National Garlic Day is celebrated in France
Observed annually on April 19, National Garlic Day celebrates the humble garlic. Also called a stinking rose and part of the lily family, it is a much loved and regularly used ingredient in French cooking.
France + All Things French
Observed annually on April 19, National Garlic Day celebrates the humble garlic. Also called a stinking rose and part of the lily family, it is a much loved and regularly used ingredient in French cooking.
Nothing says France like a French macaron and a passionfruit macaron is extra delicious. Today Janet Newton, a Le Cordon Bleu Pastry Chef shares her passion for pastry cooking with us and her original Passionfruit Macaron Recipe.
France's gastronomic cuisine is something that appeals and draws many of us to travel long distances to France to experience the culinary delights firsthand, or to frequent our more local restaurants and cafes that provide a touch of France in our hometowns with their French dishes.
No, they don’t eat pancakes as their main food on Pancake Day (or as it’s also called Shrove Tuesday).
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated around the world with eating pancakes but in France, fatty foods are eaten and the day is known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Pancakes or crepês are however part of France’s celebrations of la Chandleleur or Candlemas which is held on 2 February each year. It can be confusing with celebrations known by different names and seemingly associated with the same foods, so keep reading.
Continue ReadingHave you tried Calvados, the apple brandy of Normandy? The unique drink of Calvados was developed in northwest Normandy, France, in a region bordering the English Channel and abounding in apples. Never heard of Calvados, the location or the liqueur? Well we’ll take a look at the department, the Top Ten places to visit, and, of course, the famous Calvados apple liqueur.
Is Chambord a liqueur or perfume? Looking at the prettily shaped bottle with its fancy gold stopper you could be excused in thinking that it’s a large bottle of costly perfume, but it is a French liqueur with royal origins, no less. The bottle design had not changed in nearly three decades until 1984 when the redesign allowed for an easier grip, longer neck for better pouring and a flat bottle top. The flat top was designed to appear like a raspberry made of jewels and replaced the ornate crown design.
Continue ReadingOn your French travels have you ever been really hungry and on reaching the local boulangerie (bakery) found it closed for their lunch break? What the heck is that about? They sell food right – and they are shut at lunch time! Nothing better explains France’s love for the long lunch than this anomaly. Boulangeries close so that bakers and workers can enjoy their own lunch break, and locals plan around these midday closures.
However, there is also an answer to this age-old lunch hunger problem when the boulangerie is closed. It’s got our family and no doubt many others out of hunger – enter the baguette vending machine. True, there are vending machines that dispense fresh baguettes in France.
Continue ReadingMacaron Day is celebrated on 20 March every year and what a delicious celebration it is! These delectable little sweets are instantly synonymous with France and are now enjoyed throughout the world.
With a gentle crusty outside shell and soft ganache inside, they are just waiting to be bitten into. Sold by the millions each year, the macaron is worthy of its day of celebration.
Continue ReadingWhat is crescent shaped, made from layer upon layer of flakey pastry, loads of butter and tastes like heaven? You got it… it’s a croissant, and the croissant has its own national celebration day in France called National Croissant Day.
This iconic french pastry is celebrated on the 30th of January each year and is linked with Marie Antoinette the famous Austrian queen who lived at Versailles. Marie Antoinette is given the fame of introducing the pastry to France over 200 years ago.
“She was sent to France at the age of fourteen to marry the future King Louis XVI. The lonely young girl missed her homeland and asked the court bakers to make her the kipferl that she remembered from home. She introduced it to the court along with other little pastries from her homeland. Collectively, they became known as viennoiserie.” History of the French Croissant by Margo Lestz
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