I am famed the length of the Cote d’Azur for my pain d’épice (spice bread, often incorrectly translated as gingerbread) which we served at our cycling club’s get togethers and Sunday morning rallies. I spent six months working on my recipe, the result is soft, unctious and only lightly spiced. I have been complimented by local mayors and even a maitre patissier, who told me it was the best he’d ever tasted. The recipe is a closely garded secret.
Of course, France is home to a large population of immigrants – us included. But, for reasons related to colonialism, France doesn’t have a large community from the Indian sub-continent and therefore doesn’t have a “curry culture.” Furthermore Indian and Thai restaurants here have toned down their spicing to suit delicate French palates.
The French equivalent of the UK high street curry house is the couscousieres – inexpensive eateries that serve food from the Mahgreb – French-speaking north Africa. While I highly recommend trying a tagine – it will almost invariably be delicious, generously-portioned and good value for money – the spicing from that part of the world is aromatic rather than fiery, so you won’t find much that will blow your socks off.
So what lies behind the French delicacy when it comes to spices?
The most commonly-given reasons are a simple lack of exposure to spicy food and France’s pride in its own cuisine, which has made it slower to embrace cooking from other cultures.
Whatever the reason, if you want to eat something spicy, you will have to cook it yourself! This might be why I have so many spicy recipes on my blog.
I love spicy food but having lived in two countries where they don’t really do spicy either I have now developed an intolerance to chilli 😳
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Oh no!
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I was going to suggest that they didn’t have an Empire in the East like the British in India but they were in Indo-China and in North Africa,
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Indeed
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I love gingerbread…both in cake form and cookies. Are you sure you can’t share the recipe?
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Absolutely!
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And I thought it was just the Brettons! I made a hot chocolate with a bit of cayenne in it and suddenly all of the 56 was in arms!
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Lovely!
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Oh no….its a big no in my household without spices or chillis.
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😎
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Ah now you have hit an interesting subject. I eat hot top level having many acquintance with Mexican foods. In France, when they put the label of the 3 peppers to show you it is hot hahaha well it actually doux to us! But we cherish the fact that no matter where we have lived we stick to what we like ,period. hot spicy burger is nice lol!!!
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So true!
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Back when I was a student in Paris I used to eat lots of couscous, because it was filling and cheap. Currently, the students seem to prefer hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurants.
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That’s true
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On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, View from the Back wrote:
> Sheree posted: ” I used to ask our French friends who I had invited round > for a meal whether there was anything they (or their offspring) didn’t like > to eat. They would look at me in amazement and said they ate everything. > And, that’s pretty much the case except they do” >
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I am amazed given that the French colonised a lot of north Africa that spiced food didn’t figure more on menus. Well done having a maitre patissier enjoy your secret Gingerbread Sheree 🙂
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Merguez sausages are as spicy as it gets.
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While I enjoy mild spiciness in Mexican and Asian cuisines, my post menopausal body does not! I still eat the stuff, but generally am sorry later on. 😉
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Sorry to hear that Eliza
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Interesting cultural research! My system can’t handle hot, so I know where to return – Paris!
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Anywhere in France
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What they lack in spice they more than make up for in cheese!
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Now, that’s very true.
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No curry? I’d be in trouble.
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Fortunately, it’s easy to make one’s own.
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Curry night began as a working class phenomenon, it followed the lad’s Friday night drinking session at the pub. Friday night was always a lad’s night out.
I once heard a newsreader describe curry as our British obsession. I have to disagree with that, I don’t know anyone who is obsessed with curry, it’s usually well down the list of our preferred restaurants or takeaway. I can just about take a mild Korma, but too much heat just spoils the taste of the food, so I am on the side of the Fench with this one, I think their tastes are more sophisticated.
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The French would agree with you! But I’m not talking Vindaloo here more the type of fishes one finds in UK in more upmarket, even Michelin starred Indian restaurants.
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Ha ha Vindaloo and competitions to see who can est the hottest!
I always cook with spices. That said, my cooking is nothing like your standard, your food always sounds mouth watering delicious. Were you trained or are you self taught?
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Self-taught but my mother and grand-mother were fantastic cooks, as indeed are both my sisters.
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Oh, then that can be sad, because you already mentioned, if you want something spicy, you need to cook it yourself.
And yes, that is true many Indians have been or have already reformed their taste buds to suite the country cuisine.
I loved your post.
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Thank you Reena
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The only two curry restaurants I found around Sigoules were one in Bergerac and another in Eymet – the latter by an English couple.
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There are plenty of Indian restaurants but the food is often very bland.
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Ah
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This was an awesome post as usual my friend. And I really like the map displayed in the photo, it’s pretty creative and also a bit educational if I may say so haha
I to am like many of the french in this regard, I do not really favor “spicy” things or things that are too “spicy”. See the thing is, there was a time that I actually thought “spicy” meant “flavorful” but over time, especially whenever I would hear professional Chefs and Cooks talk about the concept; I began to realize that “spicy” is just another way of saying “very hot”, or just another name for “pepper” 🤣🤣.
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My version of spicy isn’t necessarily too hot, instead it’s layers of spicing.
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lol yeah I had figured that much, and I think many would love your version (myself included) — just because something is spicy, it doesn’t mean it has to be unbearably so. Many Chefs have also made similar remarks 😄😄
Even when I am cooking my own personal food, sometimes I don’t mind a pinch of black-pepper blended with it (it depends on what I am cooking). If it’s enough to where you can get the rich flavor with just a mild burn on the tongue — I think that’s the ideal approach haha
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Absolutely
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Haha Indeed my friend, it was fun reading through your thoughts on this subject and I hope that you do enjoy the rest of your day ✌️✌️😄
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Thanks
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You are very welcome Sheree <3, it's always a pleasure lol
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Pingback: Has living in France changed the way we eat? – View from the Back
I don’t do spicy either, so I’d fit right in.
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Cool
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Wow. I never knew. 🙈
Thank you for sharing this. 😁
I seldom eat spicy food. 😊
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😎
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well said
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Thanks
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That’s one of the things I can appreciate about France. I’ve ranted multiple times in my own blog that spice should accent the main ingredients of a dish, not drown it / them out. 🙂 I enjoy moderately spicy food, but have never seen the point in peppers and sauces with 500,000 scoville heat ratings.
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Wholeheartedly agree
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I don’t always want a lot of heat but I definitely need the flavor.
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Absolutely
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