French cooking news stories on Newser

Black Truffles May Be Going Way of the Dinosaur

Nick McMaster — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:12:45 CST

Truffles have always been rare and expensive, prized in French cuisine for their earthy yet delicate flavor, whose richness, it is said, cannot be matched by another food. Yet destruction of the forests where the truffles grow (on oak roots), a scarcity of expert hunters, and a general decline in...

Now In Child's Old Kitchen, No Meat—or Butter!

Harry Kimball — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:09:54 CDT

The sacrilege! Not only has the kitchen in Julia Child’s former Cambridge home—familiar to millions of devotees of her show—been renovated to within an inch of its life, the Boston Globe reports, its new owners have hung a picture of a cow with the caption: “Nobody says when...

Cafés Squeezed as France Turns to Le Sandwich

Jason Farago — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:31:26 CDT

France used to be the home of the three-hour lunch, complete with wine, cheese, and maybe some spirits to push indolent workers through the rest of their day. But times have changed, and so have eating habits—these days, reports the Washington Post , the French are scarfing down sandwiches in...

French Workers Lose Appetite for Leisurely Lunch

Peter Fearon — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:44:11 CDT

Thousands of cafes and restaurants in Paris are closing as French workers change their eating and spending habits and dine at their desks just like Americans . French office workers are skipping traditional long lunches in favor of takeaway baguettes. Those who do opt for restaurant meals skip aperitifs, hors d'oeuvres,...

Why Do We Hate Ratatouille?

Drew Nelles — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:53:01 CDT

Ratatouille should be an American staple: It’s easy, tasty, and bursting with fresh veggies, Gourmet ’s Laura Shapiro writes. Instead, the French dish is passed over by Americans—but why? Perhaps eggplant is the culprit: “Fat, purple and interminable, eggplant is one of the least-loved vegetables in the land,” Shapiro...

Le Burger Sizzles in Paris

Jason Farago — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:57:43 CDT

Parisian gourmands might still revile McDonald's, but the lowly hamburger has become a mainstay on some of the best menus in the City of Light. From cafés on the Left Bank to top tables showered with Michelin stars, the quintessential American dish has undergone a French transformation. "The burger has...

New Food Blogs Take Devotion to a New Level

Nick McMaster — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:07:46 CDT

Food blogs are usually simple things, fun and easy to create, writes Lee Gomes in the Wall Street Journal . And then there are the increasingly popular "cook-through" blogs, in which devoted chefs of all skill levels pick a book, say the French Laundry Cookbook or the Gourmet Cookbook , and make...

France Finally Wins Bread Battle

Kevin Spak — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:40:00 CDT

It's been a dozen years since France won the Baking World Cup, but the baguette's homeland took home the gold today, reports the Wall Street Journal. The drought was odd, because, as America’s coach says, “It's a French competition. And it's bread.” America has won two of the last three,...

Chefs Dish on Fave Cookbooks

Nick McMaster — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:42:34 CST

What to get the foodie or chef who already has all the classic cookbooks? Slate compiles offbeat favorites recommended by Mollie Katzen, James Oseland and other standout chefs, food editors, and more. Ethan Becker: Cookwise— Less a cookbook than a bible of general cooking knowledge. Dan Barber: The River Cottage...