Food plays a big role in France, and is an integral part of the French culture. From their gourmet food and ingredients to health and diet, French love their food.

French cooking is considered the pinnacle of gastronomy and the food culture in France forms the essence of French life style. It is extremely diverse, drawing parallels only to the Chinese.

French food ranges from the very basic baguettes to their more complicated cheeses. French dining is sophisticated and is unique to France, consisting of several courses and different wines all during the same meal.

French cuisine relies mostly on high quality fresh ingredients and simple preparation, rather than complex recipes.

The most of the famous French dishes are regional specialties, some of which are enjoyed in the regions which they originated from. However, regional specialties are offered throughout France, but the quality of ingredients and preparation is usually superior in the region where it originated from than in other parts of France. Other specialties such as Coq au Vin and Foje Gras are popular throughout France.

Each region, which has its own specialty, has a choice of ingredients and their own style of cooking. For example, in Provence the food mainly consists of olive oil, tomatoes and herbs, while Brittany and Normandy situated in the northwest coast of France, will favor sea fish and will use it more often in different ways than inland areas. Similarly regions that fruits or herbs grow easily use these in their local cuisine.

Areas of France with bordering neighbor countries have incorporated the cuisine of their neighbors. In this sense, Italian dishes will be found in the Italian border of France and the French region which borders Germany has similar food to that of Germany. The influence from Germany is more, as at various stages in history, this part of France was part of Germany itself. Some parts of the South, which has a large North African immigrant population, enjoy cuisines which have been imported from their original countries.

Over a long period of time, the cultures, economic conditions and lifestyles have formulated the development of local food traditions. The Burgundian excellence in raising cattle was not the only reason for the rich meat dishes and cream sauces of Burgundy, but also partly due to the economic prosperity of this region over several centuries. In contrast, the mountain regions with abundance of livestock produce cheeses as a form of food preservation to be used during the long and difficult winter periods, and as a means of support for families in economically limited areas.

Throughout France there will be a range of dishes, both in restaurants and in homes, which extends beyond the regional specialties. The French Mediterranean uses herbs, olive oil and tomatoes in most of their dishes, while the northwest cuisine uses butter, apples and soured cream (crème fraiche). In South there is usually use of vegetables and fruit partly due to favorable climatic conditions for such agricultural supplies. In the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast there is more consumption of sea food, while inland areas which have rivers such as LoireValley, use fresh water fish.

French has proved to the world of their rich culture in their gourmet specialties!

Summery: This article describes the importance of food in the France culture, depicted in their diverse range of dishes, varying from region to region based on the abundance of ingredients and agricultural produce.