French Bread
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La
Fête Nationale
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Le Pain français et les Croissants.
Bread is a staple food in France. The typical loaf of French bread is called "une baguette", which means stick or wand. It is about 60 cm long and weighs 500 grammes. French people like their bread crusty, and this shape of loaf offers the maximum amount of crust to bread.
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French bread contains no fat, so it becomes stale very quickly. This is why people visit the local "Boulangerie" (hot bread shop) at least once a day. Bread is eaten at all three meals, and forms the most important part of breakfast. When in France, you will often see people riding bikes, mopeds or motorbikes with baguettes strapped to the back, or walking the streets with their baguette under their arm racing to get home for lunch at midday. |
Some different types of French bread.
| Boule: | A round loaf sold in various sizes. |
| Ficelle: | A very thin version of the baguette. Ficelle means string in French. |
| Fougasse: | A flat rectangular bread often filled with bacon, onion or herbs. |
| Gros pain | A large family size version of a baguette. |
| Pain de campagne: | This is usually a big rustic loaf (campagne means country) with a thick crust. |
| Pain complet: | Loaf made from whole wheat flour. |
| Pain de mie: | Mie means the interior. This is a soft sweet loaf mainly used for sandwiches. |
| Pain aux noix: | Bread filled with nuts. |
| Pain aux raisins: | A light bread filled with raisins. A breakfast treat. |
| Pain de siegle: | Loaf with two thirds rye flour, one third wheat flour. |
| Pain viennois: | A baguette shape but softer and sweeter. |
Source: Breadcam
Les Croissants
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Most people would consider this to be an example of a French Breakfast. It is important to remember that croissants are a special treat and are often purchased only for Sundays or special occasions. The French word "croissant" means "crescent" in English.his delicious breakfast treat was invented about three hundred years ago, not in France, but in Austria. The armies of the Ottoman Empire or Turkey (whose symbol was a crescent) were attacking Austria. In a hard fought battle, the Austrian armies defeated the forces of the Ottoman Empire. To celebrate, the French chef employed by the Emperor of Austria decided to make a pastry in the shape of a crescent. When this was eaten, it would become a symbol of the way in which the Austrian forces had consumed their enemies. On his eventual return to France, the chef introduced the pastry to the French who immediately made it very popular. It's important to remember that when in France, butter is not eaten with croissants. |
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