French Culture & Savoir‐Faire

A major series of roundtable talks, discussions and 14 working groups on the French food and agriculture industry will commence later this month, led by French Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Travert. An investment plan of five billion euros over a period of five years will be launched at the completion of these important meetings. “The […]

The Espelette pepper is a bright red pepper grown in French Basque country, located in the southwestern Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, on the border of Spain. Chili peppers, like all peppers, originated in the Americas and were brought to France for the first time in the 16th century. By 1650, the chili peppers had made their way […]

This May 13, the Agriculture Department of the Embassy of France participated in another successful edition of the European Union (EU) Open House. Every year, the embassies of the EU in the United States open their doors to the American public in Washington, D.C. More than 7,500 people attended the event, which this year took […]

Key French agricultural agencies recently announced the creation of a national Economic Observatory of Official Desginations of Quality and Origin (Label Rouge, protected designation of origin, protected geographic indication, organic farming, etc.). The development of products protected by quality denominations is an important base for encouraging an agricultural production that creates value, is less sensitive […]

Laguiole cheese (pronounced “layole”) is a semi-hard French cow’s milk cheese produced in south-central France. The only breeds of cows that can be used in producing Laguiole cheese are Aubrac and French Simmental, raised in the Aubrac area of France’s Massif Central, a high plateau located between 2,600 and 4,500 feet of altitude. The cheese […]

Banon cheese is a small (2 to 3 inches in diameter) French goat cheese that comes from an ancient cheese-making tradition of the farms of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department of southeastern France and is also produced in parts of a few neighboring départements. It has benefited from protected designation of origin status since 2003. Always presented […]

Normandy Pommeau (Pommeau de Normandie) is an aperitif with a delicious taste that comes from the marriage of non-fermented apple juice and Calvados, which is a very warm eau-de-vie (spirit) made from apples that can be easily mixed with other beverages in multiple combinations. Normandy Pommeau is perhaps the most well-known and traditional of these. […]

The city of Dijon has been given the task of building one of the future Cities of Gastronomy (the other cities are Tours, Paris-Rungis and Lyon). These projects will highlight and celebrate the listing of the gastronomic meal of the French on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. The […]

Considered the gastronomic olive par excellence, the Lucques du Languedoc olive is one of the best olives available. Easily recognized by its crescent moon shape and its bright green skin, it is a large, meaty, mellow olive. One of the highest quality and most sought-after of all olives, it is also called “the green diamond,” […]

France made its mark at the 15th annual World Cup of Patisserie, which took place in January in Lyon, France. This international event of the pastry-making profession was created in 1989 by French pastry chef Gabriel Paillasson. In total, 22 teams composed of three chefs from four different continents competed in challenges over the course […]