The culinary culture of French cooking

Frying (English: pan fry French: frire German: braten)

One of the oldest methods of cooking, frying can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian civilization of 2500 BC. There are only two types of heat-conducting ingredients used for frying: oil or fat. Oil is derived from plant-based ingredients, such as olive oil, and tallow is derived from animal-based ingredients, such as beef tallow. In European kitchens, the only vessel used for frying is almost exclusively the pan, and since the English culinary vocabulary is far less extensive than ours, the word fry is simply preceded by the word pan, to distinguish between frying and deepfrying. Once fried, the amount of oil or fat used in the pan is usually no more than one-third of the thickness of the ingredients. The oil can reach temperatures of over 200 degrees compared to 100 degrees for water, giving the ingredients a golden color and crispy texture. In European kitchens, there are numerous dishes that are used for frying, and today I'm going to give you the example of cordon bleu, a Swiss pork chop. It consists of two medium-thick pork cutlets, sandwiched between a layer of cutlets, a layer of cheese, a layer of prosciutto, a layer of cheese, and a layer of cutlets, then sealed and breaded and pan-fried over medium heat. When you cut open the cutlet, the melted cheese flows out and the aroma is overflowing; with the bite of the prosciutto and the crunch of the pork cutlet, it is very tasty.

There are four theories about the origin of the name "cordon bleu".

One, it comes from a French cooking competition.

Two, it was invented by a Swiss chef in 1929 to celebrate the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by the steamship Bremen. "The French word "cordon bleu" means "blue ribbon" and the prize for the steamer Bremen was a blue ribbon.

Three, in 1578, King Henry III created the Order of the Blue Ribbon, which evolved into a synonym for the highest honor during the subsequent Bourbon dynasty. After the French King Louis XV in many objections to give it to his mistress, the Countess of Du Barry (Madame du Barry) chef, and then the "Blue Sash" has become synonymous with gastronomy.

Four, a chef in Basel, Switzerland, invented the dish, inspired by the blue headbands worn by girls playing in the courtyard.

Which legend you prefer is up to you. It's worth noting that Lidl supermarkets in Germany are regular sellers of "Swiss pork chops" (cordon bleu), and all you have to do is: fry and eat.

Frying (English: deep fry French: frire German: frittieren)

Frying is, quite simply, high heat and lots of oil. The amount of oil in the pan should be enough to submerge the ingredients and allow them to float on top of the oil. Because there is no water involved in the frying process (otherwise you'd have to wear a mask in the kitchen), Westerners also categorize it as a form of "dry cooking". Depending on the time and heat, dishes can be flavorful, crispy, burnt, crunchy or tender. In European kitchens, however, most fried dishes are characterized by a golden color and a crispy exterior. Putting aside the KFC or McDonald's chicken thighs, today I'd like to introduce a representative dish of the deep-fried category, known as the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips (Fish andChips).

"The French live to eat, the English eat to live," says a European folk song. In short, British cuisine has a reputation in Europe that is basically on par with their Prince Charles. To say that the British have no interest in cooking at all, it doesn't seem quite right. But they put what enthusiasm they do have into breakfast. The writer William SomersetMaugham, for example, said, "If you want to eat well in London, have breakfast three times a day." At the risk of going off-topic, I'll briefly list what's in a typical English breakfast: oatmeal porridge, Bacon and Eggs, Sausages, White Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Cashews, FriedFish or Kippers, Toasted bread, butter, jam or slightly bitter OrangeMarmalade.

Baked (English: gratin French: gratiner German: gratinieren)

The word "baked" is a morpheme, and I couldn't find it in Purple Input Method, so I had to find a web page to copy and paste it. Baking is a French cooking method that involves putting butter or seasoned sauces on easy-to-cook or semi-cooked ingredients, heating them in a special Salamander for a short period of time, and then removing them from the dish after the butter or seasoned sauces have melted and boiled. Baking is an indispensable cooking method in fine kitchens to ensure the freshness of the dishes while also giving them a rich flavor and a bright color on the surface.

And this cooking device, the oven, should be briefly introduced. It is similar to a small oven, but with one side open and infrared heaters at the top and bottom. The original oven was a red-hot iron plate on the top and bottom. For those of you who are familiar with the English language, you may say "Salamander" doesn't mean baby fish? That's right. According to ancient Greek legend, salamanders can recover from severe burns, hence the name of the oven.

A familiar French dish is Escargots a la Bourguignonne. In fact, the history of snails as food in Europe dates back to the Neolithic period. During the Roman period, escargots cooked in milk were very common. In the Middle Ages, snails became typical food in monasteries because they were neither fish nor meat and could be eaten during Lent without fear of breaking the fast (it seems that people all over the world know how to play the game). Not all of the 116 known species of snails are edible, and the wild snails of the Burgundy region of France stand out because of their enormous size and tender meat. Since wild snails feed on dirt, decaying plants, and a variety of different leaves, the food remains in their stomachs can be harmful. Therefore, the snail is fasted before cooking to allow it to expel the food remnants from its body, and then its digestive system is removed before cooking. Typically, snails are baked in an oven with garlic, parsley and butter, and then served in their shells with the broth. To prevent the snails from rolling around, the plates are grooved. In order to eat comfortably, the French invented a fork and tongs, of which the tongs look like female eyelash clamps, while the fork is a very thin two-fingered fork, so it can be said to be well intentioned.