Day 2397 (Sunday) 31st December 2023

No special photos today.

It was quite cloudy this morning, the sun tried to come out but it never really happened, so we decided to have a lovely lazy day at home.

 

Here are the rest of the food options from all over France.

The one food you need to try from every part of France

Lyon: Quenelle

The eastern French city of Lyon, referred to as France's gastronomic capital, deserves its own shout-out on this list. 

Lyon is a foodie's dream. Be sure to check out the ‘bouchon’ restaurants which specialise in the best in local cuisine. The eastern French city is where blanquette de veau was invented - a veal stew with creamy sauce. 

We are going to recommend ordering la quenelle - a sausage-shaped creamed fish (pike) or sausage. It sort of resembles a dumpling. 

For a sweet treat, consider ordering the brioche de pralines rosé. Pink pralines (nuts in a sugar coating) are the city’s signature sweet and while they’re great on their own, for an extra indulgent treat you can get brioche (sweet bread) studded with pink pralines. A slice (or two) with a pot of coffee is quite possibly the world’s best breakfast.

The Alps: Fondue

There are too many hearty, warm, cheese-filled dishes to choose from in the Savoie/ Haut-Savoie area. 

Tartiflette is a favourite, but we will recommend fondue, especially if you are there during the winter. The basics of a fondue are always the same  - a big pot of melted cheese and some bread to dip in - but there are many varieties based on cheese type. We prefer a mixed -cheese option to get the full flavour spectrum such as the Fondue Savoyard.

Opt for a local vin jaune for the perfect partner.  

Provence: Ratatouille

South-eastern France is known for its beautiful scenery, with rolling vineyards, olive groves, pine forests and lavender fields. Thanks to plenty of sunshine, vegetables grow big and full of flavour, making them perfect for ratatouille.

Take a break from some of the other meat-heavy traditional French cuisine and enjoy the delicious mixture of aubergine, onion, garlic and tomato. 

If the weather is hot, don't be afraid to sip on a chilled glass of rosé wine. Provence is the heartland of rosé production and has hundreds of beautiful wines, from sweet to crisp and dry with everything in between.

The Riviera: Salade Niçoise

There are several dishes along the Mediterranean worth trying. Marseille is famous for bouillabaisse - a soup made of a thick, creamy broth with white-fleshed Mediterranean fish, shellfish and vegetables. 

We are going to recommend something a bit lighter - the Salade Niçoise, the world's best-known salad. That being said, people cannot seem to agree on the ingredients - even tuna, often thought of as an integral part of the salad, is actually not as common in Nice as anchovies.

It's a divisive subject among chefs and Nice locals - one former mayor of Nice even wrote a book about it - but most people seem to agree that tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onions are included, along with hard-boiled eggs and black olives and some form of fish - either anchovies or tuna.

Bordeaux: Confit de canard

A popular destination for wine-lovers, Bordeaux has plenty to offer. The UNESCO-listed city has at least 60 appellations and 7,000 winemakers, according to its tourism site.

The city is also not too far from the beach   - if you take a day-trip to Arcachon be sure to order some oysters from one of the local "cabanes tchanquées".

The Bordeaux area is also known for confit de canard (duck confit), a dish which involves the duck roasting it in its own fat at a very low temperature for several hours, before being crisped up in the frying pan. Usually, it is served with green beans and potatoes (also fried in duck fat), and it's often a speciality during end-of-year celebrations. 

For a local drink try Lillet - it's most commonly served in summer as a spritz with sparkling wine, lots of ice and a slice of cucumber but you can also drink it with tonic. It's the favourite drink of fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, who certainly knows his gastronomy. 

Basque Country: Axoa de veau au piment d’Espelette

France's Basque Country might be smaller than its Spanish counterpart, but the region does have a distinct personality when compared with the rest of France.

From beautiful beaches to charming towns, you are sure to eat well. One meal you cannot miss is the veal axoa [pronounced ah-show-ah] au piment d'Espelette. It even comes in the colours of the Basque country: green, red and white.

The veal stew combines local red peppers and sweet green peppers with onions, and it is usually served with potatoes. 

Languedoc: Cassoulet

Another historic region, this covers a lot of south-west France, taking in part of modern Occitanie. The name comes from langue d'oc and it has own language  - Occitan - which is very different to modern French. Food-wise this is truly the land of hearty, rustic cuisine paysanne. There's still a lot of duck around and also try out the exceptionally meaty Toulouse sausage. 

But there is one dish that sticks out: cassoulet, though traditionally this is only served in the winter. 

You'll still find plenty of tourist spots that sell it in the summer, but it's better in winter. A heavy stew bursting with flavour featuring white beans and sausage and meat - either duck, goose or pork depending on where you are. Like all the best regional dishes, there is fierce rivalry over who invented this dish and the 'correct' recipe.

Corsica: Grilled octopus salad (La salade de poulpe)

Known for charcuterie (especially 'prisuttu') and fresh seafood, you'll notice a strong Italian influence on the cuisine in the Mediterranean island.

Pasta goes alongside many Corsican plates, and the island has many of its own versions of Italian dishes with special cooking methods, sauces and cheeses, like brocciu which goes inside ravioli and cannelloni, or wild boar to go with lasagna. Expect plenty of tomatoes and olive oil.

As for a speciality dish, you cannot go wrong with a grilled octopus salad, which is prepared with a garlic and lemon vinaigrette. 

And that’s the end of ‘The one food you need to try from every part of France.’

I was doing my Busuu lesson this morning (we stopped using Duolingo a while ago because they were trying to make us pay) and I came across these expressions…

You can use the following expressions to say that two people look very much alike: "se ressembler comme deux gouttes d'eau", which literally means "to look like two drops of water" or "être le portrait craché de", which means "to be the spitting image of".

Eva et Elisa se ressemblent comme deux gouttes d'eau ! Eva and Elisa look very alike.

Il est le portrait craché de son père. He is the spitting image of his father. Happy New Year for later, we’re not going out because we are saving ourselves for tomorrow’s lunch, I can’t wait for the crackling!