The French cuisine considered to be the best in the world, or more precisely, “the French gastronomic meal” was registered in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists on November 16, 2010. To disseminate the French cuisine traditions around the world, on March 19, a big dinner in the French style to pay tribute to French gastronomy was organized all over the world. The event was organized under the initiative of the French Foreign and International Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius and under the support of high professional college headed by world-famous French chef Alain Ducasse.
Among the French Embassies and Consulates to 147 cities in the world, on March 19, the French gastronomic fireworks in the spirit of “epicurean dinner” was served at the French Embassy to Armenia for about 60 guests. The Goot de France /Good France (a French word that means the French taste) event was opened by His Excellency the French Ambassador Jean-François Charpentier. He told about the origin and the purposes of the event, which is to pay tribute to the unparalleled French cuisine, its innovative capabilities and the values that it spreads out to share the moment together, enjoy the pleasure of delicious dishes, and “living together”. The dinner that lasted nearly four hours was unique by the fact that it had united more than 10 000 guest around the world on the same day and around the same menu. The dinner with the same menu is also served by the French Foreign Minister in the Palace of Versailles, by hosting the accredited diplomats to France.
This gastronomical meal consisted of eight dishes: (1) famous French foie gras fried in dough covered by nuts and with grain and red beet sauce, (2) stewed colorful vegetables appetizer with mashed eggplant and green sauce, (3) whipped egg with pieces of salmon and truffle, with salmon caviar, (4) famous “St. Jacques” seashell served with vegetables and basturma, (5) Lime Sorbet in the vodka, (6) beef fillet served with mashed potatoes and mushrooms, (7) types of French fine cheeses served with tomato confiture, with sweet sauce of walnut and a sauce made with red wine, and the peak of the dinner, (8) three kinds of chocolate desserts. All of these were accompanied by appropriate beverage. As an aperitif, French brandy and was served, then white wine, then red, and at the end – a champagne. To say that the head chef Nicolas Natalini of the French Embassy has done an invaluable work will be the least to say. All that was served to the guests was very elegant and unique (for justice let’s note that some things were not familiar to the taste of the Armenian guests).
Certainly, those invited who missed the dinner lost a lot, though, as one of the guests noticed, “Perhaps, they have gone somewhere to eat barbecue and kebab.” In fact, the head chef Nicolas Natalini who is working at the French Embassy to Armenia more than ten years, admired guests not only with extraordinary menu, but also with excellent Armenian. Throughout the dinner, guests were listening to arias from famous operas. The “Epicurean Spirit” filled the hall with French breath and French cuisine.
Melania BARSEGHYAN
