French Culture & Savoir‐Faire

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 […]

Savoie Raclette, which just obtained protected designation of origin status last month, is a tender cheese with a marked and balanced taste, and an aromatic richness. This cheese is primarily made in the regions of the French Alpes ( Savoie, Haute Savoie and small parts of the Ain and Isère departments of east-central France). To […]

The French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO), a public agency under the authority of the French Ministry of Agriculture, which implements public policies relating to official signs of quality and origin ( geographic indications, “red label,” organic farming) , released its report detailing actions taken in 2015, the year of the organization’s 80th […]

Near the small town of Beaune, in the rolling countryside of the Burgundy wine-producing region of east-central France, wine-makers produce wines that are known around the world. The winemaking region of the Côte de Beaune appellations is about 12 miles long, from north to south. Facing the sun in the morning, the wine lands do […]

Salers cheese is a French semi-hard cheese made primarily with the milk of the Salers breed of cattle, both of which are named after a small village of the same name. It has a thick, dried crust and is made in the form of a large cylinder which is then cut into smaller sizes for […]

Which wine should you pair with which cheese? It’s a question that never fails to come up when planning get-togethers with family and friends. Choosing appropriate pairings can pose a bit of a problem. You may have heard that Sancerre marries well with goat cheese, red Burgundy will help tame the flavors of a bold […]