The European Class

Florent  2BH

Welcome to Germany

In France, we think all Germans are big and beer drinkers. They always eat sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes with a large mug of beer in Bavarian shorts.

An average German’s meal.
Caricature or reality?
Pork is the most consumed meat in sausages and many kinds of delicatessen

Ham and sauerkraut
All regions have their sausages
In Bavaria there is white sausage in Frankfurt it is the mild sausage.
The currywurst: a sausage with ketchup and curry. At the moment it is the most popular sausage in Germany. A museum was opened in 2006 in Berlin for this famous sausage!

Germans eat many kinds of stews and meat like beef and game .But  lamb and horse are forgotten
a traditional German stew
These dishes are often served with potatoes or cabbage.
Germans are also fond of eating asparagus, pumpkins, turnips, and onions the principal ingredient of many recipes like the flammekueche
However, with a consumption of 120 grams per capita in a day, we can say the Germans eat few vegetables.
The proximity of the Baltic Sea gives many kinds of fish to the Germans like herrings, eels, shells like mussels, crustaceans like lobsters cooked in a great soup.

Pickled herrings and trout fillet
Germans also eat freshwater fish like zander and trout consumed nationwide.

Horseradish is the most consumed spice.

German cheeses are of Dutch inspiration and there are hard cheeses .The Germans consume many Dutch cheeses, like gouda, edam but the Germans have their own recipes like beer cheese and  Bavarian blue.
Beer cheese with spices

Many pastries are famous and known around the world like the Bavarian and the Black Forest cake .

A Bavarian                                                                        A Black Forest cake
Pastries are very varied: genoese, pie, doughnuts, biscuits with cream and fruits.  …
The Germans are keen on tasting dried fruit and candied fruit, another means to eat fruit.
Gingerbread is a specialty for Christmas.

Bread is important: many kinds exist; the “bretzel” shaped node is famous; It is always on the table in a restaurant or café

How could we forget  beer, the national drink! With 5000 kinds, beer will not stop surprising us ! Many famous brewers are in Germany, like Paulaner and Beck’s.

Germans are crazy about drinking beer (over 110 liters of beer per capita). Each year In Munich the Germans celebrate beer!

Germany is also a wine producer. White wine can be found in the south of Germany near the Rhine and the Moselle. Germany ranks 8th among wine producers.

German food is traditional, solid and rich. It is adapted to a harsh climate. However it is varied according to the different countries
There is also a gastronomic cooking with top chefs who have been awarded stars in the Michelin Guide

The culinary traditions of Greece

Food: There are a lot of food specialities in Greece

Starter: For the starter in Greece, there are lots of salata like the entréla horiatiki salata, there is the tara Mb Alata which is a salad with caviar.

Main course: For the main course there is Briam, it is a mixture of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, with some tomato sauce and olive oil. There is the keftedakia which are balls of minced meat flavoured with mint and oregano.

Dessert: For the dessert, there are a lot of specialities but specially these ones: the Kataifi and the yaourti de meli. The Kataifi is a cake which contains some honey, hazelnuts and cinnamon. The yaourti de melo is a yoghurt with honey.

Drinks: There are many specialities for drinks in Greece but specially alcohol.

Wines : there is the Mavrodaphni, it is a very sweet red wine, the Retsina, the typically greek famous wine.

Spirits : there is especially the Tsipourau, it is a very strong alcohol.

Places of interest: There are a lot beautiful and amazing places of interest in Greece.

There are several places of interest in Greece for example the temple of Athéna in Egine or the Door of Lionesses in Mycènes or still the Big Altar of Zeus in Pergame or even the Temple of Apollo and the famous Parthénon.

Pictures

Food:

Entrela horiatiki salata Briam Keftedakia

Kataifi Yaourti de meli

Drinks:

Mavrodaphni Retsina

Tsiporo

Places of interest:

The Parthénon

The Great Altar Of Zeus

The Temple Of Apollo

Quentin

Portugal, its drinks, its food, its tourist sights

In  Portugal , the typical drinks are alcoholic beverages like Moscatel;  it’s a soft golden wine .It is consumed as an aperitif .
The Amarguinha : it’s a bitter almond liqueur . The Ginja alcohol-based cherry is enjoyed as an aperitif , it is very sweet . The Beirao liqueur is a national liqueur made from herbs and it has a slightly aniseed taste . Brandy Mel is a mix of brandy and honey it’s a good after -dinner drink .
The soft drinks include milnote sparkling water , fruit juice ,  lemonade, soda ( Sumol is a typical soda fromPortugal ) ,and coffee is a  must in Portugal .

The typical specialities of Portugal are Port,  it’s an aperitif , Mateus and Lancers are rosé wines ; the typical beers are the Super Bock Abadia , Green , Tango and Stout .

The Brandade is the typical fishdish of Portugal . The typical food in Portugal also includes Bitoque: it’s meat and fries , Bacalhau con migas : it’s cod brandade and cornbread , Frango na pucara :  it’s chicken cooked in the pot ; for the dessert, there’s the Pudim caseiro :  it’s a Portuguese egg custard .
In Portugal the tourist sights are famous . The most famous ones are Se Patriarcal , in Lisbonne , the Tower of Belem : it’s very beautiful and it’s big . I visited the Tower of Belem and I was amazed , it is on the oceanfront .

Garden de Palacio de Cristal is beautiful . In the garden we can see the Dourro and the sea .

In Portugal there are tourist sights all over the country . There are two famous stadiums . They are in Lisbonne;  they’re Estadio da Luz, the stadium of Benfica de Lisbonne and Estadio Jose Avalade XXI, the stadium of Sporting from Lisbonne .

 BELGIUM

                           Gastronomy 

Belgium is famous for its gastronomy. It is at the top of “haute cuisine” and equals France in ratio of restaurants per head of its population.

The specialities of Belgian gastronomy are :

Chips or French fries with mussels , and out of the many typical dishes you should taste rabbit with beer sauce. (it’s delicious ! )

The coastal restaurants are popular for theirNorth seafish and shell fish dishes. Not to forget there is fresh trout, Gentse  watezooi (casserole of chicken and vegetables), “ Flamich” (a cheese flan). AnAntwerpspeciality is eel in chervil sauce. Not forgetting the Brussels sprouts!

Belgian chocolate is famous worldwide. It’s one of the symbols of Belgian quality the world over. Pralines are chocolates filled with fresh cream , marzipan , liqueur. They were invented by Jean Neuhaus in 1912.

As to beer, we have to thank the Flemish Benedictine monks for inventing it: there are different types of beer: some are very famous like: Leffe , Affligem , Hoegarden , Grimbergen.

The sights of Belgium

        First you must visit Brussels, don’t miss “La Grande Place”:it is the huge former market square in the heart of old Brussels and “The  Grande Place” is one of the grandest squares in Europe.One of its largest buildings is the Gothic Hôtel de ville (the townhall). You should also see the district of Sablon, ”le Palais Royal”(the royal palace), then the Manneken-Pis (it is a6 centimeter tall bronze statue made in 1619) , Jacques Brel’s foundation, next to the Palace of Fine Arts, the Royal Square and finally  you can find prestigious hotels like the Mariott.

Next, in Anvers you can visit Rubens’s house and the museum of “Les Beaux Arts”.

Then, you can admire the cathedral of Saint Bavon and the “Halle aux draps” (the linen hall) in Gand.

Finally, you can see “La Grande Place“ and the “Tour Zimmer” in Lierre and the little Venice of the North and its canals : Bruges.

Enjoy your stay inBelgium!

Bruges

Maxime et léo

French wine

In France, here are various wines.

There are red wines, white, rose, sparkling, yellow and straw wines.

In the Jura vineyard many powerful yellow wines are produced.

The guaranted vintage Château Chalon is a good match with chicken with yellow wine and morels.

I suggest visiting the village of Baume-les-Messieurs with its famous waterfalls of tuf,

its caves and its Abbey.

In the  Champagne vineyard three grapes are known for these great wines.

Chardonnay, Pinot meunier and Pinot noir.

Champagne is a sparkling white wine and can be drunk with many desserts, for example, blown liquor.

I suggest visiting the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims.

The Alsace vineyard, is known for its dry white very flavoured wines.

The guaranted vintage Alsace pinot noir is rosé; it has aromas of red fruits like cherry, raspberry or of wood and can be drunk with onion pie :

The Flammekueche.

The Alsace riesling is a rather fruity white wine and is a good match with fillet of perch with Riesling.

In Alsace you can visit the town of Strasbourg and the Green Lake.

Burgundy produces very great red wines considered as the best ones in the world.

The Clos Saint-Denis is a fleshy red wine, and goes very well with roasted Bresse chicken.

The Chablis is a dry white wine, it has an odor of flinty and can be drunk with a typical fish dish, the pauchouse bourguignonne.

You should  visit the town of Dijon at the same time.

Region Languedoc-Roussillon offers sparkling wine which is elaborated according to traditional ways for example Crémant de Limoux which is a sparkling white wine, it has a soft taste which recalls that of citrus. There are also red wines, Côtes du Rousillon villages, it’s delicate and fruity with a taste of  blackcurrants. This wine can be drunk with Cassoulet de Castelnaudary.

I recommend a visit of the castle and ramparts of Carcassonne.

In the Rhone Valley vineyard there is Côte rôtie, it’s a harmonious red wine, it’s slightly tawny.

In the Southwest vineyard there is Floc de Gascogne, it’s a VDL, it’s a perfect match with duck liver. The Gaillac is a fruity and spicy red wine, it can be drunk with duck fillet and aligot for the dish. And with a flaune for dessert.

The flaune is a cake composed of cheese from roquefort.

In the Bordeaux vineyard there is Margaux which is a supple and delicate red wine and which can be drunk with Bordelaise steak and axoa d’espelette which is a lamb stew with chili.

In the Loire Valley vineyard there is Muscadet, it’s an elegant dry white wine and it can be drunk with oysters and eels.

The Italian breakfast changes with the city, here is the most famous breakfast in Italy:

-In Milan they eat (for breakfast) a pannetone with  coffee.
-In Venice they have  Coffee with milk and buttered bread, brioche, croissants and « baciolis » (lemon cookies).
-In Sardinia they eat country bread with sheep Toma and fruit
for men and a small glass of grapa (coffee and coffee grounds in the country).

Spanish breakfast.

There aren’t a lot of Spanish people who have breakfast before work. A Spanish breakfast is a small meal which is composed of a cup of coffee with toast and jam. Jam is almost exclusively peach. There are also pastries or churros. Churros are served with chocolate instead of coffee. Churros are made of oil, water, sugar, flour, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla tea, salt and butter. The Spanish also like eating ham and cheese sandwiches, toast drizzled with olive oil, chorizo and dark coffee.

CHURROS PASTRIES DARK COFFEE AND CHURROS

Fanny and Nadège !

In Greece there are a lot of types of breakfasts.

The traditional greek breakfast would include Greek coffee, hard boiled eggs, olives and feta cheese. Various kinds of pastries constitute the traditional Greek breakfast.Tyropita, Spanakopita, and bougatsa (particularly in Northern Greece) are eaten, usually accompanied with Greek coffee. Simpler breakfasts include honey, marmalade or nutella cream (as well a Greek variation thereof, Merenda) spread over slices of bread. Children typically drink chocolate or plain milk. Often a good thick bread would accompany this.

Greeks also have tomatoes, feta with olives and oil herbs or fruit juice.

Here are some recipes:

Greek breakfast strudel

made with eggs, olives, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese, spinach, double cream, chicken broth, filo pastry, butter, pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Spanakopita

made with spinach, feta, onion, butter, ricotta cheese, eggs and olives.

Tyropita

made with a cheese and eggs’mixture

bougatsa

The greeks accompany their breakfast with turkish coffee or greek coffee . The best Turkish coffee (or any kind of coffee) is made from freshly roasted beans ground just before brewing. Turkish-ground coffee can be bought and stored as any other type, although it loses flavour with time

The greeks can eat bacon and eggs, sandwiches, omelets and gritz.

Laurie et Mathilde

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The traditionnal Polish breakfast is rich and varied . It is generally made with a glass of fruit juice , a cup of coffee or tea and they eat various meat products ( ham , sausage , patties ), and it’s accompanied with fine pieces of cheese , hard eggs , slices of tomatoes and  it’s also accompanied with radishes , tomatoes , cucumbers and they also  eat honey or jam; it is eaten with different kinds of black or white sorts of bread.

The traditionnal breakfast begins with a soup composed of milk and grains ( zupa mleczna )

Théo et Jordan

The traditionnal Finnish breakfast looks like the other european countries’ breakfasts.

For example, like the French, they eat cereals, fruit juice, a glass of milk and a slice of bread with jam. It also looks like the English breakfast with ham, some cheese and some porridge (it’s mashed oat), pancakes (its name is pannu kaku in Finland).

But they also have some typical products, among these there is rye bread, stawberries, waffles, raw vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes) and yoghurt.

Finland’s breakfast is original and varied, it is inspired from the other European countries.

françois, emilie