French Cuisine
The rest of the world may eat to live, but in France the people live to eat. From Michelin starred restaurants to intimate brasseries, from pavement cafés to village bistros, you will find good food everywhere, being enjoyed and savoured at leisure.
There is at least one patisserie in every town, selling a variety of fresh breads and tempting pastries and most places have regular markets where locally produced fresh food. Cheeses are available in stunning variety, again with local specialities, and at any of these markets you can try them, buy them and chat to the cheese makers who produce them.
If the patisseries are a source of temptation then the chocolatiers are even more so, with rich, delicious hand made delicacies that look almost too good to eat. Almost!
Famous regional foods include Cassoulet, a pork stew served in the South West, the fish and saffron Bouillabaisse of Marseilles and the Riviera and Fondue, which never goes out of fashion in the central Alps. The list of classical French dishes is long, far too long to list here, and the standard of cooking everywhere is very high.
Wine, Beer & Cider
Wine is of course on the the great glories of France, from cheap and cheerful Vin de Table to venerable vintage Bordeaux or crisp elegant Champagne. Wine is served with almost every meal and is often extremely inexpensive, especially locally produced Vin du Payes served by the jug in rural areas.
Beer is more popular than you might suppose, with many local producers making mostly ale styles. Those from the Nord/Pas-de-Calais and Alsace regions are most highly regarded.
In Normandy the apple is king - the delicious and refreshing locally produced cider can be surprisingly strong.