European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Food Classy Chicks by Sharon Huo cams special to stripes Magazine during my first trip to France almost 20 Yaj Sago i had the flood Fortune to be incl decl to a French Homo for the midday meal. It was the firs Home cooked meal 1 had Ever in France and a special Treal after three weeks of hotel breakfasts picnic lunches and restaurant dinners Alt on a very meager student budget. I a still i newcomer to the world of French foods and wines and woefully ignorant of the Fine Points of French cuisine. But my Lasle buds were not stupid. Two things served at that French family s lunch impressed me greatly a Plain roasted Chicken the main course and a while wine that perfectly complemented the delicious Chicken. The meal took place in flour in Bretsc the capital of the Region of Bresse just South of Burgundy and a bit Northeast of Lyon. If i had known anything at All about French culinary geography i would have understood Why both the Chicken and the wine made such a sailing impression on my untrained Pable. That simple roasted thicken was a Ime Poulet de Brest a local Bird from the Region hat is famous or producing the finest chickens in France. And the White wine turned out to be a not too Humble brew from the nearby vineyards of Macon. Foreigner who travel to France often wonder Why food in that country Lastes so much better than anywhere else. Even a classic French dish prepared by a French chef los Angeles or Houston in t equivalent in taste i the same dish prepared by he same chef in or Lyon or Marseilles. Tho reason of course is thai the French still Lake Pride in producing and consuming High Quality foodstuffs they know thai any dish whether it claims to be haute cuisine no Uvelta cuisine or jus Plain Home cooking can never be any better than the ingredients that go into it. French Cooks from savvy housewives of professional chefs de cuisine insist on Quality ingredients and this demand contributes to the High standards that Are maintained by Many food producers. Of sure even in France i be encountered ersatz eggs rubber cheeses and plastic pastries usually Al the newer commercial restaurant chains please Don l ask what i was doing at such establishments. But these abominations Are still a relatively minor part of the food Industry in France. Whenever i become dismayed at the rows and rows of packaged sauce mines and instant cassoulet is at French supermarkets i have Only to find an old fashioned open air Market thousands of them Are held each Day in Frante to reassure myself thai the French palate in t being sabotaged by so called convenience foods. An example of the French attitude is in their awarding certain foodstuffs the designation appellation d Origine cont Rolee. This Means that the name of the product such As ,3pe 1 / illustrations by Betsy Duncan wine or Poulet de Bresse Chicken is a controlled registered name officially recognized by and strictly regulated by the Institute National Des appellations cd Origine. Any food product wine cheese poultry Olive nut fruit Grain vegetable that has . On the Label is guaranteed by he government to have met strict standards of Quality including the specific geographic location in which the food can be produced and the total amount allowed to be produced each year. When applied to French chickens the Label Poulet de base ," Means that the chickens Are of the White Bresse Breed raised in a legally Desi galed area in the Bresse Region. Each individual Chicken Farmer is restricted to raising Only 500 of these chickens at a Lime. After spending to tier first 35 Days As baby Chicks in a protective enclosure he chickens must then be allowed to Range free on grass in the open air for nine weeks. Their diet is strictly controlled mainly Corn and skim milk supplemented by additional cereals such As buckwheat. The chickens Are killed and plucked by hand. The feet head and a Tuff of White feathers around the neck Are All left on the carcass. Final hey Are soaked in m ilk to give the Chicken skin a shiny while appearance. A1 that Point the official Poulet de prose Label attached to their necks. This red while and Blue Metal Label is the Consumers guarantee that he chickens were produced according to the specific standards established by the government. Only chickens thai meet those standards Are allowed to be 4 june 4, 1387
