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Ingredient Sidebar: French Sauces French Pastries French Cheeses The French Way with Vegetables Aioli Confit Consommé Coulis Foie gras Fumet Jus Paillard Pâté Poussin Roulade Roux Tournedos

Alsace and Lorraine extend the length of the border that France shares with Germany, and, historically, these regions have often been under German control. Both the language and the cooking have been strongly affected by this shared past. Here, the cabbage that grows so well in all northern regions of France is made into choucroute (sauerkraut). The dish is perhaps the area's best known local specialty, along with foie gras, but these are just two among many. Cabbage might also made into potée (a soup flavored with pork and assorted vegetables), and the plump goose that contributes the foie gras makes a frequent appearance in local dishes. Pork products, especially sausages, are available in great variety. Among the items that are especially indicative of German influence are spaetzle, the onion-topped tarte flambée, and blond beer.

Fruits grow well here. Both Alsace and Lorraine are famed for their fresh fruit tarts and fruit-based eaux de vies, among them mirabelle (a spirit made from the tiny, pale green plums of the same name), kirsch (made from ripe wild cherries), and framboise (made from raspberries).

In Alsace, the primary money-making crop is the grapes that are used to make the famous white Rhine wines of the area. These wines, among them Rieslings, Muscats, and Gewürtztraminers, are the counterparts of those produced just across the border in Germany. Alsace is also the source of Munster cheese, which is utterly unlike the orange-coated product known by the same name in America. French Munster gains strength and flavor as it ages. One popular way of serving it provides minced raw onions and caraway seeds for sprinkling over the runny cheese, which is spread onto a thick, crusty slice of bread.