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French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. Despite France's history of centralization ( Paris), each region has its own distinctive specialities: cuisine from North-West France uses butter and cream; Provençal cuisine (from the southeast) favours olive oil and herbs; and northeastern French recipes are reminiscent of German cuisine, including sausages, beer and sauerkraut. Wine and cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments. For French people, cooking is part of culture, and they consider cooking as a way of life.

Strongly traditional and slow to embrace influences from abroad, French cuisine can broadly be divided into three categories:

1 Categories

1.1 Cuisine bourgeoise

Cuisine bourgeoise, which includes all the classic French dishes which are not (or no longer) specifically regional, and which have been adapted over the years to suit the taste of the affluent classes. This type of cooking includes the rich, cream-based sauces and somewhat complex cooking techniques that many people associate with French cuisine. At the 'top end' of this category is what is known as haute cuisine, a highly complex and refined approach to food preparation and kitchen management.

Because this kind of cuisine is what is often served abroad under the name of "French cuisine", many foreigners mistakenly believe that typical French meals involved complex cooking and rich, un-dietetic dishes. In fact, such cooking is generally reserved for special occasions, while typical meals are simpler.

1.2 Cuisine du terroir

Cuisine du terroir, which covers regional specialities with a strong focus on quality local produce and peasant tradition. Many dishes that fall in this category do not stand out as stereotypically "French," sometimes because regional cooking styles can be quite different from the elaborate dishes seen in French restaurants around the world.

1.3 Cuisine nouvelle

Cuisine nouvelle or nouvelle cuisine, which developed in the 1970s as a reaction to traditional cuisine, under the influence of chefs such as Michel Guérard . This type of cooking is characterized by shorter cooking times, much lighter sauces and dressings, and smaller portions presented in a refined, decorative manner. Its modern, inventive approach sometimes includes techniques and combinations from abroad (especially Asia) and has had a profound influence on cooking styles all over the world.

1.4 Today

Food fashions and trends in France tend to alternate between these three types of cuisine; today (2004) there is a distinct focus on cuisine du terroir, with a return to traditional rustic cooking and the "forgotten" flavours of local farm produce. The "fusion" cuisine popular in the English-speaking world is not widespread in France, though some restaurants in the capital have a "fusion" theme, and many modern French chefs are influenced by a variety of international cooking styles.

2 Foreign cuisines

Foreign cuisines popular in France include:

• some dishes from the former colonies of France in north Africa, especially couscous;
• Vietnamese and Chinese food.

3 Famous French dishes

• Cuisses de grenouillesFrogs' legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Chinese cuisine. French The French are known so much for this, that a favourite English nickname for the French is the Frogs''. Despite this cliche, frog legs are not a particularly common d (Frogs' legs) (well-known, but unusual and somewhat old-fashioned)
• Blanquette de veauBlanquette de veau is a French veal dish in sauce. See also Cuisine of France.
• Coq au VinMany French regions claim coq au vin or chicken stew, as their own, but legend has it that the recipe originated with Caesar's chef. Different variants exist throughout the country. Nearly all recipes other than those altered for low-fat diets start with (chicken with wine)
• TartifletteTartiflette is a French dish from the Savoy region. It originated in the valley of Aravis, home of Reblochon cheese. It is not, however, a traditional dish and was, in fact, invented and launched only in the 1980s by the Reblochon trade union in an attemp (a Savoyard gratin with potatoes, ReblochonReblochon is a French cheese from Savoie. Reblochon is produced in the valleys of Thones and Val d'Arly. Its name comes from the Savoie term "re-blocher" Reblochon is a cheese containing cow's milk. The cheese is a soft paste with a washed crust with an a cheese, cream and pork)
• French breadFor the 1970s rock and roll band, see Bread (band). British Isles, North America and Europe often eat white pre-sliced bread. Breads are a group of staple foods prepared by baking, steaming, or frying a dough consisting minimally of flour and water. Salts
• CheesesThe following is a list of cheeses from France . France is home to a very large number of cheese types. An estimate of this number is between 350 and 400. Protected Designation of Origin Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain