The Basics are the Best

Cooking and baking are some of the skills that everyone needs to learn at some point in their lives. But the French have turned learning the basics into an art form. Besides the many famous cooking schools in France, everyday cooking is all about the basics done very well.

The French are known for making basic dishes extremely elegant. Simple dishes like baked chicken (coq au vin), vegetables (rataouille), fish stew (bouillabaisse) and pastries like crossiants and baguettes are fairly easy to make but rise to another level when extreme care is taken with their preparation and ingredients. Often known as the “slow food” movement, these types of dishes keep the culinary traditions and practices of a culture alive.

One of the key parts of making basic food taste amazing, is using the best ingredients that you can find. The French love to use fresh herbs, spices, fresh produce, good quality butter, wine, fine cheeses, well milled flour and good meat in their dishes. Did you know that the French are acutally the largest consumers of cheese in the world? The care taken with how food is made and cultivated really comes out when it is cooked.

Of course, the French would tell you that it’s the way that you eat a meal that’s most important. Taking time to enjoy your food leisurely, really tasting it and surrounded perhaps by your family is what really makes these basics the best!