Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CUISINE & CHARACTER BY PAYS
The French are so attached to the region of France from
which they come that it is diffi cult for they themselves to
recognise it. And they have good reason. Each part of France
is quite unique. As authors Nadeau and Barlow explain in
their book:
'The French word pays (pay-ee) doesn't translate. Literally,
it means country. But inside France it refers to areas that are
recognised as distinct, though they aren't delineated by legal
or administrative boundaries....'
'There are hundreds of pays in France... Pays are the
spiritual countries of origin of the French—some are former
kingdoms or duchies from hundreds of years ago, others are
just regions around France's major cities.'
'The fi rst thing we noticed about pays was how intricately
they are linked to regional cuisine. The French are obsessed
with their land, its geography, its history, and the traditions
that sprung from it, and no matter where they end up living,
their pays stays with them.'
One of the great delights of being in France is discovering
the rich regional diversity. France has 246 kinds of cheese
and each has a story worth knowing. So our thumbnail
sketches of the country beyond Paris concern what they
eat, what they drink. I doubt any Frenchman would protest
being 'pigeon-holed' by an association with the best fare of
his region, oops, his pays .
 
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