France September 2017

COLUMN
Vignette
France on
a plate
The French meal’s Unesco
status inspires Carol Drinkwater
to create a lunch to savour
In 2010, the ‘Gastronomic Meal of the French’
was awarded Unesco World Heritage status.
One usually thinks of monuments or locations
bearing this distinguished appellation. However,
Unesco has a fascinating list described as ‘intangible
cultural heritage for humanity’.
Its experts defined the importance of French
gastronomy as a ‘social custom aimed at celebrating the
most important moments in the lives of individuals and
groups.’ Eating in France, they claim, emphasises
togetherness; it unites friends, families; it strengthens
social ties.
What a remarkable feat the French have achieved.
Those long lunches that have become the tradition for
Sundays in the country. Sultry afternoons beneath the
shade of a spreading fig tree, quaffing wine, slowly
devouring generously filled plates around groaning
wooden tables. Dozens of guests, ranging from babes
perched on their mothers’ laps to the nonagenarians;
laughing, sharing stories, building memories to cherish.
From this perfect and leisured activity, the French
have also created great works of art such as Édouard
Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe. Remember the
memorable film, Babette’s Feast, where the French
refugee prepares a gourmet meal for her hosts?
Unesco’s listing follows a fixed structure commencing
with an aperitif, followed by four successive courses:
starter, meat or fish with vegetables, cheese, then dessert
washed down with liqueurs. It includes the marrying of
wines with the food.
Such a repast set me thinking of organising
a huge alfresco lunch for loved ones, offering them
quintessentially French dishes.
Carol Drinkwater
is the best-selling
author of The Olive
Farm series. Her
latest work is The
Lost Girl, a novel
set in post-war
Provence and
modern-day Paris.
Contact Carol at
caroldrinkwater.com
Let’s begin with escargots. The escargot is an edible
land snail, although not all land varieties can be eaten
and some are too small to bother with. Served with
garlic, parsley and butter as an entrée, they are
a delicacy. For very special occasions, I propose
snail caviar.
Do you know that if you buy live snails, you
cannot transport them on a high-speed train in
France? Actually you can, but the snails must have
their own ticket. Seriously. If you have not bought
a ticket for your molluscs, you can be fined.
On to the main course for that family gathering.
Suprême de pigeon, which is half the breast and
a wing. Delicious when served with chestnuts or
cèpes. The pigeons are farm-raised. You would not be
serving a bird trained to carry messages or a wild one
nabbed from the village square. There are excellent
pigeon farms in the Loire Valley. Other choices might
be sizzling roast chicken from the Bresse region or
duck from the south-west.
Cheese. France produces between around 450
types of cheeses and these are grouped into eight
categories. The nation’s annual output is close to one
billion tons. You can eat cheese every day of the year
and never choose the same one. Charles de Gaulle
famously declared that it was impossible to run
a country that had so many different types of cheese.
Tarte Tatin. This internationally renowned dessert
was reputedly created by accident in the late
19th century by one of two sisters, Stéphanie and
Caroline Tatin, at their hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron in
Loir-et-Cher. One story goes that Stéphanie, while
preparing a pie, overcooked the Reine des Reinettes
apples, which caramelised. To disguise her error, she
placed the pastry over the top and placed the tarte in
the oven. When it was cooked, she flipped it over, and
Caroline served it to diners, who acclaimed it.
Sometime later, the owner of Maxim’s, who was
hunting in the region, stopped for lunch, discovered this
marvel, ‘stole’ the recipe and added it to his Paris carte.
The rest is history. The Hôtel Tatin, a restaurant
gastronomique, is still in business if you prefer to take
your loved ones out for that memorable slap-up feast.
ILLUSTRATIONS: MELISSA WOOD
106 FRANCE MAGAZINE www.completefrance.com