Autumnal Gastronomy
This is a time for eating light lunches such as delicious potted chicken (if its cold, serve it with warmed baguette, if it’s warm serve it with salad) and delicious tasty hot dinners like boeuf bourguignon and spicy pumpkin pie. (See our recipe page 108).
Truffles come into season and appear at markets, these rather smelly, weird looking “fruits of the earth” are revered by the French and can certainly add a certain something to ordinary dishes.
Grapes are harvested along with figs and olives, and in small villages throughout France the tell-tale smell of fermenting apples is evident as home made cider is in full swing. Apple festivals abound and distillation takes place for brandy, cognac and various other liqueurs now that summer’s bounty is ready for enjoying.
In homes everywhere, fruit, vegetables and nuts are prepared for storage, a link to the past when fridges and freezers and flights from countries where the sun still shines were not an option. These preparations may not be necessary but for many French households they remain a way of life, a firm nod to the heritage and traditions of yesteryear that are still incredibly important.