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| Sunday, 9 May 2004 |
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Food in France By Farah Macan Markar French food differs according to the area it comes from, North, South, East, West and Central. The most important aspect in French food is its herbs. The French use a lot of fresh herbs such as basil and coriander. The style of cooking too effects the food, most meats and seafood being steamed and then baked to get it soft and give it a special flavour. The French eat a lot of seafood as well as different kinds of soups which is usually had in the evenings to keep warm from the cold. The "Boulladaise" is a very famous seafood soup from the South of France which has today become a popular global dish. Bread is the staple food. In a similar manner that rice is to Sri Lankans, the French never eat anything without bread. Thus every French meal has even a side serving dish of bread. There are over a 100 different kinds of breads in France of which the French Bread is the most common. In the making of French Bread the temperature of the water is important when mixing it with the flour. The bread is generally made the day before it is to be eaten, being kept in the refrigerator to rise. French bread needs to rise three times. Thus the making of the bread is a long systematic process. Mmm...Desserts. The French love their deserts and it is an important after meal dish. Among the favourites of their sweet tooth are meringues, sponges, mousses, sherbets, ice-creams and souffles. They also love chocolates which come in a variety of milk, dark, mint, nuts, fruit and nuts, marzipan, caramel etc. Most restaurants in France serve chocolates at the end of a meal as a sweetener. The French wake up in the morning with a cup of coffee and croissants. Croissants are made with a lot of butter and come plain or filled with chocolate sauce. The plain croissants are often had with an assortment of jams and butter. While lunch is generally a meal of salads and chicken/beef together with bread, pastries and other short eats are had as a tea-time snack. The French usually end their day with a simple meal of soup with bread and cheese. Speaking of cheese there 500 kinds of cheeses in France. Among the more famous are the Blue, Camember, Brie, Emmental, Petit Suisse, Archedue, Fromage Blanc, Cow Cheese and Goat Cheese. The French cheese range from the very mild flavoured to the extremely powerful. There is an endless variety containing enormous kinds of flavour and choosing the right cheese is an important task. The Blue Cheese is a French delicacy in spite of its strong smell. The making of it is a long process, it being kept five months in the cold. The history of French food goes back to the time of the Monarchy. The Kings enjoyed eating a lot of food. As a result those in the kitchen spent a lot of time, trying out new recipes and coming up with creative novel dishes. The French Monarchy did not survive but its food did. A lot of recipes from French cuisine come from the time of its kings as well as a lot of recipes from all famous French Restaurants. Chef Jean-Pierre Piallier Pierre Piallier has mastered the fine art of cooking, at hotels around the world for over 30 years. Today a resident of Sri Lanka, this award-winning Chef has given a taste of his gastronomic delights to celebrities like queen Elizabeth II, Ronald Reagan and Madonna at many star studded occasions. Jean's most outstanding event was in 1982 where he catered for Madonna's first wedding at the Spargo Restaurant in Los Angeles. Piallier comes from Leon which is in Central France and is the second biggest city after Paris. It has 2 million people and is the most famous gastronomic city in France. Food is taken very seriously and there is a lot of food everywhere. Leon has 400 restaurants and you get pastry shops in all of its streets. The most famous restaurants of France come from areas around Leon, such as the Les Trois Gros, the Lamere Brazier and most importantly Chef Paul Bocuse's restaurant "Paul Bocuse". In France once you become an important chef your restaurant is named after you. Jean began cooking at the age of ten, doing all the dishes at home which ranged from simple soups to complex meats. His hobbies at the time were collecting recipe books, trying out new recipes and seeing special cookery programmes on TV. Having a love for food Jean wanted to do something in his life relating to food and what better way was there than to become a Chef. At the age of 14 his mother put him to work as an apprentice in a French Restaurant in which he worked for 3 years. He then worked in a pastry shop for another 2 years learning all about pastry, which has since then become his speciality. "I love making pastry as it leaves you much more freedom in its making than other dishes" says Jean. By the age of 22 Pierre Piallier had become a fully fledged Chef. Jean next ventured to take his culinary skills abroad. First to Bermuda, he next came to Sri Lanka in 1975 and worked in the Oberoi pastry shop. He then went back again to Bermuda, then to New Orleans, Dallas, New York, Washington and Los Angeles. After his spell in the US, Piallier travelled east to Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. In 1993 he returned to Sri Lanka this time working in the Trans Asia. Finally in 1996 he opened Le Palace and has been in it ever since. |
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