French food and love

Source: Economic Daily

If you compare the enjoyment of French food to love, the aperitif is like two people's hearts slowly approaching; the main course represents mutual attraction; and the dessert is more like the sweetness of the final choice together. However, these are not the beginning of a fate. The real "first glance" is the seemingly unimportant pre-dinner bread and head plate, while the baguette and French oysters are the "star players" who have appeared the most often.

For many couples, sipping a glass of Bordeaux or Burgundy wine in a French restaurant and enjoying a French meal is the most romantic.

If you compare the enjoyment of French food to love, the aperitif is like two people's hearts slowly approaching; the main course represents mutual attraction; and the dessert is more like the sweetness of the final choice together. However, these are not the beginning of a fate. The real "first glance" is the seemingly unimportant pre-dinner bread and head plate, while baguettes and French oysters are the "star players" with the highest number of "appearances".

As the "national bread" of France, baguettes are the first choice for pre-dinner bread. Baguettes are generally made of only flour, water, salt and yeast, the skin is soft, the inside is flexible, the taste is chewy, and it is an absolute representative of French artisan bread.

The data shows that 85% of the French people "cannot leave the baguette", and the French government even passes laws to stipulate the raw materials, shapes and other production standards and the minimum selling price of the baguette, for example, the diameter of the baguette can not be less than 7 cm, and the incision on the baguette can only be singular.

From 1994 to the present, the Paris City Hall has hosted several baguette baking competitions, and the winner will not only win thousands of euros in prize money, but also have the opportunity to become a baguette supplier in the Presidential Palace within a certain period of time. It can be said that the baguette not only meets the daily needs of the French people, but also carries the professional pride of countless French bakers, and the name of "national bread" is well-deserved.

It is worth mentioning that bread is undoubtedly the number one in the French food industry, and the fame of baguettes also reflects the prosperity of the traditional French artisan bread industry. French traditional bakeries can not only bring satisfaction to the taste buds of the people, but also make a great contribution to the French economy. According to the French National Confederation of Bread and Pastry, there are about 35,000 bakeries in France, with more than 180,000 employees, and about 12 million people spend on traditional artisanal bakeries every day.

With a good "first eye" foundation, the next step is the key link for the two to improve their understanding and leave a preliminary impression. For French food, this step is the first plate. If the starter is not handled properly, the gourmets may not even be interested in trying the main course, just as the first two people who meet for the first time may have a sloppy date because of a bad impression.

The first plate of French food is a French oyster known for its deliciousness. Unlike the popular charcoal grilling practice in China, French oysters usually pay more attention to preserving the original taste of the ingredients. Using a special oyster fork to gently separate the meat column from the shell, dripping a few drops of lemon juice, and inhaling the juice in the shell together with the oyster meat into the mouth to chew the taste, is the most common way to eat French oysters. Maupassant wrote in his essay "My Uncle Hule": "One side of the delicate handkerchief held the oyster shell, and extended its mouth slightly forward so as not to stain the clothes; then the mouth quickly moved slightly and drank the juice, and the oyster shell was thrown into the sea." ”

Thanks to the French love of gastronomy, the French aquaculture industry is thriving. According to the EU Fisheries Association Fish Market 2020 report, the consumption of organic aquaculture products in the EU has increased by 20% in the past 5 years, and the proportion in France is as high as 48%.

According to the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research, France is the third largest producer of aquatic products in the European Union, ranking third after Spain and the United Kingdom with a production of more than 177,000 tons. Among them, shellfish production is as high as 128,000 tons, worth more than 500 million euros, of which oysters are an important part.

French food is not only a delicacy worth enjoying, but also a symbol of love. In other words, if you want to truly taste the authentic taste of French food, you must not only find the right shop, but also bring the right person. (Source of this article: Economic Daily Author: Qian Tong)