Cooking Schools In Paris France

Many of the world’s greatest chefs trace their roots to the mastery of French cooking which has had a significant influence on all the Western cuisines. French cuisine has long been regarded as the world’s most sophisticated and it is famous for both, its classical haute cuisine or grande cuisine and the various provincial styles.

The haute cuisine is served mostly in high-end restaurants and rated by the Guide Michelin. Likewise, this cuisine is found in city centers such as Paris but the average everyday French citizen would not prepare such complex dishes in his own home. Generally, the adult bourgeoisie tend to eat their regional cuisine while the younger in big cities prefer regional or foreign dishes. France is known for its large variety of wines and cheeses and these are essential in French cooking as well as additions at the dining table.

The French serving style known as nouvelle cuisine became very popular between the 1960s and the 1980s. This new style was based on lighter cooking techniques with less heavy sauces and more fresh ingredients such as vegetables which resulted in a much lightened haute cuisine. Some argue, however, that this style came into being due to the shortage of animal proteins during the German occupation in World War II.

Traditionally, each one of the twenty-two regions of France has its own unique cuisine:

• Northwestern French cuisine uses butter, cream, and apples.
• Southwestern French cuisine uses pork fat, duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, and gizzards.
• Southeastern French cuisine uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes. It has been greatly influenced by the Spanish, Catalan and Italian cuisines.
• Northern French cuisine uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer. It has been influenced by the Flemish cuisine.
• Northeastern French cuisine uses lard, sausages, beer and sauerkraut. It was influenced by German cuisine.
• Central French cuisine, which includes Paris, is influenced by all the other cuisines as they are so readily available in this inner region.

In addition to the five main regional cuisines there are also many more local cuisines such as Loire Valley cuisine, Basque cuisine, the cuisine of Provence and the cuisine of Roussillon which are very similar to Catalan cuisine. Since the French population has become more mobile in recent years, the distinctions are somewhat less pronounced but they are evident nonetheless.

Le Conrdon Bleu is an internationally acclaimed culinary school in Paris and is known as the educational leader at the forefront of the hospitality industry. Their mission is to continually meet the industry’s present and future needs for top-notch chefs. They are in a close partnership with leaders in gastronomy, culture and education, and through their strong consulting and licensing programs they are always able to adapt their expertise to any need and demand of a constantly changing industry. Furthermore, La Cordon Bleu is the only culinary institution to operate a five-diamond restaurant.

Unlike in the past, today’s chefs coming out of La cordon Bleu are no longer just artists. They are managers, chemists, businesspersons and entrepreneurs. Their students come from seventy countries and each of their graduates is capable of meeting the challenge of successfully acclimating to modern demands while respecting and maintaining the traditions set by Auguste Escoffier, the father of French cuisine.

La Cordon Bleu has been enabling aspiring culinary students to turn their ambitions into reality for over a century and releasing them into successful careers in restaurants kitchens, catering, restaurant and hotel management, journalism, consulting, food service, food styling and education.

Cook, eat and be merry.

Posted in France Vacation Guide