Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We can barely show a snowfl ake from the iceberg. Whether
you are exploring the many realms of France on business
or just touring, the culinary and cultural discoveries will be
a constant surprise and pleasure. Keep your eyes and nose
open, and ask questions. Nothing holds the interest of the
French better than the topics of food and wine. For further
reading I heartily recommend Anne Willan's classic French
Regional Cuisine, my favourite source.
AOC Products in France
Napoleon was the i rst to protect 'under law' the quality of the best
of the regional food and wines. The national system of
Appellation
d'Origine Contrôlée
(AOC) today recognises specii c products (including
wines, spirits, butter, cheese, poultry, fruit and vegetables) and
guarantees both their origins and the way they are produced. When
you see the 'AOC' label on a food or wine in France, you can be
coni dent that you are getting the real thing.
The French AOC laws are among the most strict in the world.
An AOC wine will not only be limited to grape juice from a specii c
acreage in the area named on the label. The number of vines
per hectare (which is about two acres) and the way the vines are
pruned each winter, the cultivation and irrigation are specii ed and
strictly enforced.
The same detailed codii cation applies to many other regional
delicacies. The French place great value on their culinary traditions
and guard against cheap imitators. (Of course, McDonald's and
Levi's also strictly standardise their products. Alas, with far less
impressive results.)
Normandy
Along the coast closest to England, the Norman countryside
offers simple country fare quite similar to that of England,
with an emphasis on pork and potatoes, apples, cream and
pastries. It is no wonder the Norman people are round and
jolly. Indeed, they will remind one more of the English,
with whom they have shared a common ancestry, since the
Norman Conquests of 1066.
The rivers produce trout and the sea gives shellfish
and saltwater i sh, but like the famous soft cheeses of this
region, Camembert, Pont-l'Evêque, Neufchâtel and Livarot,
much of the production is sold in Paris or abroad.
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