French Domestic Life
Back to French food and culture
FRENCH DOMESTIC LIFE
Just as "much of French history is simply Paris history presented as a
fait accompli to the provinces," so the French lessons of life are simply
the family viewpoint presented as indisputable fact to the child. The
principles of a sense of "belonging" and "favoritism" are inculcated
early. In many ways, French mothers teach their children suspicion of
lifestyles outside the family circle; schools teach a wariness of that
which may be new; from families to schools to organizations the "French
way" is carefully taught so that one will not "go astray" In some ways the
French mother is as important a symbol to the family as Paris is to France
herself: the occupation of Paris by a foreign power means defeat for the
nation, while the liberation of Paris represents a victory for every
French person in the entire world!
There is little question of maman's importance in the French family. She is
often characterized as being hardworking and frugal. While all of this may
or may not be true, what is irrefutable is her skill with food and every
aspect of it. If she can afford to hire servants to do the work of
marketing, preparing, cooking, and serving, there is no doubt that she
will nonetheless be astutely knowledgeable about every detail and be able
to offer criticism as well as advice. If she must do the chores alone, she
will consider it her duty to rise early and shop almost daily for small
quantities of the freshest and best herbs, bread, meats. fish, fruits and
vegetables she can procure. Freezers and supermarkets and many brightly
packaged quick-mixes are found in Paris, but there will always be a place
for the farmer's and fisherman's market and for the small refrigerator.
For the French there is no substitute for the freshest, the seasonable,
the local, and the best.
In a French kitchen nothing is ever wasted. Bits of stale bread, the last
of vegetables, the trimmings from the meat or the fish, all will find a
place as stuffing, garnishes, sauces, or soups. French kitchens are
frequently small and seemingly inefficient, but the miracles of cuisine
they produce are never disappointing. The batterie de cuisine usually
begins with a gas stove, although many have both gas and electricity just
as in the "old days" the large country-estate kitchens used gas ranges for
fast cookery but the old reliable woodstoves were preferred for slow
simmering.
Quality pots, pans, skillets, double boilers, and casseroles are important
to the French cook. Purchased once, they should last a lifetime (if not
longer). A battery of sharp specialty knives, wooden spoons and wire
whisks, the tamis (drum sieve), food mills and graters, and mortar and
pestles to pound, grate, and puree foods are also found. More recently the
electric blender has taken the place of some of the older utensils, and
the food processor combines many kitchen functions in one unit.