Bread with olives, figs, nuts, honey, sunflower seeds, herbes de provence. Baguettes, loaves, croissants, pain au chocolat, pain au raisin. Oh, we have eaten them all ... and then some! No meal is served in France without wonderful fresh bread on the table.
Our local baker has a revolving daily bread menu which we have worked our way through. Of course the classic french baguette is a staple on the kitchen table ... to be served with the cheese, no less (see below!).
Butter
Mmmmm French butter. I don't know what it is about French butter, but it is seriously addictive. None of this spreadable margarine rubbish in a plastic tub. This stuff is the real deal. It comes in 'doux' or 'demi sel', the latter being salted, our favourite. Don't even ask how much butter we go through. Let's just say, winter is close and my jeans are not my friend ....
Cheese
The average French person eats an impressive 25.6kg of cheese a year! I think we have probably met the quota in the 6 months we have been here!
France, the land of the unpasteurised cheese. Of course, pasteurisation kills off all the nasty bacteria responsible for listeria and the like, but the French also tell me it kills of all the beneficial bacteria in the milk which are also responsible for the flavour. The difference in raw milk cheeses is amazing.
No market trip is complete without purchasing a little aged comté or fresh chèvre. Served with charcuterie, fruit, crunchy baguette (no crackers!) and a glass of wine. Bon dégustation!
Wine
"Un repas sans vin, est une journée sans soleil" says the wine carafe on our kitchen bench -"a meal without wine, is a day without sun". We agree whole heartedly and have endeavoured to enjoy a glass or two of the local wine wherever we are. Of course, summer in Provence means rosé. It's so good, and so cheap that we have found ourselves buying cases from our local wine caves saying 'we will never get through all of this wine' only to go out to the garage and find empty boxes and off we go on another expedition to the next winery!
We are in desperate need of a detox. Green juices. Carb free. Sugar free. No wine!
But then, we are in France ... and we did say we were going to immerse ourselves in the culture ... so until 2018 or until we make ourselves sick on cheese, whichever comes first.
A xx
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Keep eating and drinking. The simple pleasures in life are so mportant! And if no clothes fit .... off to a French nudist retreat ... immerse yourself there!!! Xoxox
I have a smile from ear reading this story... The French really know how to live and they do it oh so well. Keep indulging in the simple pleasures. The bakeries back home are seriously depressing in comparison and the French wine at Dan Murphy's tastes nothing like the liquid gold you're enjoying over there (and it's triple the price!) I love the quote on your carafe - so so true. I love how happy, content and relaxed you all look in every pic! Keep enjoying every moment xxx
*from ear to ear
haha sorry! I typed too quickly in the excitement of seeing all that cheese & wine!
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