Discover here all the articles of the site which speak about the whole of France
The Yule log is still an iconic part of the French festive season. Even if it's less emblematic, it's still with us, and pastry chefs regularly come up with original ways to bring it up to date. It's a very old tradition. From the real wooden log to grandma's log with buttercream, discover the history of the Yule log with Monsieur de France.
Although it's not officially known who invented meringue, and the Swiss believe they are the originators, all leads back to France, where the first written recipes for meringue can be found as early as the 17th century. Appreciated by Louis XV's wife, Queen Marie, and adored by Marie Antoinette, meringue is a delicacy that's easy enough to make, thanks to Monsieur de France's recipe.
Tradition is always respected. Every year, millions of French men and women visit cemeteries to tend the graves and plant flowers. Chrysanthemums, the emblematic plant, continue to be the most common plant placed on graves, with 20,000,000 pots sold each year for All Saints' Day alone. But where does this holiday come from? Why Chrysanthemums, and what are the traditions of All Saints' Day? Monsieur de France's answers
November 11, 1918 was the last day of the First World War. With Monsieur de France, find out what happened on that day, and how our predecessors celebrated peace at a time when more than 1,400,000 of their fellow citizens had been killed in the fighting, much of the country (Nord, Lorraine, Champagne...) had to be rebuilt, and hundreds of thousands of wounded were still being cared for. This day has become a day of remembrance. It is a public holiday in France, and every year the country remembers its fallen children.
There are over 35,000 war memorials in France, and it's rare to find a town without one, even a small one. War memorials have been part of the French landscape for just over 100 years. Ever since it was decided to pay tribute to the soldiers who died for France in the First World War. This is still the case every November 11 and May 8. It's a sacred duty
Soufflé is so French that the name is spoken in French in almost every language on the planet. It's technical to make, but so tasty... How do you make it? How do you make a successful soufflé? By following our tips and discovering the recipes of Monsieur de France.
It's a title found only in France: "Meilleur Ouvrier de France". It's a title that takes immense effort to achieve, and rewards the very best in 230 different trades, even if the most famous are often in the world of Gastronomy. The title of M.O.F., which has been awarded to some of the greatest names in the world, is truly unique in France, but is rarely awarded. Monsieur de France reminds us who these "meilleurs ouvriers de France" are, recognizable by their red, white and blue collars.
General de Gaulle is quoted as saying: "How can you govern a country where there are 258 varieties of cheese? He wasn't entirely wrong about the difficulty of governing France, but he was wrong about the number of cheeses. The Académie Française has named 400, some say 600, others 1200. What's certain is that the French love cheese, consuming over 26 kg per inhabitant per year. Let's discover the art of cheese with Monsieur de France.
We love them in summer, with friends and a good glass of white wine, or during the braderie de Lille with French fries as it should be... Mussels have been eaten by mankind for at least 3,000 years, and in France we love to cook them. Monsieur de France takes stock of French mussels and gives you some ideas for cooking them.
The Gallic rooster has been the symbol of the French soccer team since 1919. It's a very old symbol, since it was already attributed to the Gauls, since the word "Gallic" and the word "rooster" were said in the same way in Latin: "gallus". Coluche once said, "The rooster is the emblem of France, because it's the only one that can sing with its feet in the shit".
