Alsace for Foodies

Foie gras is Alsace’s greatest gift to gastronomy

Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace, has been the site of Europe’s oldest outdoor Christmas market for nearly 500 years.  While there are many Christmas markets in Europe, the one in Strasbourg is regarded as one of the very best.   I’ve been to Strasbourg, as well as the surrounding idyllic Hansel and Gretel Alsatian villages many times, but I have never visited this Eastern part of France during the holidays.  The reason for my entire journey is this Marché de Noel---it’s been on my bucket list for some years.  

                                  

The Christmas market in Strasbourg is spread out over the heart of this riverside town in eleven different squares.  There’s a mind-boggling assortment of hand-crafted items for the yuletide season, including everything one could ever dream of in which to decorate a Christmas tree, or to deck the halls.  For the food-lover, however, it’s a gastronomic Disneyland;  Santa’s elves could seriously eat their way across Strasbourg. 

Alsace has been passed back and forth between France and Germany several times during the last hundreds of years.  The Strasbourg Christmas market is reflective of this duality.  In many ways it’s the best of the two countries prettily packaged into a festively wrapped yuletide gift featuring a large culinary bow.  

Paying homage to its French roots, the market is replete with vendors selling foie gras.  This outrageously decadent delicacy is gorgeously coiffed in regal packaging that would even impress Coco Chanel.  Foie gras in this region is serious business. While Perigord in southwest France produces more foie gras today, during the 18^th century Alsace was the epicenter for this delicacy.  

                                     Kougelhoft comes in multiple shapes for the Holidays

There are beaucoup stands at the market selling Alsace’s iconic Kougelhoft, an ethereal yeast-based cake baked in a tall decorative bundt pans.  A traditional Germanic recipe, Kougelhofts are featured in miniature single servings, as well as gigantic ones that could serve a family of 20 for Christmas dinner.  There are even stalls selling the brightly-colored Kougelhoft ceramic pans which are hand-painted.

                             This thin-crusted regional specialty is cooked in wood-fired ovens

Flammekueche is sublime snack in Stasbourg’s market extraordinaire.  An Alsatian version of pizza, this one has a paper-thin crust.  The French DNA of the dish reflects France’s love affair with cheese.  In this case, it’s topped with the area’s famous Munster cheese and/or crème fraiche.  And for the other chromosome from Germany, the traditional version includes small pieces of ham or bacon. 

                                          Pain de'epices is served in festive shapes 

The market serves up several possibilities of the pain d’epices. “Spice bread,” a classical dessert that is Germanic in its culinary roots, is Alsace’s rendition of gingerbread.  Although it has no ginger in it, it is chocked full of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and other spices.  At the Christmas market, spice bread is also made as a cookie in all of the shapes of the yuletide season.  These spicy sweet delights pair perfectly with Alsace’s warm yuletide drink, vin chaud, a concoction similar to hot-mulled wine.

Speaking of wine, this region is a treasure for gorgeous white wines.  Yesterday we visited one of my favorite producers, Albert Mann.  The wines from Domaine Weinbach and Trimbach are also noteworthy.

Alsace, an often overlooked area of France, is a special culinary gem.  Other than the center of Paris, Alsace has more Michelin star restaurants per square mile than any other place on the plant.  Regardless of the time of year, it’s a gastronomic treasure- trove and a wonder-filled wine experience you don’t want to miss.

Joyeux Noël & FrÖhliche Weihnacten!  

The World's Sexiest Liqueur

Saint Germain’s bottle has to be one of the greatest marketing coups I’ve known.  How could it not intrigue?  How could it not tantalize?  How could you not want to know what this sexy fashionista was all about?  The art deco inspired packaging wreaks of the glamour and romance associated with this bygone era.  But, let me be very clear:  this is not a one-night-stand kind of liqueur.  Cocktails made from this elegant concoction will have you coming back for more…and more.

What is Saint Germain?   Produced in an artisanal manner, it is made from elder flowers in France.  These tiny flowers bloom on the hillsides of the French Alps during only a very short period in the spring.  They are carefully hand-picked and immediately macerated to preserve their fresh flavors.  (Each bottle of Saint Germain is numbered with a system that reflects the year in which the flowers were picked).  The exact recipe is closely guarded, but the finished liqueur offers distinctive warm floral flavors, along with pear and lychee notes.    

Never heard of Saint Germain?  You will.  It’s been around for about 7 years and is becoming increasingly popular for cocktails, especially in the US.   In fact, the New York Times credits this enticing liquid for “almost single-handedly invigorated the moribund liqueur category.”   In France, on the other hand, Saint Germain is not only used in a Champagne cocktail (which is how I was first seduced by it), but in desserts. 

My favorite concoction, however, was served at this year’s annual meeting of the Society of Wine Educators:

~ 1 part Saint Germain

~ 1 part pear-flavored Vodka

~ 1 part sparkling wine

Shake with ice and pour into a martini glass, and leave the rest to Saint Germain.

New Laws for French Restaurants

The French have laws to protect the origin of wine grapes (e.g. only those grown in Bordeaux can be used in Bordeaux wine), cheeses (e.g. only cows from the town of Roquefort can be used in this coveted cheese), along with a host of other food products including olives, honey, and even chickens. The French senate has now voted in another law having to do with origin, however, this one will force restaurants to distinguish between food cooked on the premises versus made elsewhere.

The impetus for this legislation is to preserve France’s gastronomic heritage and reverse an alarming trend for chefs to take short cuts in the name of Euro’s.   Data suggests that >30% of France’s 100,000 restaurants use industrially prepared food for some of the dishes on their menus.  The legislation is also a wake-up call to diners that all is not what it appears. 

The French have a marche (market) mentality…the blue plate special (menu du jour), available in most every restaurant, represents what is fresh in the market that day.  Expectations are that the menu is in tune with the season or that of the “day’s catch.”  Diners would be horrified to know that there’s a good possibility that one of their dishes was possibly frozen and purchased several days (or weeks) before from an industrial supplier hundreds of kilometers away.  One such “ready-made” company, for example, offers more than 3,400 dishes.

The new law will force French restaurants to identify on their menu which dishes are made on premises.  Fait maison (made in house) will identify what is made at the restaurant.  Without this designation, diners will know it was brought in from elsewhere.

The new legislation passed with a close vote.   Economics were the biggest culprit.  Restaurant owners vow that dining prices will escalate due to their increasing labor costs of making dishes fait maison.  But, others maintain that the new law will save the bistro and encourage demand for freshly prepared food.  All of this is occurring, however, while fast food consumption is growing and the cost of living in Frances continues to increase.

Viva la France!

Red China

For the first time in history, a country other than France is now the number one consumer of red wine.  The country?  China.  The Chinese drank nearly 1.9 billion bottles of red wine during 2013.  France, whose consumption of red wine fell by nearly 20% from 2007 – 2013, is now the second largest consumer.  The huge popularity of red wine by China is attributed in part to their cultural norms about color:   red signifies good luck and prosperity, while the color white suggests death and mourning.

The increasing consumption of red wine by China is reflective in the upsurge of French wineries that have been purchased recently by the Chinese.  Both Burgundy and Bordeaux have seen dramatic increases in vineyard purchases by investors from China.  In January, 2014 it was estimated that in Bordeaux alone there were at least 60 chateaux owned by Chinese---the actual figure is somewhat difficult to nail down as many of the transactions are shrouded in secrecy.  It’s not unusual for holding companies outside of China to purchase a chateau on behalf of Chinese investors, only later to reveal that the buyers were Chinese.

All of this has created controversy in France. According to the Wine Spectator, a Beijing businessman recently placed on offer of $164.2 million for a classified-growth in the Medoc.  The French seller pulled out at the last minute.  The reason for this is unknown, however, it is a fact that many French have mixed feelings about selling to foreigners….many feel the French heritage is under threat, while others welcome the increased demand for French wine in Asia.  Further adding to the chasm is the vast cultural differences, as well as the divergent business norms of the French and Chinese.

Now, for the good news.  The United States remains the largest consumer of all types of wine.

Why Are the French Drinking Less Wine?

In 1980 more than half of French adults were consuming wine almost daily.  Today, fewer than 17% of them are doing so. Historically, the French have grown up with wine on the table at every meal but this is changing.  Social commentators say that there’s been a cultural shift in France towards how they view wine.

For Frenchmen in their 60’s and 70’s wine remains an essential part of their cultural heritage…and it is served daily with lunch and dinner.  Those in their 40’s and 50’s seem to think of wine as an occasional indulgence.  While they drink less, they do spend more per bottle.  Most 20-somethings don’t start even taking an interest in wine until their mid-to-late 20’s.  For them, wine is simply a product that competes for their Euros…and may not be worth the lofty prices in comparison to the increasingly popular beers and mixed drinks.  Add this to the changing demographics of the Muslim community in France.  Nearly 10% of France is now non-drinking Muslim.

But, France is not the only country in Europe with declining populations of wine drinkers and cultural changes related to the role of wine in daily living.  Italy and Spain are following a similar pattern to France.  While this may have significant effects on these country’s cultures and foodways, their wine industries probably won’t be effected.  China’s exploding population of wine drinkers is expected to buy all of the excess European wine.