La boulangerie

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This habit greatly amuses me, though my boyfriend grew up doing this as it’s normal in France to eat the quignon of the baguette while it’s still warm. Deux croissants et un pain au chocolat s’il-vous-plait : Can I have two croissants and one pain au chocolat please? A boulangerie is a bakery and a pâtisserie is a pastry shop, though most boulangeries and patisseries sell both various baked goods and desserts (pastries). As mentioned, any reputable boulangerie will sell various basic pastries, though it’s worth noting that there are some high-end patisseries which only sell desserts.

In more rural locations, the boulangerie will also act at the pâtisserie! Pâtisseries denote both the type of establisment, as well as the goods sold within. Therefore, a pâtisserie will also sell pâtisseries. Some of these include the chic pattiseries in Paris of Pierre-Hermé and Ladurée. Croquembouche: Traditionally served at French weddings, this is a tall cone of profiteroles (choux pastry filled with crème pâtissière) bonded with threads of caramel and often decorated with sugared almonds or chocolate. Alumna Matilda Smith set up her own patisserie, Penny for Pound after studying a nine-month Diplôme de Pâtisserie (SIT31016 Certificate III in Patisserie) at Le Cordon Bleu. She now employs six full time staff, produces thousands of pastries each week and has a retail expansion underway. In 2018 her business featured in Epicure, Good Food, Broadsheet Melbourne, Urban List and Concrete Playground, and won 'Best Donut in Melbourne' at 2018 DonutFest. Read about Matilda's pâtisserie business here. Baguettes: The most well-known French bread, there are many styles of baguette however all are long and thin. Pâtisseries are traditionally light and delicate, as well as sweet and decadent. Iconic treats include:Marguerite: the child, her namesake, and the cultural predecessors who came before them. They have spunk. French flair. Long-standing roots. Their stories transcend time, neighborhood, community and culture. They have love at their center.

Croissants: This famous French food is made using a laminated pastry dough enriched with yeast and milk. A boulangerie is a French bakery, as opposed to a pastry shop. Bakeries must bake their bread on-premises to hold the title of 'boulangerie' in France. While a boulangerie may also sell pâtisseries and viennoiseries, their main trade will be in traditional French breads, such as:What are pâtisserie, boulangerie & viennoiserie? Pâtisserie, boulangerie, and viennoiserie – in the culinary world, you need to know what these commonly used French terms mean. Je vais vous prendre dix chouquettes et un pain aux raisins s’il-vous-plait : I am going to have ten chouquettes (cream puff) and one pain aux raisins please. Bread is traditionally served with all meals in France. No side plates are given and instead the bread is consumed directly off of the table cloth or table if there is no cloth present. At the end of the meal, the bread crumbs (known as ‘miettes’ are swept off the table and onto a plate for disposal). One of the more curious French habits that you may never have heard of before is the custom of eating the end crust of the baguette on your way home. The end of the baguette is known as ‘le quignon’ and is what is munched on on the way home. You should also note that boulangeries are often a popular lunch option among locals as many sell quiches and sandwiches which are typically made fresh on a daily basis. If you want to opt for a pastry, sandwich/ pizza slice/ quiche, and drink then you’ll want to ask if there is a ‘formule’ available as this will often give you a lunch deal for a reduced price. Bread etiquette in France

Vienoisseries which you can expect to find in almost any reputable bakery include pain au chocolat (a pastry with chocolate inside), croissants ( learn more about the history of the croissant here), chausson aux pommes (apple turnovers), madeleines, and choux (mini puff pastries which are typically sold by weight rather than by the piece). Creating pâtisserie requires training, at Le Cordon Bleu you will study classical techniques ( from basic to advanced) to learn how to create such delicate items. As many of the pastries are intricate, only a well-trained hand can execute them flawlessly. As of the 30th November 2022, the French Baguette has been given UNESCO World Heritage status. The foodstuff has joined the list of “intangible cultural heritage” alongside things such as traditional tea making in China and a Korean mask dance known as “talchum”. Une part de tarte aux pommes et un pain de campagne s’il-vous-plait : Can I have a piece of this apple pie and some farmhouse bread please? On the subject, president Macron said that the baguette is“envied around the world” and offers up “250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives”. Other breads at a French Boulangerie (Pain de Campagne)

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Last but not least, if there’s one thing I could tell you it’s that, if you’re a carb-lover, then you simply must take the time out of your trip to head into a French boulangerie, if only to sample a baguette, or at the very least, a croissant. French Boulangerie Vocabulary: Baguette tradition is baked in accordance with a traditional recipe and tends to have a chewier crust and fluffier interior. This baguette tends to be 10-40 centimes more expensive than its cheaper counterpart but is more than worth the extra price tag in my opinion. Whatever the time of the year, there is almost always a queue to visit the bakery in France first thing in the morning. This is especially the case in smaller villages and towns where there is only one location where you can buy baked goods! As such, don’t be put off by the queue and be prepared to wait. Though the term ‘vienoisserie’ and ‘pâtisserie’ may be used interchangeably for some things sold in the French bakery, this is not the case for all goods. Whereas pâtisseries are desserts such as cream cakes, éclairs, and the like, vienoisseries originate from Vienna in Austria and are the kind of baked pâtisserie that bridge the gap between bread and pâtisserie. As such, examples of vienoisseries include brioche and croissants. Pastries at a boulangerie Among other France tips, normally people aren’t really formal in the shop and I tend to ask simply for the product with a ‘please’. Make sure you say hello (bonjour) when it gets to your turn in the line as this is seen as the polite thing to do when entering an establishment in France.