French cuisine
French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical ("haute cuisine") or grande cuisine and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs, such as Taillevent, La Varenne, Carême, Escoffier, Fernand Point, and Bocuse, are or were masters of French cuisine. Additionally, French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines, and almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.
Diversity
French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity, and style. Traditionally, each region of France has its own distinctive cuisine: Cuisine from northwest France uses butter, cream, and apples; Cuisine from southwest France uses duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, and gizzards; Cuisine from southeast France uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, and shows deep influences from Spanish cuisine, Catalan cuisine and Italian cuisine. Cuisine from northern France uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer, and shows Flemish cuisine influences. Cuisine from eastern France uses lard, sausages, beer, and sauerkraut, and shows German cuisine influences. Besides those five general areas, there are many more local cuisines, such as Loire Valley cuisine, Basque cuisine, cuisine of Provence and the cuisine of Roussillon, which is similar to Catalan cuisine. With the movements of population of contemporary life, such regional differences are less noticeable than they used to be, but they are still clearly marked, and one traveling across France will notice significant changes in the ways of cooking and the dishes served. Moreover, recent focus of French consumers on local, countryside food products means that the regional cuisines are experiencing a strong revival in the early 21st century, especially as the slow food movement is gaining popularity. What is often known outside of France as French cuisine is the traditionally elaborate haute cuisine, served in restaurants for high prices. This cuisine is mostly influenced by the regional cuisines of Lyon and northern France, with a marked touch of refinement. Average French people do not eat or prepare this cuisine in their everyday life. As a general rule, elderly people tend to eat the regional cuisine of the region where they are located, while younger people will be more inclined to eat dishes from other regions and foreign dishes. Exotic cuisines, particularly Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine and some dishes from possessions in the Antilles and former colonies in Northern Africa, have made inroads. In the 1970s the style of serving known as nouvelle cuisine became extremely popular. That style today seems to verge on pretension, although attractive presentation has by no means been rejected. French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments. France is known for its large ranges of wines and cheeses.
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