Andouillette to Zeste – an A to Z of French food

Part one: A to E

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for some time. The only difficulty has been which foods to include and which to leave out. After all, there are so many delicious options. To keep it simple, I will break my food alphabet into sections.

A – Andouillette: This is a type of sausage which is not for the faint-hearted! I have tasted it but I can’t say it’s the best sausage I’ve ever eaten. It is filled with tripe, onions, wine, pepper, and other seasonings. It originally comes from Troyes and I would say that it is an acquired taste!

B – Baguette: Of course, I had to include this long, crusty bread that is a staple of French cuisine. It has become symbolic of France and I asked this question in a previous blog post: https://fancyingfrance.com/2022/07/29/why-are-baguettes-so-popular-in-france/

C – Cassoulet: This was a tough call! There are so many excellent French foods that begin with the letter C: croissants, crêpes, cidre, camembert, coq au vin…However, having a house in Castelnaudary where cassoulet was invented, I had to include this French dish!

There is an annual fête, in August, to celebrate Cassoulet. If you want to find out more, follow this link: https://fancyingfrance.com/2018/08/30/la-fete-du-cassoulet/

D – Daube: I struggled to find many French foods that begin with the letter D. So I opted for Daube, a traditional Provencal beef stew. It is similar to Boeuf Bourguignon but can be cooked with red or white wine and can include orange zest, olives, tomatoes and Mediterranean herbs. It is the epitome of comfort food and tastes delicious.

E – Escargots: I was torn between Éclairs which I featured previously and Escargots. Snails won the day! They are usually cooked with garlic and parsley butter. I am a fan of snails or, more likely, the gorgeous garlic butter that accompanies them. I’m not sure I could say what a snail actually tastes like!

There is a stereotype around snails and France. Not every French person eats snails and they are not eaten every day, nor every meal, as some of my students used to think! In fact, snails are usually saved for special occasions.

To be continued…