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French Food Facts & Worksheets

France is a European country that is distinct when it comes to its rich culture. One thing worth discussing about French culture is the cuisine.

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France is a European country that is distinct when it comes to its rich culture. One thing worth discussing about French culture is the cuisine. French cuisine is a result of rich cooking traditions and practices from France, which have been shaped by history.

See the fact file below for more information on the French Food or alternatively, you can download our 26-page French Food worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF FRENCH CUISINE

  • French cuisine has developed over centuries under the influence of nearby cultures from Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium.
  • However, before these influences, France already had its own food traditions on the long western coastlines of the Atlantic, the Channel, and inland France.
  • The earliest recipe collection from France dates back to the 14th century, and was written by Guillaume Tirel, a royal chef known as “Taillevent”. The recipe collection was called Le Viandier and was commonly referred to as Le Viandier de Taillevent.
  • In the 17th century, French cooking decided to shift away from its foreign influences. Chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême led the movement that aimed to develop France’s own indigenous style.
  • It was in this period when cheese and wine became a major part of French cuisine.
  • In the 20th century, French cuisine reached new heights as Auguste Escoffier, a chef, restaurateur, and culinary writer, popularized and updated traditional cooking methods. Escoffier transformed French cooking into haute cuisine, or high cuisine.
  • However, Escoffier only focused on France’s high cuisine. Regional cuisine and delicacies were left to be popularized by the Guide Michelin, an established and respected magazine owned by the tire company Michelin.

NATIONAL CUISINE

  • Today, many dishes are now considered part of the national French cuisine.
  • A French meal usually consists of three courses: hors d’oeuvre or entrée (starter), plat principal (main course), and fromage (cheese course) or dessert.
  • HORS D’OEUVRES
    • Terrine — a pâte (a paste, pie, or loaf) made in a pottery container that is also called a terrine.
    • Bisque — a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup. It is classically made from coulis, a thick sauce made from pureed crustaceans like crabs, lobster, langoustine, shrimp, or crayfish.
    • Foie Gras — literally means “fat liver.” It is a luxurious processed food in French cuisine made from duck or goose liver that has been specially fattened. In France, foie gras is made by force-feeding corn to ducks or geese through a feeding tube.
    • Croque Monsieur — a baked or fried boiled ham and cheese sandwich. Historically, the Croque Monsieur originated in French cafes and bars as a quick snack. Whimsically, its name literally means “mister crunch,” and when topped with fried egg, it is called Croque Madame which means “madame crunch.”
  • PLAT PRINCIPAL
    • Pot-au-feu — means “pot on the fire” and is a very popular dish, a French beef stew. According to the respected chef Raymond Blanc, it is “the quintessence of French family cuisine, it is the most celebrated dish in France. It honours the tables of the rich and poor alike.”
    • Steak-frites — as the name denotes, this is simply steak paired with French fries. Even though it is popular in French cuisine, some consider it to be the national dish of Belgium, where it is believed to have been invented.
  • PATISSERIE
    • A pâtisserie is a type of French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets.
    • It is not a typical bakery, since a licensed maître pâtissier or pastry master can only bestow such a title to a business or establishment.
    • Here are some examples of what can be found in a pâtisserie:
    • Mille-feuille — means “thousand sheets,” it is a vanilla or custard slice. A mille-feuille is traditionally made of three layers of puff pastry, alternating with two layers of pastry cream. The top layer is usually dusted with confectioners’ sugar and sometimes cocoa, pastry crumbs, or pulverized seeds like roasted almonds.
    • Macaron — a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder, and food coloring. Traditionally, it was introduced in France by the Italian chef of Queen Catherine De Medici during the Renaissance.
    • Eclair — an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with cream and topped with chocolate icing. The choux dough is a light pastry that does not contain a raising agent, which allows moisture and steam to make the pastry puff in the oven.
    • Chouquette — another type of pastry made from choux dough. It is made from a small portion of the choux dough and is sprinkled with pearl sugar.

French Food Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the French Food across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use French Food worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the French cuisine which is a result of rich cooking traditions and practices from France, which have been shaped by history. France is a European country that is distinct when it comes to its rich culture. One thing worth discussing about French culture is the cuisine.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • French Food Facts
  • Where It All Started
  • Recipe Results
  • Name the Dish
  • Correct Category
  • Cuisine Influences
  • Decode and Describe
  • Eatery Crossword
  • Menu for the Day
  • French Food Collage
  • Food Critique

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Link will appear as French Food Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 8, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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