Food And Drink

Food & Drink

In France they have a variety of traditional foods and drinks, some of which can now be found commonly in other countries, others which remain mainly in France.


BREADS  - Breads are quite a traditional food in France being eaten with most meals.

The two most well known French breads are the Baguette and Croissant. Both of these breads can be found in Australia and other European countries now however, they traditionally come from France. Baguettes are long thin loafs of bread, or commonly called here bread rolls. Baguettes are usually around 65cm long about 5-6cm wide and are usually quite crisp. Croissants are named after their crescent shape, croissant meaning crescent in French. Croissants are more of a delicate puff pastry, they are made from buttered, folded, rolled dough thus how it maintains its shape. Baguettes are more of a common, plain food being eaten regularly however croissants are more of a treat being sweet and savoury.

WINES - French meals, particularly the evening meal, almost always include wine.
France is famous for it's quality wines and champagnes. They are often the most expensive ones if you are buying them outside of France. Over 200 million bottles of champagne are made a year from the grapes produced from the vineyards in Champagne, France. The Loire Valley is also a famous source of French wine making. Often along with bread and wine French people will also enjoy cheeses.



DELICACY - Although they are not every day foods, there are several unusual dishes that are associated as traditional French delicacies. Garlic snails are a particularly well know delicacy of France, being particularly unusual as they are even cooked in the shells. Frogs legs are also considered a delicacy in high class restaurants being quite hard to find. Black truffles are a rare type of mushroom being found underneath oak and hazelnut trees mainly in France (although can also be found in Spain, Italy and Croatia).

INTERESTING FACT- In France they put a large emphasis on lunch as a meal. Often they will allow two hours for lunch. The majority of people who are working, will go home for the mealtime if they can. Lots of shops and businesses will actually close from midday to two o'clock , especially in country areas.