Over the years a picture of French food has emerged that is far from the reality of French cooking. The idea of French cooking as fussy, involved and too complex for the home cook is completely untrue. While it is true that French people love their food, two hour lunch breaks are a sure testimony to this, many French people hardly eat the food commonly served in French restaurants found the world over. Such meals are special occasions, and rarely attempted at home. It is entirely possible to attempt French cooking successfully without too much fuss.

Regional Dishes with Fresh Ingredients

French food varies from region to region; the influences of geography, economy and history are evident in French cooking. Dishes from the French Mediterranean feature olive oil, tomatoes and plenty of herbs while cooking in the northwest of France uses a lot of butter, sour cream and apples. Neighboring countries also influence the cuisine, Alsace is close to Germany and there is a strong German influence in the food with sauerkraut and beer being common.

Although regional dishes are enjoyed everywhere in France the French prefer to enjoy regional food in the place of its origin. Doing so means that the ingredients are fresh and the dishes are better than they would be if ingredients were subjected to long hours of transport. This is something to keep in mind when cooking French food; try and use the freshest ingredients, locally sourced if possible.

French Slow Cooking

A good place to start with French cooking is rustic dishes, these dishes are simple yet delicious and the perfect introduction to French cooking. Coq Au Vin is a famous and popular French dish and an example of French cooking that is relatively easy to make. This dish which ‘rooster in wine’ is traditionally made with rooster but you can easily substitute rooster with chicken. This dish is cooked using a slow cooking method, there is very little preparation and the cooking process is simple enough that you don’t need much cooking experience to pull it off.

Beef bourguignon is another example of a rustic French recipe that uses the slow cooking method. It is basically a beef stew that has been slowly absorbed into haute cuisine and refined to suit the standards of sophisticated French cooking. However sticking to the original recipe will yield a hearty stew that is not at all labor intensive to prepare. Both these recipes are now popular in expensive French restaurants but you can easily cook them up in your own kitchen with spectacular results.

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