Discover here all the articles of the site which speak about the whole of France
France is the world's leading butter consumer, with 8 kg per capita per year. It has to be said that butter is very much a part of French cooking and pastry-making. Just to make puff pastry or a good croissant, you need butter. And in the West, butter is the traditional ingredient for baking. Salty in Brittany, sweet in many regions, French butter has 3 Protected Designations of Origin and is a real delicacy...
Raclette is France's 3rd favourite dish. It's a comforting dish to share with friends (even if there are appliances that allow you to make your own raclette). With Monsieur de France, you can prepare your raclette in the ideal proportions and with the right ingredients: cheese, cold meats, etc. Trust us for the proportions. We often think we're going to run out when we see how fast the cheese goes, but in fact everyone stalls at the same time.
The calendar has evolved a great deal around the world. The Romans, the Egyptians and the Mayans had completely different calendars to the one we know today. In France, the year has been starting on 1 January for a long time, but that hasn't always been the case. For a long time it began in April, but not everywhere. It was a French king who decided that everyone would start the year at the same time in France, and that it would be 1 January. Find out more...
"Les poilus. In other words,the hairy men, as the French soldiers who fought on the Front during the First World War were affectionately and admiringly known. Why this nickname? Because they had courage...
We know at least the melody by heart, often the words, sometimes we find them kitsch, but very often, they inevitably bring back memories of the carols we hear once a year at Christmas time. With Monsieur de France, discover the origins and lyrics of some of France's Christmas carols.
The "galette des rois" marks the end of the festive season. A good puff pastry galette, traditionally filled with frangipane, into which we slip the famous bean that will designate the queen or king to whom we offer the pretty paper crown. It's even older than the famous Three Wise Men who gave it its name, and the recipe is easier than it looks. Maybe you can even make your own galette des rois by following our recipe...
We all know that Father Christmas comes down the chimney. And it's been a while since the chimney dates back to at least Roman times. For a very long time, the fireplace was the centre of the home, before becoming a decorative feature. Fireplaces can be found in many of France's châteaux and, contrary to what you might think, Versailles is not the place with the most of them. Would you like a little history of the fireplace in preparation for Santa's visit?
There are still just as many communes in France, even though they are increasingly being encouraged to merge. For a long time, there were more than 36,000 of them. There are now 34,945, and they continue to change every year. But the rate of change is slower than expected, proving that the French are attached to this first tier of democracy. It has to be said that communes were born with democracy in France. Discover their history. From the largest to the smallest, communes with or without church towers, discover some of France's most original communes.
Putting a nativity scene at the foot of the Christmas tree is a Christmas tradition for many French people. It has to be said that the religious tradition goes back a long way, to the Middle Ages. Some crib are spectacular in France, particularly in Provence. History and discovery with Monsieur de France.
It's traditional to give presents at Christmas. It's a very old tradition to give pleasure to loved ones at the end of the year. The Romans did it over 2,000 years ago. Santa Claus is even more recent. Before him, other people gave presents to children.
