Provence & Southern French Regions

Posted by Larry Ervin Feb 16, 2008

French cuisine is not a monolithic whole, but rather a mosaic of a hundred hues. From Provence to Normandy, Alsace to Bordeaux, each region of France sparkles with its own distinctive cuisine of its peoples, leveraging fresh local ingredients.

The influence of French cuisine has not been strictly export either, but instead a bustling exchange of ideas and ingredients with neighboring countries, one-time invaders as well as former colonies of a French Empire that once reached into five continents, from Indo-China to Morrocco to the French West Indies.

Here is a culinary index to France's Southern regions. (See also the Food of Northern French Regions.)

Bordeaux

• The Mystery of Chateau Petrus - The World's Most Expensive Red Wine

Cognac - Charente Region

• Chicken Liver Pate with Cognac

Gascony and the Basque Region

• Honeyed Pork with a Spiced Crust

Loire Valley

• Overview of the Wines and Cuisine along the Loire River Asparagus Vichycoise

Lyon

• French Duck Lyonnaise

Provence

• Overview of Provence and it's Famous Dishes
• French Onion Soup
• Provencal Chard Omelette
• Wines of the Languedoc
• Artisanal Wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon
• Blind-Tasting Winners from Languedoc-Roussillon
• White Beans Provence
• Vegetarian Tapendade.
• Fresh Apricot Clafouti
• Provencal Beef and Tomato Pie
• Swordfish Provencal
• Smoky Provencal Bluefish with Anchiode
• Steamed Mussels Provencal in Wine and Herbs
• Seared Scallops in a Pernod-Tarragon Cream Sauce
• Olive Tapenade
• Fresh Basil Aioli
• Salt Cod Salad with Aioli
• Tarragon Poached Salmon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Tuna Salade Nicoise with Asparagus and Goat Cheese
• Rustic Chicken Liver Pate with Pistachios

French Recipes with Foreign Influences

• Steamed Clams a l'Indienne

Travel in France

• Over 100 French-Destination Articles