France

Judging a Nation by its Sausage

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Judging a Nation by its Sausage

This may be unfair, but I’ve come to the conclusion that you can tell a lot about a country by their sausage.  For lunches, while traveling, my husband and I have developed a habit of securing some local wine, bread, cheese and sausage that we can nibble at our leisure.  Since we’ve munched our...
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Posted in France, Germany, Italy, country, culture | 26 Comments »

What do April Fool’s Day and Spaghetti have in common?

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What do April Fool’s Day and Spaghetti have in common?

See for yourself… April Fools’ Day, or All Fool’s Day is celebrated in many countries on April 1 with practical jokes played family members, colleagues, and neighbors.  The origin of April Fools’ Day is obscure. One likely theory is that the term referred to someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar, as opposed to adopting...
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Posted in Britain, France, Italy, celebrations, food, pasta, travel | 26 Comments »

Better than a Rabbit’s Foot, Starting New Years on a High Note

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Better than a Rabbit’s Foot, Starting New Years on a High Note

The custom of eating pork on New Year’s is based on the notion that pigs symbolize progress or prosperity for many cultures – not a connection that may immediately come to mind. The animal pushes forward, rooting in the ground before moving, symbolizing progress.  In Italy, the fatty meat also symbolizes the fattening of...
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Posted in Africa, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Phillipines, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, culture, dessert, family, history, oysters, religion | 24 Comments »

Cheese – milks leap toward immortality

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Cheese – milks leap toward immortality

Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin called cheese “milk’s leap toward immortality” and I couldn’t agree more.  If cheese is something you like sandwiched between two sheets of plastic, than you will not appreciate this post.  But if you’ve had the real live thing – you are passionate about what cheese is and can appreciate its diversity and...
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Posted in Britain, France, Greece, Italy, San Francisco, United Kingdom, cheese | 21 Comments »

No kidding

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No kidding

I learned my lesson about being hesitant about trying sheep cheese, and eagerly jumped in with both feet to try goat cheese.  I was ready to be impressed, and was not disappointed.  Goat cheese, with the fresh kind also known as chevre, is made from goat milk.  Goat cheese comes in a wide variety of...
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Posted in France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, cheese, culture | 21 Comments »

Feeling Sheepish

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Feeling Sheepish

I don’t know about you, but some of my favorite cheeses are made from sheep milk.  I love the tanginess it imparts.  Growing up in the Midwest, and well versed in the ways of cow’s milk cheese, for my first encounter, I am ashamed to say, I sallied forth with some trepidation, I had...
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Posted in France, San Francisco, United Kingdom, United States, cheese | 18 Comments »

Fortified Wines – Timing is Everything

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Fortified Wines – Timing is Everything

Like much of life, fortified wines were born from necessity.  In this case, to preserve European wines on long trade voyages in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Brandy was added either before or during the fermentation process to stabilize the wines, and improve their shelf life.  As might be imagined, traditional wines did not store well in the...
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Posted in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, featured, traditions, wine | 6 Comments »

Something Fishy

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Something Fishy

Raw fish has found its way into many cuisines, and recently after reading a post on poke, I played a bit of a game with myself of trying to think of as many such dishes as I could.  My only rule being,that no heat was involved, but “cooking” in acidic mixtures make the cut. Per...
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Posted in France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, San Francisco, Thailand, United States, food | 18 Comments »

Stalking the Tour and discovering the delights of Chalon sur Saone

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Stalking the Tour and discovering the delights of Chalon sur Saone

Robert-Gilles of Shizuoka Gourmet commented on my recent post of Dijon and Creme de Cassis that I was remiss in not including his hometown of Chalon-sur-Saôn, which is close to Dijon.  I intend to correct that oversight.  When my husband and I traveled through Burgundy, we had a mission – we were stalking the Tour...
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Posted in France, culture, featured, food, travel | 18 Comments »

Waffles – honeycombs for flavor

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Waffles – honeycombs for flavor

  Waffles are definitely a staple of many Americans diets and very traditional for brunch in the United States.  They are mostly considered a sweet food, but every so often they show up in some unexpected savory places.  Waffles are at the top of my list of yummy breakfast food.  Whoever developed those little...
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Posted in France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, San Francisco, United States | 11 Comments »

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