When I say those words, "country cooking", what comes to mind? Fried chicken? Chicken Fried Steak? Ham and beans? Chicken and dumplings? All those great standby recipes from grandma's kitchen? I have never lived in the "country" but we visited my grandparents in the Ohio hills every summer and it was very much in the country! That's when I realized that food didn't actually come in cans and packages and cellophane-wrapped trays. Grandma grew her own vegetables and raised chickens. It was an adventure and an education for this city girl.
I have two favorite authors who write about their experiences of living in other countries - Peter Mayle, who moved from England to Provence, and Francis Mayes, who moved from the US to Tuscany. Much of their writings are about food, one of my favorite topics!
It seems that many now-famous dishes that have come to us from France and Italy started out as good ole country recipes. For example, Coq au Vin is a wonderful dish made of chicken that's been marinated in red wine and then cooked with mushrooms, carrots and herbs in a large pot. It is often served over mashed potatoes. Here in the US, Coq au Vin is considered a gourmet dish. But here's the origin. When the farmer's rooster got too old to do his job in the barnyard, it was time to butcher him. But he was old and tough. So he was cut up and soaked in wine to tenderize him and then added to local (and easily accessible) vegetables. Here was a smart cook! Nothing was wasted.
Another example is Boeuf Bourguignon. A most wonderful stew made with beef, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs. It's the same principle - the smart country cook would take the least desirable (tough) cut of beef, marinate it overnight in red wine (easily accessible in France) and cook it up with the vegetables.
The French do not consider these to be gourmet dishes - they are simply country cooking at its best! Bravo!
Many Italian dishes are based on the same idea or are a way to use up all the leftover cheese, veggies, herbs, wine, sauce, bread, etc at the end of the week. Nothing was wasted. The Europeans have been "green" for a long long time. There is so much we Americans can learn from the frugal practicality of European country cooking.
I can think of other dishes I've had while traveling that fit into this idea of being "gourmet" to the American palette, but simply being practical to the European cuisine. Cassoulet is a wonderful French version of ham and beans, but with duck and goose added as it's popular in the SW of France where fois gras is made - hence lots of geese. Or Bouillabaisse - that yummy fish stew that's so popular along the Riviera. Hungarian goulash is a similar concept which uses the sweet paprika that is from that country. It makes me wonder if perhaps sushi had a similar origin - you've got leftover rice, some seafood and veggies, so why not wrap it all up in seaweed and serve it for dinner?!
And now I'm hungry! ha! And I wonder if fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and ham and beans would ever be considered "gourmet" in other countries. . . . Somehow I don't think so. Although if they could only taste my mom's ham and beans, they might decide otherwise :) A bientôt!
