The French, like Indians, are known to love their food. Right from the elegant dishes on sprawling tables, to pastoral free-hand dishes, whatever the food be, it never fails to be synonymous with one word- Exquisite. Classic French cuisine might look daunting at first, to try and experiment in your kitchen, with the variety of ingredients and dishes et al, but truth is, it’s not as tough as it looks. (I was quite intimidated myself, the first time I read about French food… but trust me, it gets better 
)
My say- French food is all about two things- imagination and technique. The French have always been connoisseurs of fine art and fine dining- couple both, and you have something you’ll drool at the very sight of. Throughout the country, French cooking involves a large number of techniques, some extremely complicated, that serve as basics. Any working cook will tell you that. French food will not tolerate shortcuts in regard to these fundamentals. However, you learn the basics, and let you be possessed by your imagination- and you’ve learned the secret to the French!
Haute cuisine was something that was characterized first by French cuisine which involves serving small and numerous courses instead of earlier idea of serving big portions. The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne marked a change from cookery known in the Middle Ages, to somewhat lighter dishes, and more modest presentations. In the following century, Antonin Carême, born in 1784, also published works on cooking, and although many of his preparations today seem extravagant, he simplified and codified an earlier and even more complex cuisine.
A shrimp entree
A French meal usually begins with a hot ‘hors d’oeuvre’ (or more commonly known as an ‘entrée’) followed by soup, main course, then a course of cheese and salad, and finally dessert. Entrées may be cold, hot or an assortment of hot and cold starters- your wish. Traditional main course is meat, sometimes fish, with one or two vegetables. Gigot (leg of lamb or mutton) and rosbif (roast beef) are the classical meats with flageolets, pommes de terre (potatoes) or haricots verts (French beans) as vegetables. This is usually followed by a round of cheese, and then desert.
Camembert cheese
Brillat-Savarin once said-”A meal without cheese is a beautiful woman with an eye missing.”Cheese is a very important part of French cuisine. Different types of cheese are produced by different regions in France and almost every major cheese producing place always has a special cheese to its name. Here is a list of some of the best cheese consumed in France:
- Camembert
- Brie de Meaux
- Roquefort
- Boursin
- Reblochon
- Munster
- Pont l’Évêque
- Époisses
- Chèvre
- Tomme de Savoie
Beverages are a very important part of a French meal and there is usually a beverage to go along with every dish. In French cuisine, beverages that precede a meal are called aperitifs (literally: that opens the appetite, a light alcoholic beverage such as Lillet), and can be served with amuse bouches (literally: mouth amuser). Those that end it are called digestifs (something more spirited – like a cognac)
Beef bourguignon served with pasta
Entrée : Generally accompanied with a dry white wine or Rosé
Main course :
- Red wine for red meat ; light red wine for white meats.
- Dry white wine for fish or seafood.
- – On a general base, fresh and light red wine goes with everything.
- – Rosé is not considered as a top wine ; but it is good and fresh for casual meals when it’s hot.
Cheese: Red wine; preferably full bodied with powerful cheese flavors.
Dessert : Sweet white wine.
But of course, in the end, there is not one right and unique choice of wine… Your choice of wines will depend on the type of dinner you organize (formal, casual…) and on the tastes of your guests (if you know them).
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