French Traditions & Culture

French traditions and the culture of France are so diverse. France is a land of variety and contrast. It is made up of many regions, with each region having it's own specialty reflecting the products and traditions of that particular area of France.

From the Celtic peoples of Brittany, the German influence of the Alsace, the Spanish influence of the South West and the Italian flavor of the South, France is a wonderful land of fine traditions and the very best of cuisine.

The French language is truly beautiful and is very popular with peoples from all over the globe. It is one of the romance languages and is the official language of France and in many other countries too.

It may be one reason that many people want to learn French as it is becoming one of the most understood and spoken languages today and this is gradually on the increase.

The French love fun and give the impression of taking life easy. Actually they work hard and long.

They have many holidays, both religious and national, and everybody looks forward to weekends and the congé payé in the summer.

Their great charm is that they know how to enjoy life; they can make high moments out of little occurrences; they can scold each other, mourn with each other, and encourage each other with wit and sparkle.

Holidays are an important part of French traditions and the French take their holidays very seriously.

Knowing when these holidays take place will help you when planning the best time to travel to France as it can be very busy at these holiday times.

On the other hand the events at some of these holidays are so wonderful to observe and if this is a time you wish to visit France, you may even want to take part in the local events!

Food of course plays a huge part in French culture and no event would be without a wonderful display of traditional French food for everyone to enjoy.

The Love of French Food among the French people steer any conversation, wherever you are, to food, and the French will go into raptures about what they plan for the evening's meal and that is what this website is about.

Of course, the French are known for their love of bread and cheese with wine.

France also has the best chicken that is not surpassed in texture or flavor anywhere. The reason for this superior chicken meat is the poulet de Bresse.

Variety of foods is also part of the great prowess of French cuisine including  olives of many variety, snails, truffles and oysters.

There are many interesting things you may like to discover about oysters:

Oysters Discovered

Oysters Defined

Even More About Oysters

Whether on a grand scale or just a family event, the traditions of France are celebrated with the very best of local ingredients, their home made recipes and fine fare.

Christmas traditions are very much a family affair in France with food and of course many Christmas recipes being a large part in the celebrations.

French Christmas markets are an important tradition in France and a  wonderful way to do your Christmas shopping and take a break at the same time. Now that's what I call Christmas shopping!

The food does not have to be the most expensive of fares as it can consist of very humble casseroles and roast meats to more elaborate and fine dishes but they are all of the finest quality and cooked in only the manner the French are famous for.

Of course you don't have to live in France to cook and eat 'the French way' as you can enjoy making some of their wonderful food at home wherever you areby simply following the Mediterranean Diet.

There are also many fine French cooking schools that offer both in person and online classes if you would like to learn how to cook French food in a more formal way. 

I hope you enjoy learning a little about French traditions and culture and are able to bring a taste of France to your home with French recipes to love!

French Traditions & Culture