Asterix cartoon stories.

Leeks, potatoes and cauliflower are the traditional vegetables. Saint-Jacques (scallops) are the favorite shellfish, and you'll often find ray on the menu. Large wheels of shortbread-like galettes are favorite gap-fillers during the day. White wine and calvados are common ingredients. 'Soupe de Roscoff' is a creamy cauliflower & onion soup. 'Saint-Jacques à la bretonne' are cooked with leeks, shallots, carrots, herbs, butter and muscadet. Try the coarse farmhouse pâtés for something with both taste and texture.

Ile-de-France

Paris and the surrounding countryside form a comparatively wealthy region. Dishes include plenty of egg, cheese and onions. Sauces are lighter and less creamy than in the farming regions, and you'll find exotic spices such as vanilla. 'Lapin sauté chasseur' uses a sauce with the tang of lemon.

Anjou-Touraine-Berry

Expect some vegetables from warmer climates, more 'gamey' meats and more garlic. 'Poulet en Barbouille' uses additional blood from chicken giblets.

Burgundy-Lyons

You'll see sausages, Dijon mustard, rich deserts. Compare the peasant dish 'andouilles à la lyonnaise' (tripe sausages in pork fat & vinegar, with onions) with 'vacherin glacé au caramel' (a rich desert containing egg yolks, sugar, cream, rum and vanilla-flavored meringues)

Jura-Franche-Comté

A lush, hilly land of dairy cattle and soft comté cheese. Expect both peasant food (local sausages, etc.,) and lighter, sophisticated dishes (frogs' legs, coq au vin using a local 'yellow' wine). On two successive winter holidays in the Jura, I saw sucking pig in the charcuterie window.

Savoie-Dauphiné

Both foothills and real Alps. Peasant food uses local cheeses. Look for trout, and alcoholic fondues. The saucisson sec is excellent (salt-cured pork sausage with peppercorns - far preferable to Italian salami, in my opinion). Use it, with soft cheese and a baguette, for snacks.

Languedoc-Provence-Corsica

All the Mediterranean regions have food characterised by olive oil, olives, tomatoes, capsicum and herbs. The west shows Spanish influence, and Corsica a hint of southern Italy. The Languedoc is home to bouillabaisse, originally a fishwife's meal made from what her man couldn't sell, enlivened with garlic and white wine. A group of restaurants in and around Marseille, determined to uphold standards, sells 'the only vraie bouillabaisse de Marseille' at steep prices. They created this to counter the bad impression given by uninspiring dishes served as 'our version' of the dish by cheap restaurants - but this turns it into haute cuisine, which is not how it originated.

To my mind, this is akin to opera singers making recordings of folk tunes - undeniably good, but not the original form. Martin O'Brien's superb article about Marseille includes a description of the 'vraie bouillabaisse'.

In summer on the beaches, try filling your own bottle from a vat of table wine, then buy a 'pan bagnat' - salade niçoise in a huge bun. Don't go to sleep in the sun afterwards.

Auvergne-Limousin-Périgord

The land of foie gras, sangliers (wild boar), chestnuts and a vast selection of forest mushrooms, with some excellent cheeses. Everything from peasant food to 'escalopes de foie gras' - foie gras sautéed in goose grease, served with white grapes cooked in strong, sweet white wine. Try soupe de châtaignes (chestnut soup with onion, celery, leek and garlic) on a chilly autumn evening.

Grand Sud-Ouest

This is the Biscay side of France. Bordeaux wines, plenty of seafood - and everyone has heard of entrecôte bordelaise. Try 'cailles au foie gras' (quail, foie gras, white grapes, white wine), or 'soupe aux huitres' (oysters floating in a rich soup made from egg, shallot, leek, butter and cream.

Basque

The food of the western Pyrenees reminds me slightly of Portuguese cooking. Colorful peppers and tomatoes, olive oil, garlic. Although the region only has a very short coastline adjacent to the Spanish border, it has several fish dishes. 'Thon à la basquaise' features tuna cutlets with garlic imbedded in the flesh, garnished with onions, peppers and tomatoes.

Alsace-Lorraine

This region is strongly influenced by southern Germany. Veal and game meats combine with the fruits and fungi of temperate climes. 'Omelette farcie de Nancy' features slices of blood sausage (the 'black pudding' of Scotland and northern England).

Enjoy the tour? Now, when someone talks of 'French cooking', you'll ask them to be more explicit, and tell you which part of France they mean.

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