In France, the rumor persists that the kitchen was invented there. We wouldn't sign it like that. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to culinary culture, you cannot ignore France. Countless ideas and preparation methods are of French origin. In addition, there is an almost unbelievable food culture, which is not only pronounced in restaurants, but also in many households.
When he was at school, Sascha took part in an exchange program and spent three weeks with a French family. We ate together every evening for three weeks. Every time the bread was fresh, the sausage of the best quality, and that wonderfully salted butter, typical of France.
As far as the everyday celebration of food is concerned, in Germany you can almost get a little jealous of our neighboring country. Pleasure is by no means the hobby of the elite there. Pay attention to which cars are parked in front of starred restaurants. In Germany, it's often luxury cars. In France you will see many small and medium-sized cars. There, students are already saving to be able to enjoy the great cuisine in the star restaurant once a year!
French cuisine is a real cultural asset. Bocuse. ducasse Even if you don't know any other names of French top chefs, these two are as familiar to many people as the names of top footballers are.
Another reason why French cuisine is so unique is that it varies from region to region. The rugged, rough Brittany - who doesn't immediately think of fish and crustaceans? Marseille – famous for its bouillabaisse. The Pyrenees, where you like it hearty. Here it is particularly evident that France is the country of terrines and pies.
And then there is the fact that even in the smallest nest there is a decent patisserie that offers delicious croissants and éclairs. Not to mention the French baguette, which tastes great all over the country, which is baked with a special flour and which a baguette made in Germany will probably never come close to.
Let's get down to business. What does Nice stand for? Of course: for a carefree life on the Côte d'Azur. For palm trees, sun and: Lettuce Niçoise. It is printed in every French school book, it is part of the inventory of culinary delicacies in France like the tureen and the baguette.
Unfortunately, the Niçoise salad that you get in many of our restaurants is usually an impertinence: it often consists of iceberg lettuce with cheap olives and mushy tuna. You should never eat something like that. It doesn't take that much effort to make Salad Niçoise delicious.
We recommend the following recipe (all amounts for four people): You will need 200 grams of green beans, trimmed and cooked until crisp. Two fully ripe, delicious tomatoes, quartered, seeded and cut into strips. 80 grams of delicious olives, cut into rings. Three boiled eggs, quartered. They should be waxy. Just not hard and dry. One yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced. Two tablespoons of capers. Four tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley. Half a cucumber, halved, seeded and diced. 60 grams of anchovies, finely chopped. A finely chopped clove of garlic. Olive oil, salt, pepper and aged balsamic vinegar.
Mix all this – except the eggs – in a large bowl and taste it. Missing green salad? Then mix in a few freshly plucked leaves, preferably oak leaf lettuce or lollo rosso. But it also works without. Now we hear you objecting again: Where is the tuna, please? Niçoise salad without tuna is like bouillabaisse without seafood!
That's right, the tuna is a must. But please not out of a can. Buy four tuna steaks, each weighing 130 grams, from your local fishmonger. Fry them on both sides in olive oil in a coated pan for a maximum of 20 seconds. Cooked on the outside, raw on the inside – that’s how it should be. Season with salt and pepper and place on top of the salad, eggs around. Finale: a few lemon squeezes on top. Voila. Bon Appetit!
