Savoir Faire French culinary know-how, the savoir faire behind one of the world’s greatest cuisines, needs little introduction. If you’re looking to gain a deeper understanding of French culture, there’s no better way than through the country’s food and drink. Words: ELEANOR ALDRIDGE
Right: a typically Burgundian patchwork of vineyards
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Inspirations
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ating well is more than just a passion in France. The French spend longer at the dinner table than almost any other European nation, leisurely meals regularly lasting from an early-evening aperitif long into the night. Paris, perhaps unsurprisingly, has more than a hundred Michelin-star restaurants. Away from the capital, French food culture remains deeply regional and traditional. Coq au Riesling, a local variant of the traditional chicken stew coq au vin, has been made much in the same way in Alsace for centuries. Wheels of raclette have sizzled by the fire in parts of the Alps far longer than skiers have raced down the mountain slopes. The integrity of some recipes, such as the humble baguette, baked only from flour, water, yeast and salt, are fiercely protected by law. Dusty bottles of wine age in cool, damp cellars. Cheeses slowly mature on ancient stone-built farms set amid rolling coun-
