The French are renowned worldwide for their cooking skills, though the secret to why they excel in their culinary art is very simple to understand when you live amongst the French. Whilst other countries are happily treading the road to fast food, what seems inherently strong in French society is the seriousness of eating.

Not only does eating mean that the average French person will not finish work until later than most of its' European counterparts, in that they strongly adhere to the tradition of taking a two hour lunch in the middle of the business day, but the French in keeping to the routine of eating at table, and not grabbing snacks, desires that their appetite is quelled by food that is fresh.

Different regions have their own specialty food, and are exceptionally proud of it. They will share their food with the visitor though rarely divulge the recipe, passed down from generation to generation. They love their culinary secrets and revel in them, and sitting around the table with family, are never afraid to discuss that which is important to the French as a nation, it's food.

Meats in the supermarkets are not tainted with colorants to make them look tasty, and in fact in little villages all over France, the local butchery is open even on Sundays because the french insist on freshness. Yesterday's meats are not what they are prepared to eat.

The countryside in France is vast, and most people that live in rural areas take pride in producing fresh produce. Vegetables at the end of the season are bottled for the winter months, and the array of sauces available in restaurants and the varying recipes that change from chef to chef mean that the publics palette is catered for.

Workmen's restaurants in other countries may be seen as cheap food outlets, although here in France they take seriously the needs of hungry workmen, and all of the best restaurants for daytime eating give a wonderful array of choice, the mainstay of which is a set menu at a set price. Judging the quality of what a restaurant has to offer you is simple. Look for the vans parked outside at lunchtimes, because the french delight in good food, and a constant flow of satisfied customers really does advertise good food.

In the region in which I live, the locally produced range of cheeses, vegetables, meats and secret recipe sausages and cold meat arrays are impressive, and whilst visiting other regions, each have their specialties and proudly exhibit locally made or grown food in all the supermarkets and small village shops.

The mushroom season between the end of October and the beginning of November highlights French people's love of the varieties of mushrooms that can be found in the woodlands and in the hedgerows. People are seen regularly with baskets and a walking stick to push grass aside in a search for the best mushrooms, and the secret hiding places of the most rare types of mushrooms are a huge talking point in every village.

To keep the tradition of mushroom picking alive, each pharmacy offers a service to identify those mushrooms which are edible, and indeed what this does is educate the outsider to appreciate fresh produce.

Move over MacDonald's, the French know what they like.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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