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French cooking has been seen as the pinnacle of gastronomy. Food Culture in France provides an accessible tour of haute cuisine but also mainly the everyday food culture that sustains the populace. It illuminates the French way of life as well as showing what the popular cooking shows, such as Julia Child's, were based on. Readers will find the basics discussed in narrative chapters on food history, major foods and ingredients, cooking, typical meals, eating out, and diet and health.The information-packed volume is also indispensable for learning about regional cultivation and specialties that France is so famous for. The French appreciation for seasonal food is illuminated in descriptions of shopping, cooking, and eating habits. All students of French culture and language and Francophiles will benefit from the overview presented here.
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Food Culture in France France. Cartography by Bookcomp, Inc. Food Culture in France JULIA ABRAMSON Food Culture around the World Ken Albala, Series Editor GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut · London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Abramson, Julia. Food culture in France / Julia Abramson. p. cm.—(Food culture around the world, ISSN 1545–2638) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–313–32797–1 (alk. paper) 1. Cookery, French. 2. Food habits—France. I. Title. TX719.A237 2007 641.5'944—dc22 2006031524 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2007 by Julia Abramson All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006031524 ISBN-10: 0–313–32797–1 ISBN-13: 978–0–313–32797–1 ISSN: 1545–2638 First published in 2007 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The publisher has done its best to make sure the instructions and/or recipes in this book are correct. However, users should apply judgment and experience when preparing recipes, especially parents and teachers working with young people. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the outcome of any recipe included in this volume. Contents Series Foreword vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi Timeline 1. Historical Overview xiii 1 2. Major Foods and Ingredients 41 3. Cooking 81 4. Typical Meals 103 5. Eating Out 117 6. Special Occasions 137 7. Diet and Health 155 Glossary 169 Resource Guide 171 Selected Bibliography 175 Index 185 Series Foreword The appearance of the Food Culture around the World series marks a definitive stage in the maturation of Food Studies as a discipline to reach a wider audience of students, general readers, and foodies alike. In comprehensive interdisciplinary reference volumes, each on the food culture of a country or region for which information is most in demand, a remarkable team of experts from around the world offers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role of food in shaping human culture for a whole new generation. I am honored to have been associated with this project as series editor. Each volume follows a series format, with a chronology of food-related dates and narrative chapters entitled Introduction,