France’s favourite dish is mussels in white wine

PARIS, March 10 (AFP) – Mussels “marinieres” currently is France’s favourite dish, followed closely behind by traditional country-style “blanquette” stewed veal and stewed beef “pot-au-feu”, according to a survey released Wednesday in Elle magazine’s two-monthly cooking journal, Elle A Table.

The dish of steaming hot mussels cooked in white wine with shallots or onions and parsley garnered 25 percent of the vote for best dish with 22 percent electing the old-time blanquette featuring pieces of veal in a white “roux” sauce, and “pot-au-feu”.

An economical and filling wintry sort of dish like “blanquette”, “pot-au-feu” is made up of cheaper cuts of beefs stewed with carrots, leeks, turnips, onions and celery. The stock is served first, then the meat with the vegetables.

Throwing aside some gourmet xenophobia, French eaters preferred the North African dish of couscous (18 percent) to home favourites such as steak-and-chips (15 percent), sauerkraut and the harder-to-digest “cassoulet” white bean stew served with meat and/or sausages. Pizza also was preferred to local quiche (eight against six percent).

Overall, the French opted for their own cuisine as world favourite, with 77 percent electing French cooking ahead of only seven percent for Italian food and five percent for Chinese cuisine.

Though the main dishes could hardly be described as light and dietary, on the sweets front, healthy fruit salad won the day with 26 percent.

© AFP

                                                              Subject: France news