An idyllic French meal that in popular culture evokes images of romance and good life, can now be savoured in a restaurant in India, which joins other countries to lay out a "French style" dinner tomorrow.
A total of 1000 restaurants world over including 48 from various cities across India will simultaneously serve a French menu on March 19 as part of the "Good France" project.
The global event has been initiated by Laurent Fabius France's Foreign Minister with noted chef Alain Ducasse who is reputed to have built up an empire in haute cusine.
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The project aims to reproduce the concept of celebration of French food begun around the year 1912 by Auguste Escoffi, a chef who launched the Epicurean Dinners initiative - the same menu, the same day, in several world cities and aimed at as many diners as possible.
Each chef will offer a "French-style" menu in their restaurant with a traditional French aperitif, a cold starter, a hot starter, fish or shellfish, meat or poultry, a French cheese or cheeseboard, a chocolate dessert, French wines and digestifs, while remaining free to highlight their own culinary traditions and cultures.
In France no meal is complete without cheese and at least one type of wine. The French pride themselves in their ability to lay out multi-course meals a fact recognised by Unesco, which has listed 'The gastronomic meal of the French' as a intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
French ambassador to India Francois Richier said, "French restaurants have a high reputation and the cuisine is now in the world heritage list. It is something that is part of everyday life of France and through this festival we want to share that with many more around the world."
Richier was speaking at a curtain raiser dinner he hosted at his residence late last evening.
The ambassador said India with its 48 participating restaurants was ranked fourth globally after Italy (96), Japan (61) and Brazil (55), and just ahead of the US (46).
The objective of the festival is to carry the message that "French cuisine is a living, diverse cuisine that moves with the times" where chefs are encouraged to blend own culinary culture to that of France, rather than discounting it. It also lays emphasis on choosing fresh, seasonal and local produce.
"Across the world we have had chefs from different origin from the United States to Japan who decided to work in French cuisine and put their own magic and their own talent into it." Richier said.
