Discover The Reasons French Food is So Popular

French food is all about simplicity. While you might think about dishes like Coq au Vin and wonder how that could possibly be simple, it is important to understand the basis for the cuisine. The majority of the celebrated dishes in French cuisine started as peasant dishes. Like so many of the dishes from around the world with deep, rich flavors, these were born from the need to cover up the tastes which were less pleasant. There was nothing better than strong red wine to cover up the flavor of an old chicken past its prime.

The modern age of French cooking has taken on a new, lighter twist which known as nouvelle cuisine. This fresh and light take on French cooking has been embraced by all of the different French chefs and many other kinds of chefs throughout the world because it allows for stark plates which can be decorated with vibrant sauces and fresh herbs. The idea whenever cooking this kind of food is to allow the flavor of the food to speak for itself. This is the reason why such importance is placed on the ingredients as well as the kinds of methods used to prepare them with.

New Emphasis on Ingredients

The ingredients which have been used in modern French cuisine are no longer the ingredients given to peasants. They do not require strong flavors to cover them up. Rather, subtle flavors like truffle and saffron can take more center court.

Chefs get to the market early in the morning to have first pick of the best kinds of produce as well as meats and seafood. Some have even been known to bribe the farmers and butchers so that they will be able to get the best without having to sort through it or fight other patrons to get it. The most celebrated ingredients are those which can be sourced to a local farmer as well as the methods which are used to raise the produce and animals.

New Methods of Preparation

To make sure that the new French cuisine (the definition of nouvelle cuisine) is as fresh tasting as possible, many chefs have started to develop new cooking methods. No longer is it acceptable to layer the flavors with using seasonings at every layer. The new methods are to create each component which will go into the dish separately and then to bring them together in perfect harmony.

Some of the chefs have even started to cook using a method called sous vide. This is a method which has actually been used since the 70’s, but has recently been impressing people for its simplicity and its ability in infuse flavors delicately into the things that are being cooked. Even tough pieces of meat can come out of the bag perfectly seasoned and tender to the fork. Also called ‘boil in a bag’ by those less impressed or astounded by the method, it generates delicious results nonetheless and is sure to be used for years to come.

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