| Thursday, July 9, 2009 |
| French Food Facts... Thursday Thirteen!! |
1. The famous Petit Suisse ("little swiss cheese") of Gervais are not from Switzerland, but from Normandy, in France.
2. Crêpes, one of the most popular food in Europe, originate from Brittany, in the west of France.
3. Wine has been made in France since Roman times.
4. There are 450 different wine appellations in France. There are tens of thousands of small wine-producing domain, but only 15% of all French wines enjoy the marketing benefits of AOC designations.
5. Bordeaux alone has over 9,000 different châteaux.
6. 72% of the adult French population finds it difficult to understand French wine labels.
7. In 2004, France produced 56.6 millions hectoliters of wine.
8. Wines from the North of France (e.g. Alsace) are usually made from a single variety of grape (e.g. Pinot Noir), whereas wines further south are typically blends of varietals (e.g. Carbernet Sauvignon + Merlot), which is why they do not mention them on the label like in Australia, California, Chile or South Africa.
9. France produces some of the world's most famous liqueurs, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Triple Sec, Mandarine Napoleon, Cognac, Armagnac, Crème de Cassis, Pastis, Chartreuse, etc.
10. There are about 2 new cooking books published every day in France.
11. There are over 300 kinds of cheese made in France.
12. French people are the second biggest consumers of alcohol per capita in the Western world - after Luxembourg...
13. Foie gras may be part and parcel of French cuisine, but its origins go back to 4,500 years ago in Ancient Egypt, from where it spread to Greece (500 B.C.E.), then to the Romans, ancestors of the modern French.
 |
posted by Fun Food Eater @ 1:47 AM  |
|
|
| 6 Comments: |
-
At July 9, 2009 at 5:14 PM, I am Harriet said…
Yummy facts. Who knew?
Happy Thursday!
http://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2009/07/whoopie-thursday.html
-
At July 9, 2009 at 7:31 PM, Mia Celeste said…
Three hundred different kinds of cheese? That's it! I've got to plan a visit to France. Happy TT!
-
At July 9, 2009 at 7:31 PM, Chelle said…
That is a LOT of cheese. also, a lot of cookbooks :)
-
At July 9, 2009 at 9:47 PM, orneryswife said…
cheese and cookbooks--what a happy combination! Thanks for an interesting list- Happy TT!
tm
-
At July 10, 2009 at 4:09 AM, said…
-
At July 10, 2009 at 2:10 PM, Carleen said…
Wow -- that's a lot of wine and cheese!
|
| |
| << Home |
| |
| |
|
|
|
