I am Australian of mixed British stock, but I came to Beijing after living in France for seven years. Once I got over the initial shock of how different my new home felt, I was surprised to identify many similarities between these two cultures. France and China both have proud language traditions, a long history of cultivating the arts, and *ahem* overly-hierarchical and opaque bureaucratic systems. But best of all, they both have very old and interesting culinary traditions. Here are a couple of dishes that connect these two diverse nations.
Crêpes and Galettes vs Jianbing 煎饼 jiānbǐng
A classic streetside jianbing (left) and folded savory galette
The first time I saw a jianbing being made street-side in Beijing, I was stunned. Everything from the large round hot plate to the thin wooden tool they use to spread the batter, to the hand gestures as the vendor spooned out the batter and expert flicking movements as she flipped the snack, were exactly the same as I’d seen a million times in a crêpe stand in France. Things only started to get a bit strange when cumin, cilantro, hoisin sauce, and a crispy wafer were folded in.
Crêpe is kind of a catch-all term for thin pancakes, but in France, savory crêpes are called galettes and are often served as a main meal. Originating from the Brittany coastal region, they can contain a variety of ingredients, such as eggs, spinach, ham, cheese (of course), even pungent andouillette (tripe) sausage for the brave. But unlike jianbing, they are usually served on a plate, and only cooked on one side, with the nice crispy edges folded up to make a neat square. Crêpes, on the other hand, are always sweet. My favorite filling is honey and lemon juice, but Nutella and banana, jam, and even Grand Marnier liqueur are other popular fillings. Sweet crêpes are usually folded up and served on the go, just like a jianbing.
Stinky Cheese vs Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐 chòu dòufu
Delicious stinky Roquefort cheese (left) and squares of chòu dòufu
There are more than 400 different varieties of cheese in France, and the locals are obsessed with the stuff. Some of the more famous stinky varieties include the Pont l’Évêque, which is also one of France’s oldest cheeses having been made in the Normandy region since the 12th century. Pungent blue Roquefort is even older, and easily recognizable for its soft creamy body and blue mold spots, then there is Vieux Lille which is often nicknamed “old stinker” and is renowned for being the strongest smelling of the lot.
While you’re hard-pressed to find much cheese in China outside of Yunnan and Mongolia, fermented chòu dòufu (lit. stinky tofu) can knock your socks off, and stink out an entire restaurant. However, it generally has a pretty mild flavor so if you can get past the smell, you’re in for a treat. The recently opened Maizidian branch of local Slow Boat Brewery recognized the cross-cultural potential for chou dofu with their new ‘Love the Chou’ burger which combines a chou dofu patty with smelly blue cheese sauce.
Ratatouille vs Chaos Stew 乱炖 Luàn dùn
Late harvest ratatouille (left) and hearty chaos stew
The French may have invented the concept of haute cuisine, but most of the food eaten on a day-to-day basis has much more humble origins. Ratatouille stew was a staple dish in the Provence region of France long before the Disney rat came along, and is a typical late-summer harvest dish, containing tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers.
Dongbei, the Northeast region of China, is known for its no-nonsense fare, and while luàn dùn, amusingly named “chaos stew” generally contains at least one kind of meat, it is very similar to ratatouille in that vegetables are the main focus, and they are both hearty, dense filling meals. Vegetable-wise, chaos stew usually contains potatoes, broad beans, and pungent fermented soybean sauce. Both are dump-and-stew kinds of dishes, great for clearing out the fridge, and while Ratatouille goes well with roasted chicken or a fatty fish, chaos stew is likely to be served with wide flour noodles.
Bigorneaux vs Tianluo 田螺 tiánluó
From the French coast (left) to Canton, sea snails are a hit
Garlicky escargot might be the most famous kind of snail eaten in France, but they are not the only one. In coastal regions bigorneaux, known as periwinkle in English are a popular seaside treat, and are usually boiled in a simple broth of water and lots of pepper.
Clearly garlic is a good idea because it also features heavily in the Cantonese preparation of these marine gastropods. There are actually a million different ways of calling this dish and snail, but in the south they are usually wok-fried with ginger, garlic, and black bean sauce, rice-wine and soy sauce, and served with steamed rice.
Foie Gras vs Salted Duck Liver 盐水鸭肝 Yánshuǐ yā gān
Classic duck foie gras (left) and Chinese salted duck liver with star anise
Along with horsemeat, foie gras, lit. ‘fatty liver’ has got to be one of the most controversial food products available in France. Made from the liver of either a goose or duck which has been force-fed in order to increase the size and fattiness of their liver, it is considered a delicacy and often served with small pieces of toast on special occasions, such as New Year’s Eve or Christmas. It may also be prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté. Due to the way the birds are force-fed, foie gras is banned in certain countries and regions around the world, but eating bird liver itself is not exclusive to France. In China, yánshuǐ yā gān, lit. salted duck liver is a delicacy that is often served at duck restaurants. After soaking in fresh water to remove the blood, the liver is boiled in a broth with spices like star anise, peppercorn, ginger, cloves then soaked for 6-10 hours to achieve the distinctive salty taste.
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Images: Wikimedia Commons (1, 2, 3), Flickr (1, 2), Omnivore’s Cookbook, Christophe Certain, The Woks of Life, Eymet Village, Xiachufang,
