Southern Fried French

Putting France's Favorite Foods on the Map

All countries have their regional specialties,  foods associated with a particular area or even a city. Think Cincinnati Chili, or Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits. In France, this is true but several times squared. In France, specialties, a point of great pride, come down to a town, or a zip code.

Many of those hundreds of types of cheeses can only be bought in a particular area. Our own Délice de Bourgogne is my favorite, though that’s more widely available now. But every town seems to have adopted a food that is their own. I’m reminded of this when we pass through Montélimar on the way to the Provence, and suddenly every store is full of nougat. Or in Nyons, where their special olives are on every shelf.

So I was intrigued when I came across a food map of France. Then I did a search, and found even more. Time to make a cross country trip to sample the specialties I’ve missed! My dear readers, you are sure to find a familiar favorite dish on these fanciful maps, if you’ve traveled to France.

The food map above is by Nancy Nikko and is available at Etsy. Check out these other  "food maps" below and see how many of the specialties you've sampled (to take a closer look, click on the links).

 

The Local claims this is the definitive food map of France:

 

Love the graphics on this one: 

 

Here's one by region:

 

And one by Claudine Panagopoulos:

 

Here's one just for cheese

 

And to polish off our meal, here's one for desserts! You can buy this watercolor print at Lucile's Kitchen

 

 A special note: Your Key to Burgundy is offering a special 10 day tour to celebrate women's rights, called Women in Burgundy 2018: Life, laughter, and the French Paradox. Sounds fun, n'est-ce pas?

 

 

Lessons from Across the Border: Living Italian Style

Ron always has one wish for visitors from the states: that there will be at least one takeaway from their trip that they will adopt at home. Something that captures the better part of French living. Like maybe the occasional glass of wine with lunch at home, or taking a Sunday stroll with the family, as all the French do in the countryside, or having a decadent cheese course after a meal.

We spent a week in Italy recently, also the land of the lovely lifestyle, and we nabbed a number of take-aways from the Italians, who do things with great style.  I'll share my list with you today. (hmm.. most of them involve food!).

 

--You DO decorate your cappuchinos, don’t you?  Just a little effort can bring a smile. 

 

No mistaking it, this one is certainly Italian:

 

 

Up your apero game.  These Aperol sprizers, ubiquitous in Italy, have become our summertime drink (recipe here). And they always serve them with a little treat, like ham on  tiny baguette squares, with an olive on top. Easy!

 

Pimp your pizza. Look at those toppings!

 

Travel in style 

 

The slow food movement got it’s start in Italy. Turn off your phone, eat in slow motion, and employ the art of conversation. 

 

A 2-gelato day is a good day. A 3-gelato day is even better (especially with a friend; that's my buddy Pete below, gelato-obcessed as well).

 

If your are a city dweller with no garden, a pretty window will do.

 

Cooking simply with fresh ingredients is the way to go .

 

Make it fun to eat your fruit. Kids were lining up to buy these colorful concoctions. Grown-ups were too!

 

Fashion is everything.

 

In the COMMENTS: And speaking of Italy, Patricia, how is it that I've been to Parma at least 3 times and missed the antique market?? Several of our readers have romantic ties to Vernona, including Natalia and Suzanne and Anne. Paula, I agree with you, exploring France is a lifetime adventure and then some. Gregory, thanks for the link to the article on Charleston wine, I had heard about it but not read it. Kathy, de rien!

 

Favorite Reads: spotted on Goodreads, a series of novels set in Bordeaux by a UK expat who lived there a while, Fiona Valpy. Her latest is called Sea of Memories. Sounds like a find--Anyone read/recommend them?