French cuisine

French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical ("haute cuisine") and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs, such as Auguste Escoffier, were masters of French cuisine. Additionally, French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines, and almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.

Ingredients

French regional cuisine uses locally-grown vegetables. Let us cite:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• potatoes
• green beans
• carrots
• leeks
• turnips
• eggplant
• courgettes
• tomatoes
• Mushrooms such as Champignons de Paris, oyster mushrooms (pleurotes), Porcinis (bolets and cèpes), and other mushrooms, in order of increasing rarity and price.

Common fruits include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• oranges
• tangerines
• peaches
• apricots
• apples
• pears

Meats commonly consumed include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• chicken
• more rarely, other poultry such as duck, turkey, and rarely goose;
• beef
• veal
• more rarely mutton (generally, calf).

Horse meat is available from special butcher stores (boucheries chevalines), but a minority of people consume it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and meat, are purchased either from supermarkets and grocery stores, either from markets. Street markets are held on certain days in most localities; towns of a certain importance generally have a "covered market" in which food stores, especially meat and fish retailers, can find better shelter. Generally, a street market for vegetables takes places on certain days outside such "covered markets".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~