French vs British Cuisine

[Keith Oates]

The French do fantastic sauces. I'm a big fan of sauces.

They only do the sauces because they can't cook the meat etc.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[martint235]

I used to go to Calais fairly regularly just because the food was better. And this wasn't even in a ponsy restaurant, it was a place we'd probably class as a dive of a pub called The London Bridge on the Place D'Armes. The food was far better and cheaper than most of the stuff locally. Also the general atmosphere and friendliness was more conducive to a good night out.

 

[Hover Fly]

One of many guides to British cuisine and this one ranked as well.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/f...favourite-British-food-like-eat-revealed.html
TOP 40 BEST BRITISH FOODS
1. Fish and chips
2. Roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding
3. Full English breakfast
4. Bacon butties
5. Apple crumble
6. Strawberries and cream
7. Bangers and mash
8. Cream tea
9. Shepherd's pie
10. Crumpets
11. Ham, egg and chips
12. Sausage rolls
13. Cornish ice cream
14. Baked beans
15. Victoria sponge
16. Toad in the hole
17. Sticky toffee pudding and custard
18. Cornish pasty
19. Steak and kidney pie
20. Pork pie
21. Bakewell tart
22. Ploughman’s lunch
23. Chips and gravy
24. Rhubarb and custard
25. Scampi
26. Prawn cocktail
27. Mushy peas
28. Marmite
29. Cheese and pickle on crackers
30. Scotch eggs
31. Cornish fudge
32. Spotted Dick
33. Irish stew and dumplings
34. Chelsea buns
35. Eccles cakes
36. Pea and ham soup
37. Cucumber sandwiches
38. Haggis and tatties
39. Cockles and mussels
40. Jellied eels

Any of which can be cooked with care and attention, or turned out as if it was cooked by an impatient chimpanzee.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

[QUOTE 4056416, member: 45"]Bournville.






Nobber.[/QUOTE]

Jrk.

 

[Arrowfoot]

You seem to have strayed from your mission to 'educate' us about the merits of French cuisine.

Now furnish us with the equivalent rankings of French cuisine to allow us to make an informed decision about your original claim.

I was actually looking to be educated in both the cuisines and why they are different. I am still struggling. The irony is no matter what when I am in the UK, its roast,, pies ( including pasties) roast, curries. You can put a French cafe next to an eatery in the UK, I will not enter the French cafe. I suspect it is physiological. But when in France, you just can't help but acknowledge it. Also when in France, your consumption tempo drops to a crawl and you spend 3 times longer to complete a meal as you enjoy each morsel.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Any of which can be cooked with care and attention, or turned out as if it was cooked by an impatient chimpanzee.

Absolutely agree. Love the chimp bit. I am partial to steak and kidney pie and when done well, it quite heavenly and that includes even the crust. Unfortunately the heavenly moments are rare. Have never been able to do it well even at home despite following published recipes.

 

[martint235]

I was actually looking to be educated in both the cuisines and why they are different. I am still struggling. The irony is no matter what when I am in the UK, its roast,, pies ( including pasties) roast, curries. You can put a French cafe next to an eatery in the UK, I will not enter the French cafe. I suspect it is physiological. But when in France, you just can't help but acknowledge it. Also when in France, your consumption tempo drops to a crawl and you spend 3 times longer to complete a meal as you enjoy each morsel.

Strangely I've found French cafes in England to be uniformly sh*te. It's similar to other cuisines, we just can't get the hang of it. We take the "fast" out of "fast food", we ruin kebabs, destroy curries. It's depressing.

Slightly further away than France although to an extent it applies in some areas of France is the German/Austrian idea that vegetables are a side dish. In the UK you get masses of veg and a sliver of meat, in Austria it's half a cow and a small spud.

 

[Aperitif]

I used to go to Calais fairly regularly just because the food was better. And this wasn't even in a ponsy restaurant, it was a place we'd probably class as a dive of a pub called The London Bridge on the Place D'Armes. The food was far better and cheaper than most of the stuff locally. Also the general atmosphere and friendliness was more conducive to a good night out.

Steak tartare was on your hit list last time we dined in Dieppe, Mart.
You managed to say 'ta ta' to the nurses...
Super Calais - fragile this 'stick'...
Andouillette, grenouilles, escargots etc...so much 'everyday' fare. Supermarkets in France offer choice as a 'matter of course' - and ingredients for dishes are not ridiculous prices, or 'exclusive' like they are in the UK. A base level of quality and variety is expected by all consumers. In the UK, we are used to being 'managed' by the supermarkets, and our selection is limited.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Strangely I've found French cafes in England to be uniformly sh*te. It's similar to other cuisines, we just can't get the hang of it. We take the "fast" out of "fast food", we ruin kebabs, destroy curries. It's depressing.

Slightly further away than France although to an extent it applies in some areas of France is the German/Austrian idea that vegetables are a side dish. In the UK you get masses of veg and a sliver of meat, in Austria it's half a cow and a small spud.

i have the impression that kitchen staff are locals thus the quality food.

Looks like an extended cycling plus gastronomy trip to France is called for. Made in stages.

 

[Over The Hill]

You lot are greedy feckers! Remember we eat to live not live to eat!

Which may be where the French and English disagree!!

 

[PK99]

[

I have always wondered why it is poles apart, chalk to cheese and you know which side takes the chalk. Maybe folks like @gavorche who seen both Worlds and those who reside in France can explain. This is despite being neighbours. Even Jamie Oliver took the safe bet and relied on Italian to turn a buck.

Just taste duck breast and gratin dauphinois. Why didn't we think to that? Its not just food but take a look at their drinks. And to top it all, they are relatively slimmer.

Boeuf bourguignon
Coq au vin
Cassoulet
Pot-au-feu
Snails
Frogs legs
Andouiette
Ratatouille

All historically peasant food, ie cheap ingredients and (mostly) long slow cooking to tenderise, but over the years elevated to Haute Cuisine

The English equivalents would be:
Lancashire hot pot
Pea and ham soup
Scouse
Pottage (see recipe below)
shepherds pie
cottage pie
Yorkshire pudding
mushy peas
Tripe and onions

In contrast to the french, we moved to roasted prime cuts (Les Rosbifs) to which our wetter climate was more suited

Pease Pottage (Elizabethan style)
Ingredients:

• 1 kg dried peas (soaked overnight)
• 1 handful of coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 large onion
• A bunch of mint
• A bunch of winter savoury
• A bunch of marjoram
• A bunch of parsley
• 250 g butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cover the peas in lots of water and bring to the boil. Cook until they are soft.
2. Take out half the peas and strain them (these are kept whole).
3. To the pot, add the coriander crushed well and the finely chopped herbs and onion.
4. Bring the pot to the boil and cook for a further 30 minutes until the herbs have released their flavour and the onions are cooked.
5. Drain and push through a strainer.
6. Return the whole peas to the pot with the pureed peas and add the butter, salt and pepper to taste
7. Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and serve with crusty bread and perhaps some fried bacon.

 

[martint235]

Steak tartare was on your hit list last time we dined in Dieppe, Mart.
You managed to say 'ta ta' to the nurses...
Super Calais - fragile this 'stick'...
Andouillette, grenouilles, escargots etc...so much 'everyday' fare. Supermarkets in France offer choice as a 'matter of course' - and ingredients for dishes are not ridiculous prices, or 'exclusive' like they are in the UK. A base level of quality and variety is expected by all consumers. In the UK, we are used to being 'managed' by the supermarkets, and our selection is limited.

Did I manage to get steak tartare? My memory is a little hazy!! I did get a very nice burger the following day when me and Davy went out on the lash.

And I don't think I did say "ta ta" to the nurses, I vaguely remember sneaking out of a locked down French A&E.

 

[Arrowfoot]

You seem to have strayed from your mission to 'educate' us about the merits of French cuisine.

Now furnish us with the equivalent rankings of French cuisine to allow us to make an informed decision about your original claim.

Hey Vern, this is one that I found. Hope Shaun doesn't kill me for taking up too much bandwidth.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-traditional-french-dishes-you-need-try-once.html

ps. sorry, have to remove images for the last 5 dishes as the limit is 20 images for single post.

25 Traditional French Dishes You Need to Try Once

1. Coquilles Saint-Jacques

You know nothing about how scallops taste till you’ve tried this dish! Poached in white wine, scallops are placed atop of mushroom purée in shell, then generously covered with another layer of delicious sauce.

2. Salade Lyonnais

Quoting Stendhal, “I know of only one thing that you can do well in Lyon, and that’s eat.” Indeed, the local cuisine earned the city a proud title of French gastronomy capital. Start your gourmet adventure with this rich-flavored salad of curly lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon, egg and crunchy croutons all under insanely delicious vinegar-based dressing.

3. Moules Marinières

Mussels are among the traditional foods you probably most associate with France. However, this dish originated in Belgium. The French popularized it and added a few spicy twists to the original recipes. There are numerous ways to cook and serve mussels. One of the best ways is to marinate them in white wine broth with parsley and shallots. Tastes great with a glass of chilled white in a terrace café at Montmartre.

4. Coq au Vin Jaune

Traditional dish from the easternmost province, Franche-Comté. Soft Bresse chicken thighs cooked and served under wine sauce with morel mushrooms. Vin Jaune is a strong white wine with nutty aftertaste, made in the Jura wine region of Savagnin grapes.

5. Soupe à L’oignon

Gooey, rich-flavored soup with a thick golden crust on top—the most delicious part of the dish! Meat broth is generously flavored with onions, grated cheese and crusty croutons. This recipe is really easy to cook at home and your guests would be more then merely impressed.

6. Blanquette de Veau

There isn’t a more quintessentially French dish then this meat ragout. Delicate pieces of veal, soaked in crème fraîche sauce, often garnished with pilau rice, onions and mushrooms. Buy a bottle of red Bordeaux to accompany the meal.

7. Socca


Crusty chickpea pancakes popular all along the Ligurian Sea coast, and Nice in particular. Flat rounds of chickpea dough, sprinkled with olive oil and baked in oven or on a huge round pans. Seasoned with black pepper and eaten while still hot with the fingers. Often served with veggie or cheese filling.

8. Steak Tartare

Evoke your primal instincts and eat meat the way it is supposed to be eaten: raw. Beef is finely chopped, mixed with onions, seasoned well, and served with egg yolk and rye bread. You need extremely fine fresh meat to cook the dish at home.

9. Salade Comtoise

Iconic rustic salad from Franche-Comté of smoked Montbéliard sausage, Comté cheese, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, nuts, and crusty croutons—all served under a delicious seasoning. A fast and easy-to-cook lunch snack.

10. Ratatouille

This dish is already world-famous after a Pixar movie, but I couldn’t help mentioning it anyway. Originating from Nice, ratatouille ismade of onions, zucchini, garlic, eggplant, bell peppers, basil, or bay leaf and thyme with more Provençal herbs added as seasoning. Can be eaten as a side dish or main course at lunch, dinner or breakfast. I see nothing wrong with eating it thrice a day.

11. Piperade

Piperade is very similar to ratatouille, traditionally cooked in the French Basque country. A ragout of red and green papers, tomatoes, onions and fresh eggs. Usually served as a garnish to meat and fish dishes. Spicy, rich-flavored, and pretty easy to cook at home.

12. Pan Bagnat

Another insanely tasty food specialty from Nice. A circle round of pain de campagne is generously filled with Salade Niçoise of raw vegetables, eggs, anchovies and/or tuna, seasoned with olive oil. Classy and easy-to-make snack that should be on your healthy lunch menu.

13. Cassoulet

Cassoulet is one of those warm, comforting foods to cheer you up after an exhausting day. White beans and duck (also pork sausages, goose, or mutton) slowly stewed in big round pan. The dish originates from Southern France and is incredibly popular in Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudary. The last claim to be the first to cook this magnificent, rich-flavored meal. If you are absolutely into casseroles, you should check these 11 recipes!

14. Bouillabaisse

Fragrant stew from the city of Marseille. Traditionally, made with at least three kinds of fish: red rascasse, sea robin, and European conger. Bouillabaisse can also include gilt-head bream, monkfish, mullet, or European hake. French chefs add a variety of shells and other seafood like mussels, crabs, small octopuses and more. Everything’s seasoned with Provençal herbs and served hot in a pot. The dish may not be easy to cook, but definitely worth all the efforts.

15. Escargots

The most traditional of all French appetizers to be eaten with a glass of fine white wine. Specially bred land snails cooked with tasty garlic butter and parsley, wine sauce and sometimes chicken stock.

16. Confit de Canard

Crispy duck legs, salted and then cooked in their own fat. Warm comforting dish originating from Gascony region takes up to a few days to cook as the meat should to be marinated in salt, garlic and herbs for 36 hours to taste best. That is one of the 7 main secrets of the French kitchen.

17. Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin Dauphinois is one of the most authentic French dishes that you can easily cook home. Potatoes are thinly sliced and covered with crème fraîche, add some butter and a clove of garlic, et voilà—your dinner’s ready. Variations include adding cheese.

18. Soupe au Pistou

My favorite Provençal dish, fragrant and flavorful. Made of summer vegetables, pasta and a French version of pesto—an appetizing mix of pounded garlic, olive oil, and basil.

19. Oeufs en meurette

Burgundy is famous not only for fine reds, but mighty good local cuisine, as well. Oeufs en meurette is a classic dish of poached eggs in divine meurette sauce: red wine mixed with onions and/or shallots, seasoned with thyme, parsley and bay leaf and mixed with a few drops of espagnole sauce. Sometimes mushrooms added to enrich the flavor. Served with toasted garlic bread and pieces of bacon.

20. Baeckeoffe

Splendid Alsatian dish that can be literary translated as “baker’s oven”. Sliced potatoes, onions, a variety of meat (mutton, pork and beef) is left to marinate in white wine for the night, then seasoned with herbs, juniper berries and carrots. Back in the old days dames of Alsace started to cook it late Saturday, left the casserole at the nearest bakery to slow-cook during Sunday morning, and picked it up when returning from the church.

21. Soupe de Poisson à la Rouille
Traditional fishermen’s soup born in Marseille. You can use any type of fish for the soup as the secret of the dish is “rouille”—a clump of garlicky and saffrony mayonnaise placed on top.

22. Quiche Lorraine
The classiest savory pie of all time. Quiche Lorraine is a perfect lunch snack and an excellent dinner dish as it’s pretty simple to cook. Mix up the buttery dough, add smoky bacon or lardon and cover it all in cheese.

23. Pissaladière
Maybe you think Italy is pizza-lovers’ mecca, yet France has a few seriously great pizzas of its own! Pissaladière—a thin crusty layer of dough covered with anchovies, onions and olive, served on nearly every corner in the South. Enjoy it with a glass of local rosé.

24. Tarte flambée
Another incredibly delicious pizza originating from Alsace. Thick layer of crème fraîche, bacon and onions, all baked in an open oven till the crust is crunchy. Pair it with a glass of white Riesling or glass of cold beer.

25. Quenelles de brochet
You haven’t been to Lyon unless you’ve eaten at least one portion of pike quenelles. The fish is mixed with breadcrumbs and generously coated with cream sauce. You many need some practice if you plan to cook the dish at home, but it’s all worth it.

 

[Crackle]

French food can be good but in the years since I've been going to France, English food has caught up, a lot. French bread is uniformly samey, a lot of French food has an over reliance on dairy or wine and French salads served with meals are just awful unless you order it as a main: French chips are often hollow! I was there last summer and surprised at the cost of food both in the market and supermarket and especially in the small shops. If you want local veg it's much harder to get now and you have to be up early where as once it wasn't possible to buy imported veg. Meat from the supermarkets is absolutely appalling quality.

Things i still do love from France are their carrot salads, cheeses, pastries, attitude to lunch, superb waiter service and some of their tinned stuff which you can't easily get over here.

 

[John the Monkey]

Nobody has mentioned the devil's vomit AKA Cassoulet

Shaun

YOU TAKE THAT BACK.