We have said many times in this blog: French gastronomy is unique and delicious. And I’m going to prove it isn’t always the case.
Indeed, French tend sometimes, to eat things that are considered disgusting in other countries or things that couldn’t believe to be eaten.
Have your strong stomach ready!
Snails are a delicacy in French cuisine, where they are called Escargot. In an English language menu escargot is generally reserved for snails prepared with traditional French recipes (served in the shell with garlic and parsley butter).
This dish is in the English-speaking world traditionally associated with French cuisine, and a favourite English derogatory nickname for the French is the Frogs. They are traditionally prepared in a butter, garlic and parsley sauce and often served only with a salad or steamed rice.
Here is a recipe for the delicious calf’s head called tête de veau in French:
Take out the brains and boil the head, feet, and lights, in salted water, just enough to cover them, about two hours. When they have boiled nearly an hour and a half, tie the brains in a cloth and put them in to boil with the rest. They should be skinned, and soaked half an hour in cold water. When the two hours have expired, take up the whole, and mash the brains fine, and season them with bread crumbs, pepper, salt, and a glass of Port or Claret, and use them for sauce. Let the liquor remain for a soup the next day. It serves more handsomely to remove all the bones.
Specialised butcher shops (boucheries chevalines) sell horsemeat (I know), as ordinary butcher shops have been for a long time forbidden to deal in it. However, since the 1990s, it can be found in supermarket butcher shops and others. According to the Association for Horsemeat website, approximately 15 000 horses a year are raised for meat production, mostly draft breeds. It argues that the economic importance of horsemeat helps maintain the genetic heritage of traditional French breeds.
« Dans le cochon, tout est bon » means "All of the pig is good" and the French prove it by eating… its feet. That’s right! Even if this is an “old” dish, the demand in Europe is still there. Slow cooking is the best way to release the awesome flavors contained in pig’s feet. Yummy hu?!Here is a nice
recipe for pig’s feet.We eat their ears too.
I was about to talk to you about the calf's brain that people prepare with bacon but I think you had enough for the day.
Do you know any other "specialé French food that I've missed?
Thanks to tychenyt for the great shot.
Source: wikipedia.org
