Modern French cuisine is characterized by its diversity. French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical "haute cuisine" and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs include Eugénie Brazier (first woman chef to receive a total of 6 Michelin stars), Alain Ducasse, Paul Bocuse and Julia Child (famous for teaching America all about the art of French cuisine). French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines. Most culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.

Origins of French Cuisine
In the early 15th century, the Renaissance flourished in Florence. Culture included not only art and music, but also the "art of cooking". French Cuisine originated from the cooking styles of Italy which were brought to the French court by Catherine de Medicis, wife of King Henri II of France. It is said that she was so disappointed by the cooking methods of the French that she brought her own entourage of Italian chefs to the French court. Catherine's Italian chefs taught the French the importance of enhancing various foods and fresh ingredients rather than smothering the ingredients and "hiding" food that was going bad. In addition to the new skills in preparing food, Italian chefs also brought more modern methods of food preparation and more elegant dining practices.

Regions of France
Each region of France is known for its own distinctive cuisine. French regional cuisine uses locally grown vegetables and ingredients helping to ensure a fresh and tasty meal. Local street markets are held on certain days in most localities; towns of a certain importance generally have a more permanent covered market in which food shops, especially meat and fish retailers, sell their fresh produce. French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments.

The French, a nation of gourmets, know that the best food is made from local ingredients. Therefore, coastal regions (such as Brittany and Normandy, on the northwest coast of France) will favor sea fish, using it creatively and more often than areas further inland. Likewise, areas where fruit or herbs grow easily, will incorporate these into their local cuisine. Each region, in addition to boasting local specialities, also has a general style of cooking and choice of ingredients.

Regional Styles of French Cuisine

- Cuisine from northwest France uses butter, cream (crème fraiche), and apples.
- Cuisine from southwest France uses duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, and gizzards.
- Cuisine from southeast France uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, influenced by Spanish and Italian cuisine.
- Cuisine from northern France uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer, influenced by Flemish cuisine.
- Cuisine from northeast France uses lard, sausages, beer, and sauerkraut, influenced by Flemish cuisine.

In addition to French Regional styles of cooking, there are many local cuisines. Unique and wonderful flavor abounds in the food of the Loire Valley, Basque cuisine, Roussillon and Catalan cuisine, and other local areas in France.

What is often known outside of France as French cuisine is the traditionally elaborate haute cuisine, served in restaurants at high prices. Haute cuisine is mostly influenced by the regional cuisines of Lyon and northern France. Average French people do not eat or prepare this cuisine in their everyday life.

As a general rule, elderly people tend to eat the regional cuisine of the region where they are located, while younger people often eat dishes from other regions including foreign dishes. Exotic cuisines, particularly Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine and some dishes from former colonies in Northern Africa have made inroads into France.

Typical Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Breakfast The day begins with a light breakfast in the morning, generally consisting of bread with jam and spreads, often replaced nowadays by breakfast cereals, a hot drink such as coffee, tea or chocolate flavored milk, some fruit or fruit juice. Hotel breakfasts often contain croissants, but it is uncommon for French people to eat croissants at every breakfast; they may be replaced with other kinds of viennoiserie such as pains au chocolat, madeleines, etc.

Lunch and Dinner Lunch is usually eaten between noon and 2:00 p.m. Dinner is usually served after 7:30 p.m. However there are large variations depending on the local regional cultures. Dinner is usually between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Alsace region while it is usually served after 8:30 p.m. in southern France. A typical dinner starts with an appetizer (crudités or salad), the main course is usually fish or meat served with vegetables, pasta, rice, or fries. The main course is followed by salad, cheese, fruit or a sweet such as cake. Espresso is often served after the noon meal.

Drinks and Wine
Although the legal drinking age in France is 16, there seems to be infrequent incidences with alcoholic beverages. Traditionally, France has been a culture that enjoys wine daily. Recently, wine seems to have been replaced with beer (among the youth). Other alcoholic drinks include pastis, an aniseed flavoured beverage or cider. However, many of the French still enjoy wine daily.

Brasseries
Brasseries often serve the following dishes - often with fries:

Steak with fries.
Poulet frites-chicken with fries.
Croque-monsieur (grilled Swiss cheese and ham sandwich).

Frog legs
Escargots

French Desserts

Crêpes
Chocolate Mousse
Pastries
Mille-feuille
Choux a la creme
Baba au rhum
Tarts

French Restaurant Cuisine
Restaurant cuisine in France can be divided into three categories.

Cuisine Bourgeoise
Cuisine bourgeoise includes all the classic French dishes that have become popular over the whole of France, especially among the affluent classes. These dishes focus mainly on rich, cream-based sauces and involve some complex cooking techniques that are generally associated with French cuisine. This category makes use of haute cuisine, a very complex approach to food preparation and kitchen management. This type of cooking is often served abroad as "French cuisine" and is viewed by many (outside of France) as typical French cuisine. The French may eat "Cuisine Bourgeoise" for special occasions, while everyday meals are much simpler in preparation.

Cuisine du Terroir
Cuisine du terroir consists mostly of regional specialties, using quality local products in addition to traditional recipes. Many dishes that are included in this category aren't considered to be typically French. In many cases regional cooking styles are quite different from the dishes served in French restaurants all over the world.

Cuisine Nouvelle
Cuisine nouvelle originated around 1970. The characteristic features of this category are: shorter cooking times, lighter sauces and dressings and smaller portions offered in a decorative manner. Cuisine nouvelle is a modern style that is inspired by techniques and combinations from other countries, such as Asia.