SOME
EUROPEAN
CUISINES IN
AUSTRALIA
Since the first white settlers arrived in Australia
food has been influenced by various cuisines of
European countries. First the British Isles,
especially England, then France, Italy, Greece,
Germany, Scandinavian countries and many
more.
FRENCH CUISINE
Without doubt France has had more influence on
the dining out, eating habits and training of chefs
of the people of the Western world than any other
country.
Restaurants all over the world serve French food.
Australia is no exception, but just how much of
this influence affects home cooking is not known.
In France the art of cooking is passed on from
generation to generation and is therefore a very
important part of French culture.
From the first day of European settlement of
Australia, formal dining has had a French
influence. However, except where a French chef
was employed, although the menus were written
in French and structured in the French style of
courses, much of the style of cooking (English)
and the type of dishes served were remote from
anything resembling authentic French cuisine.
Today there are many excellent French
restaurants in Australia. The French influence in
menu structure defies all cuisines. Even in
restaurants that specialise in Indian and various
other cuisines where, if being really authentic,
courses as we know them do not exist, the menu
is still structured in the French way, i.e. hors
d’oeuvres, appetisers, soups, entrées, main
courses, desserts, coffee and perhaps small
savouries or special sweets.
With regard to everyday eating, some of the
French foods eaten frequently in Australia are
bread sticks, croissants, omelettes, crêpes,
quiches and mornay dishes (although their
popularity has waned).
Our local wine and cheese production has been
strongly influenced by France in the past but
manufacturers are now developing distinctly
Australian styles. Today in all Australian cities and
large towns, French restaurants certainly do not
predominate; they are only one among dozens of
cuisines represented. Australians have found that
there are many cuisines that have excellent food
to offer.
If French recipes are closely examined, most of
the main course dishes are found to include a
very simply poached or grilled food, served with
an exquisitely flavoured sauce. These sauces can
be liquid or semi- liquid and are added to the dish
to give moisture or richness, to decorate the dish,
to add to the nutritional value (usually fat), or to
add a contrast in colour, flavour or texture to the
food. Hundreds of sauces have evolved in various
parts of France. The sauces of the older
traditional French cuisine tend to be high in fat
and carbohydrates and follow rigid recipes,
whereas those of nouvelle cuisine are lighter, but
may still be enriched with butter, and are often
created at the whim of the chef.
French cooking often includes undesirable
amounts of fat and salt or sugar and can be
somewhat deficient in dietary fibre. Many recipes
are enriched with butter, eggs and cream; meat is
larded (i.e. strips of pork fat are threaded through
it), fat rich pastries are encouraged and goose fat
and chicken skin are used. Desserts are usually
high in fat and sugar, and fibre-rich foods such as
legumes and whole grains feature in provincial
dishes but not in those of the classical cuisine.
Wine, cheese and bread of many varieties are
normal accompaniments to meals in most parts of
France regardless of whether they are the meals
of provincial France, which have been developed
over centuries of country cooking, or whether they
are the meals of haute cuisine (classical), which
have developed over the past centuries from
Italian origin.
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(1)Riddell, R. 1990, Food and Culture in Australia, Longman, Sydney – Out of print
The regionalisation of cuisine in France is
pronounced and is likely to exist for many years to
come, mainly because French people are not
inclined to migrate and the restaurants in France
do not change hands very often. We should
understand, however, that the French borders
that we know were not in place until 1861;
therefore we find some recipes that go well back
in history may not be distinctly of the provinces,
regions or within the French borders. Those
borders that France shares with Germany and
Italy have a strong influence on foods.
The provinces and regions of modern-day France
are marked on the map below.
The preparation of all foods is, to a certain extent,
distinguished as being flavoured and enriched by
two groups of basic ingredients:
• fats: olive oil, goose fat, butter (olive oil is the
healthiest choice because it does not contain
choles tero
and has the effect of lowering existing blood
cholesterol)
• flavourings: shallots, garlic, onion
The flavourings and enriching agents that
‘localise’ recipes in France.
Regions of France.
The map above shows, very approximately, the
local usage of these basic ingredients.
For the people of all regions there is a sense of
dedication to the culinary arts, a respect for
ingredients, for simplicity, for intriguing
combinations of ingredients chosen and for their
contrast for compatibility in textures, colours and
tastes. However, sometimes decoration on both
sweet and savoury foods could be described as
somewhat lavish.
France, like Australia, enjoys great climatic
variations, from the shores of the Mediterranean
Sea to the snow-capped Alps. This provides for a
wide variety of locally grown foods; therefore,
recipes are influenced by climate, terrain and
local produce.
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THE REGIONS AND
PROVINCES OF
FRANCE
BRITTANY
There is no rich elegant cuisine, but rather many
examples of fine ingredients used well. Cider is
often added to dishes rather than wine, and beef,
veal and tripe dishes with prunes are a speciality,
as are peppery spiced andouilettes or tripe
sausages. The smallest towns have at least one
crêperie (a shop specialising in crêpes). In BasseBretagne the crêpes are large and made of wheat
flour, whereas the peasant buckwheat crêpes of
the north are often wrapped around grilled
sardines or sausages and the crêpes of Quimper
are sweet and delicate. As well as these
examples, strawberries and vegetables (not
together) feature in many dishes.
MAINE, ANJOU AND
TOURAINE
A great deal of garden produce is used, much
being pickled when small. The town of Tours
holds a garlic and basil festival on St Anne’s day,
26 July, each year. Soft cheeses are produced in
village dairies and the cake shops or patisseries
sell goods full of hazelnut cream, praline cream,
kirsch, rum, coffee or chocolate. Pork is a popular
meat, and much wine is produced from the
vineyards.
NORMANDY
Seafoods, especially sole, oysters, mussels,
scallops and lobsters, are used in many recipes,
which are often flavoured with shallots, onions,
herbs, cider and/or mushrooms. Eclairs filled with
a ham mixture are very tasty, as are the chicken
fricassee and the many duck and beef dishes.
Crêpes, local cheeses, cream, croissants, brioche,
black and white puddings and dishes rich with
butter are specialties.
PICARDY, FLANDERS,
ARTOIS AND
CHAMPAGNE
Old-fashioned foods and large portions served
simply are characteristic of this region. Mussels
and herring are often pickled, whereas other fish,
gurnard, mackerel and sole, are served fresh.
Pork is served in many exquisite dishes, just as it
is all over France, with flavour variations as
shown in the map above. One specialty is grilled
pork chops, spread with cheese, cream and
mustard and grilled again. Many hearty stews are
served with cabbage and hochepot, a mixture of
stewed beef, mutton, veal, pork and vegetables
as a specialty. Leek and cream tart, onions in
butter and wine served with grilled or roast meat,
ham, quail, smoked sheep’s tongues and salad
made of bacon and dandelion leaves are all
enjoyed.
Dom Perignon, who perfected the champagne
process, was born in Saint-Menihould; however,
this did not stimulate local use. As in Britain,
where the best is sold to others, champagne is for
selling, it is for the celebrations of other people.
Wine is not commonplace in the cooking of this
region at all. Cider and beer are the most
common drinks.
ORLEANAIS
Paris is in the centre of this region and the
creations of many great chefs abound. The vast
plain of Beauce with the city of Chartres as its
centre has been a great cereal crop area since
Roman times. This encourages great amounts of
bread to be baked. Local cheeses such as Brie,
cottage and cream cheeses go well with this
bread and local wine. Wild and cultivated
mushrooms, peaches and cherries all feature in
recipes. Much food is imported from throughout
the world as well as from other parts of France
and is transported via the Seine and Loire rivers.
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ALSACE, LORRAINE AND
FRANCHECOMTE
There are many resourceful pastry cooks in this
area who have created foods such as bouchées à
la reine (pastry puffs filled with creamed chicken
sweetbreads and mushrooms), rum baba,
savarins, macaroons, spice and aniseed
flavoured cakes, small gingerbreads called
nonnettes, choux pastry fritters and rich chocolate
cakes. Soufflés and ice- creams are specialties
and the worldwide popular quiche is an all-time
favourite. The influence of German neighbours is
strong, and dishes such as smoked sausages,
choucroûte (sauerkraut), saddle of hare baked in
cream and served with noodles and hot pot of
beef, lamb and pork are shared in both countries.
The wines of Alsace are excellent and used
widely by cooks and chefs. The variety is great
and foods such as frog legs, foie gras, fricassée
of chicken,turkey and chestnuts, roast duck and
coq au yin (chicken in wine) are all specialties.
The best pork cooks in the world are the
French/German people of these provinces.
Franche-Comte is separated from Alsace by a
huge valley. Rivers and forests supply game, trout
and crayfish, and we find that smoked hams and
sausage spiced with cumin have a Swiss
influence.
BURGUNDY AND
NIVERNAIS
These provinces have some of the best local
foods and the best cooks and chefs. Ham is
served with a piquant wine and cream sauce or
maybe with mushrooms. Beef is garnished with
glazed carrots and onions and beautifully tender
chicken is served with a wine sauce. Rich and
creamy cheeses, mustard from Dijon, honeyflavoured bread, blackcurrant liqueur, oysters in
champagne and hollandaise sauce or chicken
liver cake served with crayfish sauce can all be
enjoyed. Mountain streams abound in trout and
crayfish, the coarser fish being used to make
wine- flavoured stews called meurettes and
pochouses.
BERRY AND
BOURBONNAIS
Here the food belongs to the farms. Pork,
corn, pear tarts made with pepper and cream,
goat milk cheese, rabbit in aspic, eel stew, jugged
goose, cheese brioche and almond and fruit paste
sweets are regional specialties. Pies and tarts of
great variety form a large part of the local diet.
LYONNAISE, SAVOY,
AUVERGNE AND
DAUPHINE
Auvergne is famous for ham and dishes which
include hard cantal cheese. Onion soup which is
so thick with slices of toasted bread and cheese
that the spoon will stand upright in the bowl is a
creation of this province. The central location of
the whole region ensures the best supplies of all
foods and wines. Unlike other parts of France, the
area is dominated by female chefs who have
created such dishes as chicken and truffles,
creamy cheese-flavoured gratins of potatoes and
onion with a little garlic, matefaim (a crisp, puffy
pancake) served with lamb and beef, oven baked
eggs covered with cheese and cream or potato
cheesecake cooked in a frypan until brown and
crisp. The nougat from Montélimar is enjoyed by
many people throughout the world. Also many
local dishes feature apricots, strawberries and
glacé angelica.
CHARENTES, POITOU,
LIMOUSIN AND MARCHE
This region is the home of dishes that feature
mussels, oysters, tuna, swordfish, sardines,
caviar, shrimp, frogs legs, eels, beef, goose,
crayfish, artichokes, garlic and melons.
Specialties such as cheese tarts, macaroons,
sweets and biscuits of great variety are available,
as are sausages containing small knobs of
chestnuts. Cognac comes from here and
influences the whole of French cooking.
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GUYENNE, GAXONY AND
BEARN
The American influence of the sixteenth century is
evident. Pumpkin, corn, tomato, capsicum and
chillies dominate many recipes. Porridge made
from polenta, cakes and bread from cornflour and
soups and stews served with corn dumplings are
commonplace. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin au gratin,
pumpkin flavoured bread and cakes are local
favourites, as are piquant dishes containing
tomatoes, capsicums and chillies. Geese are
used extensively, fois gras, stuffed goose neck,
salted goose leg, preserved goose and goose fat
for cooking, even in cakes in place of butter, are
all local and regional creations.
Bearnaise sauce from Beam and sauce paloise
are served with fish, veal, vegetables and lamb.
Bordelaise sauce is also from here, as are many
dishes strong in garlic or those that feature
freshwater fish and eels.
flavoured with anchovies and olives (pissalat is a
pungent preparation of anchovies). Garlic, olives
and fish feature in many dishes. Rice is made into
Italian-style dishes like risotto and pilaf of shellfish
and chicken. Basil is used often and beautiful
tomatoes are a delight. Peaches, melons,
oranges, asparagus and artichokes are locally
grown and served simply so as not to destroy the
flavour. Provence is also the home of truffles—
those small black underground fungi that classical
chefs have made famous and very expensive.
LANGUEDOC
The famous Roquefort cheese is matured here,
as are many goat’s milk cheeses that are
wrapped in chestnut leaves and small soft,
creamy cheeses and sheep’s milk cheese. This
tends to be the area of the unusual. Not only is
French pronunciation somewhat different here,
but some most unusual combinations of foods are
used to create exciting flavours. Alicuit is a giblet
and salsify stew which is thickened with a paste
made from garlic and poultry liver; la rouzole is a
pancake made of fat and lean ham, flavoured with
mint, thickened with breadcrumbs and served with
soup. Mourtayrol is a saffron flavoured sauce
served with chicken and beef, and cargolade is a
piquant mix of snails and chillies. The butchers of
the area specialise in black pudding which
contains chopped pork and chopped pork spleen.
In the town of Limoux a specialty is pepper cakes
and in Montpellier aniseed, almond and pinenut
cookies called gals are a specialty. Legumes, fish,
green herb butter, olives, chestnuts and the local
fruits—cherries, apricots, peaches, grapes, pears
and apples—all feature in regional dishes.
PROVENCE
Strongly flavoured fish preparations, usually
from anchovies, are served with chick peas or
haricot beans, and pissaladière is an open pie
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RECIPES FROM
FRANCE
Onion Soup
6 large onions
1 tb flour
2 tb butter
1 Lwater
2 beef cubes
6 shakes of pepper
1 2 slices French breadstick
6 tb grated cheese
Method
1. Peel and slice onion and fry slowly in butter
until light brown.
2. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Blend
thoroughly, then add beef cubes, water and
pepper and mix well.
3. Stir until boiling. Simmer for 20 mins.
4.Taste; adjust flavour and consistency, if
necessary.
5. Sprinkle cheese on bread; grill lightly.
6. Place 2-3 slices of bread in each bowl and pour
soup over.
Serves 4—6.
Omelette Fromage et Mint
(Cheese and Mint omelette)
75 g ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tsp finely chopped fresh mint
2 tsp butter
1 tsp chopped parsley
Method
1. Mash the ricotta with a fork.
2. Beat the eggs until frothy then add to the
cheese. Fold gently.
3. Fold in 1 tsp of the mint.
4. Heat the butter in an omelette pan until it is
foaming.
5. Add the mixture and cook over a medium heat
until set on the bottom but still soft in the centre.
6. Tilt the pan over a warm serving plate and fold
the omelette over as it is tipped from the pan.
7. Sprinkle with the parsley and the remaining
mint. Serve immediately.
Serves 1.
Cheese Soufflé
Le Veau au Sage
25 g butter
1½ tb flour
1/2 c milk
60 g grated tasty cheese
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
pinch salt, cayenne and mustard
(Veal with Sage Sauce)
4 neatly trimmed veal chops
60 g butter
1 c veal stock
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
8 sage leaves for garnish
4 broccoli flowerettes
16 green beans
8 julienne shreds of red capsicum
8 julienne shreds of yellow capsicum
2½tb butter
black pepper
Method
1. Grease 4 soufflé dishes. Set oven at
180°C.
2. Melt butter, add flour and stir until smooth. Add
milk and stir until boiling, simmer for 2 mins.
3. Cool mixture (this thick mixture is called a
panada) then add beaten yolks, flavourings and
cheese.
4. Beat whites until stiff, then fold the cheese
mixture gradually into the whites. Pile mixture into
greased dishes only half filling to allow for rising.
Bake for 15—20 mins. Serve immediately.
Method
1. Rub each chop with the chopped sage and
black pepper.
2. Heat the oil. When hot add 1 tb of the butter
and just as it changes colour add the chops and
brown quickly for 1 mm each side. Lower the heat
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and cook gently, turning once, until the meat feels
firm but springy. Remove from heat and keep
warm.
3. Add veal stock to the pan and boil, stirring and
mixing in any meat juices from the pan. Boil until
the liquid reduces by about 1/3
4. Strain the sauce into a saucepan then remove
from the heat and whisk in 1 tb of the remaining
butter.
5. Place the broccoli and beans over a steamer
and steam far 10 mins. Add the capsicum and
steam 3 more mins.
6. Toss the vegetables in the remaining
1/2 tb of butter.
7. Serve the sauce onto each of four dinner plates.
Place the chops neatly on the sauce. Garnish with
sage leaves and serve the vegetable mixture
alongside.
Serves 4.
Caion Savoie
(Pork from Savoy)
500 g pork steaks
1 c red wine
3/4 c cream
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, cut in halves
1 bay leaf
1/4 c water
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tb lard
1 tb butter
2 tsp flour
Method
1. Place pork, wine, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme
and peppercorns into a shallow bowl. Cover with
plastic wrap and leave to marinate for at least 8
hrs. Turn the meat once or twice in this time.
2. Remove pork and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Strain marinade, reserving the liquid.
4. Heat lard and butter in a fry pan. Add pork and
fry gently until lightly browned on both sides.
5. Remove pork and sprinkle flour in pan. Cook
for 1 mm, stirring constantly.
6. Gradually add reserved marinade, stir
constantly until boiling.
7. Gradually add the water and when boiling add
the pork. Cover and simmer for 1½ hrs.
8. Transfer pork to a warm platter.
9. Take pan off heat and add the cream. Return to
heat and stir constantly until it boils. Pour sauce
over the pork.
Serves 4.
Gateaux aux Noix
(Walnut Cake)
8 eggs, separated
250 g castor sugar
150 g ground walnuts
100 g flour
100 g cornflour
2 tb finely grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1 tb icing sugar
2 tb walnut pieces
Method
1. Beat egg yolks, castor sugar and vanilla
essence until thick and creamy.
2. Stir in the ground walnuts and the lemon rind.
3. Sift flour and cornflour together and stir into the
egg mixture, blending well.
4. In a clean dry bowl whisk the egg whites until
they stand in stiff peaks.
5. Carefully fold the walnut mixture into the egg
whites a little at a time.
6. Grease a 25 cm cake tin and add the mixture
evenly to the tin.
7. Bake for about 1 hr at 180°C.
8. Allow to stand for 5 mins before turning from
the tin. While still warm sift icing sugar over the
cake and decorate with walnuts. Traditionally this
cake is served with a bowl of whipped cream.
Serves about 8 for a dessert, but more at
afternoon tea without the cream.
7
Crêpe au Chocolat
1/2 c flour
1/4 c cocoa
2 tb castor sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
butter for greasing pan
Sauce
100 g white chocolate, chopped
1½tb Claytons (or Brandy)
3 tb sifted icing sugar
150 mL cream
2 tsp icing sugar or 1 tsp cocoa for garnish
Method
1. Mix flour, cocoa and sugar in a food processor
for 5 secs, or mix well by hand.
2. Add eggs and process until combined, or beat
well.
3. Gradually add milk and process until smooth,
or beat very well until smooth.
4. Allow batter to stand for 30 mins.
5. Heat a crêpe pan and grease it with butter.
6. Pour about 1/4 c of the mixture evenly into the
pan and cook gently until the surface no longer
looks wet. Turn the crêpe and cook on the other
side. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep crêpes
warm on a plate over a saucepan of hot water.
(NB. These crêpes are a little thicker than normal).
7. To make the sauce, place chocolate, brandy,
icing sugar and cream in the top of a double
saucepan, over simmering water, until chocolate
is melted and the ingredients are smooth.
8. Pour a pool of sauce neatly onto one side of
flat coloured plates. Fold each crêpe into quarters
and place with the curved edge neatly into the
sauce. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Alternatively, roll
the crêpe and pour the sauce neatly over the
centre, allowing it to flow onto the plate, sprinkle
sauce with a little cocoa.
Serves 4—6.
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