How2Day: Types of French Dishes

French cuisine is diverse and varied and yet, distinguished by rich, filling dishes heavy on cream and butter. It is common throughout France for people to take a 2-hour lunch where they return home to prepare fresh meals from local ingredients. Coastal areas like Normandy favor seafood, while regions bordering other European countries such as Alsace which borders Germany, incorporate German ingredients like sauerkraut into many of that locale's dishes.

Classic French dishes follow Julia Child's philosophy that all good dishes use butter or, as she said, "if you're afraid of butter, use cream." Classical French cuisine is known as cuisine bourgeoisie in France. The cuisine is rich and filling as many dishes use heavy cream-based sauces. A classic French dish is Salmon en Croute, salmon fillets wrapped in puff pastry and covered in a rich cream sauce. Perhaps the most well-known traditional French dish in America is beef bourguignon, made famous by Child in her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." This dish combines bacon, stewing beef, carrots, onion, salt, pepper, flour, red wine, tomato paste, spices and bacon rind to create a rich and flavorful beef casserole.

Cuisine nouvelle or "new cuisine" is simpler and less heavy than traditional French cuisine. It developed in the 1970s and emphasizes quick dishes using local and seasonal ingredients without heavy butter and cream-based sauces. Nouvelle cuisine is characterized by low cooking times for fish and vegetables in an effort to preserve the natural flavor of the foods. Nouvelle cuisine dishes are known for fresh ingredients, small portions and light sauces.

Cuisine du Terroir emphasizes regional specialties in France and is rather rustic in composition. The dishes feature local produce and meal traditions. The cuisine focuses on the flavors, scents and tones that different foods gain from the soils and climates in which they grow. One such recipe is Castelnaudary Cassoulet, a stew of white beans, meats and vegetables, from the Languedoc- Roussillon region of France

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