Les quatre saisons
Watch film A2: Seasons and weather
❑ Watch film A2 which shows a variety of seasonal images of France representing different kinds of weather in some of the towns and villages which featured in Early Start French 2.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
Film A2: ”C’est l’été... à Sars-Poteries il pleut!”
Get used to the sounds
❑ Echoing: Show the ‘seasons and weather’ e-flashcards.
Pupils echo the phrase describing each picture, e.g. “Au printemps il y a des averses”.
Respond with understanding
❑ Talk about the language in film 8 A2 Children may notice in the film how the phrase “au printemps” is used to say “in spring” but with the other seasons you use “en...”?
“How French works 1” suggests this is for ease of pronunciation.
Talk about the film A2 which shows that, during any one season in France there can be quite diverse weather. For example, in summer, we see children sailing on the sea in bright sunshine, then on a lake when it’s cold and grey and it rains.
It’s similar in spring: the kite flying sequence shows lots of different kinds of weather over the course of a spring day - cold, windy, showers, and sunshine after the showers.
Quel temps fait-il... (en hiver)?
What’s the weather like... (in winter)?
A2: In a season (En été) ...il fait beau (In summer) ...it’s fine
au printemps en été en automne en hiver
- in spring
- in summer
- in autumn
- in winter
A2: Weather (REVISION)
il y a du soleil il y a du vent
il fait mauvais
il fait beau
il fait chaud
il fait froid
il pleut
il neige
il y a des averses
il fait gris
il y a du tonnerre et des éclaires
il y a du brouillard
- it is sunny
- it is windy
- it is nasty
- it is fine
- it is hot
- it is cold
- it is raining
- it is snowing
- there are showers
- it is cloudy
- there’s thunder and lightning
- it is foggy
A2: Weather (NEW)
le ciel est bleu
tout est calme
- the sky is blue
- all is calm
HOW FRENCH WORKS: Saying “in...” a season
Children may notice that, in French, you say: “au printemps”
but “en été”, “en automne”, “en hiver”
Why? It’s not gender - all the seasons are masculine nouns, unlike with countries.
A plausible explanation is to make the phrases easier to say: “en” flows naturally into the following vowel or silent-h, whereas “au” equally easily runs into the opening sound of “printemps”.
Languages are built by custom and usage rather than logical rules!
3.8
8.3
1
1 1 1
❑ Play “Which season is this?”
Here are a variety of ways in which the children can respond to the questions, “C’est quelle saison?” and “Quel temps fait-il (en hiver)?”
n Mime the season
Pairs of pupils prepare a mime to represent a season. The rest of the class must guess which season they are miming.
n Weather descriptions
Present the class with a series of weather phrases which are appropriate to a particular season.
e.g. “Il fait froid. Il neige”
Pupils say what season you are describing, e.g. “l’hiver”. You could also invite confident children to choose the phrases.
n Dressing up
Provide the children with a collection of “weather” clothes and props such as sunglasses and umbrellas.
Extra: Joke
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Literacy: Use the jokes as a starting point for discussion in English about jokes and what makes them funny. Look at examples of English jokes. Pupils can collect simple jokes in English that they think pupils in their French partner school should understand. If you are holding a video conference, pupils can tell each other jokes in their native tongue.
Watch film A3: seasons joke
❑ Watch film A3 in which the joke is told, first by a French child, then repeated with a cartoon.
❑ Literacy: Help pupils work out the meaning of the French joke. This joke is a surreal flight of whimsical fancy.
The answer to “Que fait un éléphant pour déscendre d’un arbre?”- “What does an elephant do to get down from a tree?” is of course, “It sits on a leaf and waits for autumn!”
(“Il se met sur une feuille et attend l’automne!”)
As you make statements about a particular season, pupils take it in turns to dress up in response to the phrases they hear, e.g. “En éte il y a du soleil”; “Au printemps, il y a des averses”.
You could also play this as a game with two teams competing to be first to dress appropriately.
KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
as in... éclair heard before in été
as in... chaud, froid, pleut, fait, vent, brouillard seen before in printemps, hiver
Joke: “Il se met sur une feuille et attend l’automne!”
Early Start French 3 8.4
Les quatre saisons Je
m’appelle
This page may be copied for classroom use © 2023 Early Start Languages
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Part B: Talk about the seasons
Part B re-visits lots of familiar vocabulary from a range of topics in this new context. Children are encouraged to make simple statements about the seasons, and to describe seasonal events - including those portrayed by famous French and other artists.
Planning your lessons
In describing the seasons, children will need varying degrees of help with adjectives when creating French sentences.
Activities
Warm up
Before showing film B1, warm up by revising the French words for colours which can be used to describe seasonal scenes, e.g. point to different objects around the room and say, “C’est quelle couleur?”.
Watch film B1: describe a season
❑ Film B1 shows some things that happen in each of the four seasons, referring back to previous chapters.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
B1: Describe a season
Décrivez une saison
Describe a season
(En été) je vais (à la plage)
(In summer) I go (to the beach)
J’aime faire (de la voile)
I like to (go sailing)
Je mange (des glaces)
I eat (ice-cream)
Colours and seasons
Associez une couleur à une saison
Associate a colour with a season
Tout est... bleu
Everything is... blue
Ask pupils to think of any sentences they can say in French which start “in summer...”. As each phrase is heard, draw a quick picture to represent the phrase e.g
“En éte ...il y a du soleil”; “...je mange des glaces”; “...je vais à la plage”; “...je porte un short et un t-shirt”, etc.
n Encourage children to extend their sentences by using joining words like “parce que” and “et”, e.g. “En éte, je porte un short et un t-shirt parce qu’il fait chaud”.
❑ The seasons in Art
Display the presentation, “The seasons in Art” which show a series of mainly French art-works initially with no title or identification - just the question, “C’est quelle saison?”
Film B1: ”...en été je mange des glaces.”
Film B1 includes lots of familiar vocabulary including references to food, clothing, weather and hobbies. Pupils are also reminded of words and phrases encountered in Ch.3.4, “Les petites bêtes” (dead leaves etc.) .
Respond with understanding
❑ Play “What shall I draw?”
Draw a large circle on the whiteboard and divide it into four. Label each quarter, “en été’”, “au printemps”, etc.
Early Start French 3 8.6
on ‘i’ to find out more about the work
Click
EXTRA WORDS
B1: Antonyms
Trouvez les antonymes
Find the antonyms (opposites)
chaud / froid
clair / sombre
heureux / triste
- hot / cold - light / dark - happy / sad
Teacher instructions
Tapez les pieds quand vous entendez... un nom
Tap your feet when you hear... a noun
Tapez les mains quand vous entendez... un adjectif
Clap your hands when you hear an adjective
Ask the children, “C’est quelle saison?” - and probe their reasons, “Pourquoi?”. One example shows a train in a snowy landscape; some children may be able to say, “C’est l’hiver. En hiver il neige”. Others can say in English or your own language: ...what weather is shown? ...are trees or fields a clue to the season?
At any point, click on the “i” button for information about the work: it reveals the title and date of the painting, the artist and interesting background information.
n Associating seasons and colours
Look through the seasonal landscapes, and ask children to find images that evoke adjectives such as:
chaud/froid (warm/cold), clair/sombre (light/dark).
Ask them to identify warm colours (yellows, oranges, browns, yellowish greens, warm reds) and cool colours (blues, greens, pinks, purples, blue-greens, magentas, and purple-reds).
You could introduce the colour wheel.
Ask pupils to associate one or more colours with each season: “Quels sont les couleurs (d’hiver?)”. Make a table on the board, and ask:
“Associez une couleur à une saison”.
Some pupils maybe able to explain their reasons in French, e.g. “parce que la neige est blanche”. Other children will need to use English (or their own language).
n Arcimboldo and the seasons
Pupils may be particularly interested to see the
KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
as in... décrivez, été heard before in vélo, pied, légumes, marché
as in... printemps
heard before in lancez, jambe, antennes, santé
as in... juin, printemps heard before in train, main, lapin
as in... printemps, hiver seen before in escargot, c’est
pictures by Arcimboldo: this Italian artist created portraits made up of objects such as fruitincluding a series representing each season as a person:
On first showing, ask children to work out what season is represented, and why.
n Make statements about art:
Using the e-flashcards paintings as inspiration, ask children to make more statements about the seasons, e.g. “en hiver, il neige; tout est blanc”. You write the statements on the board for all to see. Then, as a class, read out loud each statement in turn - tell half the class to tap their feet when they hear a noun; the other half to clap hands when there’s an adjective. (see “Extra words” for teacher instructions in French). .
n Make statements, spot nouns, adjectives: Watch film B1 again, spotting either nouns or adjectives as they are spoken.
3.8 Les quatre saisons 8.7
n Say the opposite:
Look through the e-flashcards paintings to find pairs of images that evoke opposites such as: chaud/froid (warm/cold), clair/sombre (light/dark), heureux/triste (happy/sad).
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Art and design - “My favourite season”: Ask pupils to paint their favourite season, using some of what they have learned. They can then show their pictures to the class and describe what the pictures show. Alternatively, while the artist holds up the picture, the class describes what they can see and guesses what season is represented.
❑ Drama: Mime the season
Prepare a mime in groups, the rest of the class guess the season and describe what is happening
e.g. “C’est l’hiver. Il neige; je porte un chapeau et des gants; je bois du chocolat chaud; il fait froid...”
Warm up
Before showing film B2, warm up by revising months and birthdays.
Watch film B2: birthdays & seasons
❑ Film B2 shows ways to say when children’s birthdays are; which month and season.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
B2: Birthdays and seasons
Les mois de printemps - mars, avril, mai Spring months - March, April, May
Les mois d’été - juin, juillet, août Summer months - June, July, August
Les mois d’automne: septembre, octobre, novembre
Autumn months: September, October, November
Les mois d’hiver - décembre, janvier, février
Winter months - December, January, February
Mon anniversaire est... (au printemps) My birthday is... (in spring)
B3: Preferences
Quelle est ta saison préférée? Which is your favourite season?
Remind pupils of the phrase used in film B2 to say which season someone else’s birthday is in. e.g. “L’anniversaire de (Justine) est en été”
❑ Birthday circle game 2: Each child writes his name and birthday month on a piece of paper. Put the papers in a box and mix them up.
The first child takes a paper and says which season the person’s birthday is in, e.g. ‘Sam/ octobre’ - “l’anniversaire de Sam est en automne”.
❑ Birthday circle game 3:
You start by saying your birthday just as the children do in the second part of film B2 e.g.
Film B2: Zélie-”Mon anniversaire est au printemps.!”
Respond with understanding
❑ You say, “Mon anniversaire est en automne” Move round the class asking individuals, “Quelle est la saison de ton anniversaire?”
Children reply “Mon anniversaire est... (en hiver)”.
❑ Birthday circle game 1: Children sit in circle, and go round saying the season of their birthday (or throw a ball); “Mon anniversaire est... (au printemps)”
“mon anniversaire est le 12 janvier”. The child sitting next to you in the circle says; “l’anniversaire de Mme Smith est en hiver Mon anniversaire est le 7 mai”.
The next child says; “l’anniversaire de (Lucy) est au printemps”; and so on round the circle. You may need to have a list of the seasons and corresponding months on the board.
Early Start French 3 8.8
Watch film B3: my favourite season
❑ Children in film B3 give reasons for their preferred season.
Respond with understanding
❑ Ask children “Quelle est ta saison préférée?” If the child answers “l’été”, you ask “Porquoi l’été?”.
The child might answer along these lines, e.g., ”...parce qu’il fait chaud” or “...parce que c’est la saison de mon anniversaire” - or anything else they want to add.
Another useful phrase is “pour” (for) which one child uses in her answer in film B3, e.g. “pour la neige et pour noêl”. For example, “Ma saison préférée est l’été - pour le soleil; pour la plage; pour la natation; “pour” would normally be used in conjunction with nouns in this context.
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ ICT: Do a survey
Pupils could do a survey using the phrases introduced in the previous section 3.7. Questions could be: “Quelle est la saison de ton anniversaire?” or “Quelle est ta saison préférée?” They can show the results as a graph.
Part C: Creative responses to seasons
This section looks at how you can respond creatively to the feelings and sensations evoked by the changing seasons.
You can write poetry: we look at a French poem, “C’est le printemps qui revient”, which celebrates the arrival of one season but can be adapted to be about another. You can create ‘pop-up’ figures like scarecrows to represent the spirit of the season; and you can cook with the best of what the season offers.
Planning your lessons
Children will be particularly motivated if they know they are creating works that will be appreciated by an audience.
Activities
Warm up
Before showing film C1, remind children of animals they know in French, and words for where they live; use e-flashcards from Ch.3.5 (Zoo) and 3.4 (Mini-beasts).
Watch film C1: Poem in class
❑ Watch film C1 which shows French children performing the poem, “Le retour du printemps”, in class.
Get used to the sounds
❑ Echoing: Show the e-flashcards, selecting ‘the animals and where they live’ Children echo these words from the poem, taking care with “key sounds”.
Some extra seasonal animals and habitats are added for possible later use.
3.8 Les quatre saisons 8.9
Film B3: ”Quelle est ta saison preférée?” “Le printemps”. “Pourquoi?” “C’est la fête des épouvantails.”
Film C1: - The action poem in class: ”Tape les mains!”
Get used to the sounds
❑ Echoing: Show the e-flashcards,’read and hear the words’
Following the teacher’s example, different children read out each line, and perform the actions in the chorus - clapping hands and tapping their feet.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
C1: The poem - animals and habitats
une hirondelle la prairie un écureuil la forêt une grenouille l’étang
près de l’étang
- a swallow
- the meadow
- a squirrel
- the forest
- a frog
- the pond
- near the pond
C2: Adapting the poem
(a) change the season
L’été est sur le chemin
Summer is on its way
L’automne est sur le chemin
Autumn is on its way
L’hiver est sur le chemin
Winter is on its way
(b) change the animal / habitat
d’autres animaux un caneton un canard
une mouette
Get used to the sounds
❑ Discuss with the class how the things shown might be signs that ‘spring is on its way’, e.g.
u swallows are again flying over the fields hunting for insects, having returned from their winter migration;
u squirrels revive from winter hibernation;
u frogs lay frogspawn in the ponds.
❑ Children rehearse performing their poem to an audience. Film this so the children can review their own performance and see how they might improve.
Respond with understanding
❑ Adapt the poem about another season: Look again at how the poem is structured; Ask children to identify in each verse elements they could change, such as:
u the animal (e.g. “une hirondelle”),
- other animals
- a duckling
- a duck
- a seagull
u where it lives (e.g. “la prairie”) and...
u the season which is arriving (“le printemps”). Spotting the repetitive structure will help children manipulate the text to make their own version for a different season.
n Ask children to work in groups, each contributing a new verse to adapt the poem for another season. Ensure the groups have a mix of abilities. Each group chooses an animal or mini-beast associated with seasonal change, and a location, e.g., “Sur la plage, ce matin, une mouette m’a dit l’été est sur le chemin” (On the beach this morning, a seagull said to me… summer is on its way).
❑ Children rehearse performing their new verses, to prepare for an audience. They can:
• use props such as masks;
• use actions, tone and facial expression to help emphasise what they are saying;
• add music from “The Four Seasons”.
n Film or take photos of the performance so
Early Start French 3 8.10
Watch film C2: Poem (film)
❑ Watch film C2 which illustrates the poem.
Film C2: “Dans la forêt, ce matin un écureuil m’a dit: ‘Viens, le printemps est sur le chemin.’”
Le retour du printemps
Dans la prairie, ce matin
Une hirondelle m’a dit:
“Viens, viens, viens, viens, Le printemps est sur le chemin.”
REFRAIN:
Tape les mains, c’est le printemps qui revient
Tape les pieds, c’est le printemps qui renaît
Dans la forêt, ce matin
Un écureuil m’a dit: “
Viens, viens, viens, viens, Le printemps est sur le chemin.»
REFRAIN:
Tape les mains, c’est le printemps qui revient Tape les pieds, c’est le printemps qui renaît
Près de l’étang, ce matin
Une grenouille m’a dit: “Viens, viens, viens, viens, Le printemps est sur le chemin.»
REFRAIN:
Tape les mains,c’est le printemps qui revient Tape les pieds, c’est le printemps qui renaît
In the meadow this morning
A swallow said to me: ‘Come, come, come, come, Spring is on its way.’
CHORUS:
Clap your hands, spring is coming again Tap your feet, spring is reborn
In the forest this morning
A squirrel said to me: ‘Come, come, come, come, Spring is on its way.’
REPEAT CHORUS
By the pond this morning
A frog said to me: ‘Come, come, come, come Spring is on its way.’
REPEAT CHORUS
the children can review their effort and see how it might be improved.
If this is the final version, post the recording on the school website, to celebrate their achievement and as evidence of progress.
n Children can create a class multimedia presentation of their new class poem, using film, photos and sound recordings from their performance, together with pictures of the creatures and seasonal scenes depicted.
Film C3 looks at a creative response to the season, where people make impromptu artworks and share them in a public display.
Warm up
Before showing film C3, write “épouvantail” on the board. Ask the class to work out how it might be pronounced using their knowledge of key sounds. (See “key sounds” box).
n When you think they are close, ask them to clap the four syllables, “é-pou-van-tail”.
KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
as in... écureuil, étang, heard before in décrivez, été, légumes, marché
as in... étang heard before in printemps, jambe, antennes, santé
as in...écureuil, grenouille but NOT hirondelle ; heard before in chenille, oreille
as in... canard, animaux, printemps, hiver, forêt seen before in escargot
3.8 Les quatre saisons 8.11
Watch film C3: Scarecrow festival
❑ In Film C3, the French village of Moringhem celebrates its annual scarecrow festival.
n what materials could be used?
n how will it stay upright in the garden? Look again at what the scarecrows in film B3 were made of; encourage children to think of alternative ways of making a “scarecrow”:
n straw was used in many shown in the film, but might be difficult to obtain in cities;
n other combinations of materials such as newspapers, bin bags, plastic bags could be used to stuff a scarecrow;
n old, scratched CDs might be dangled;
n it may include a device to make scary noises.
Adding a notice
Local children show us round their small rural community set in farmland in northern France near the Belgian border. Every spring for over 30 years, they have held a festival, in which each family makes a scarecrow. They display their creation on the roadside outside their house, often adding a caption in French or the local Flemish dialect. Even the village primary school has joined in! The school is named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1932-2007). People come from miles around, drive around the village admiring the scarecrows and join in judging which is best.
Respond with understanding
❑ Talk about the word “scarecrow” in English (see “Talking Point 2”) and look at other words starting with “épouvant....”: “épouvantable” (dreadful, terrible, appalling) “épouvantablement” (dreadfully, terribly); “l’épouvante” (terror, horror); “épouvanter” (to terrify; to horrify; to appal).
❑ Other seasons:
Discuss a possible creative response to other seasons, e.g. make a winter snowman; a summer sand-sculpture; an autumn Hallowe’en character or British Bonfire Night “guy”.
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Design & Technology:
Design and make a scarecrow for your school garden. It will need to be strong to withstand bad weather; it must scare birds without causing them harm. Pupils can discuss:
n why are scarecrows needed?
Pupils can hang a notice in French on their scarecrow; if it is made to look like a person or character, the notice could include a message
e.g. “Je m’appelle Harry Potter; je suis magicien”.
The notice could also name items of clothing and materials, e.g. “je porte des lunettes” (I wear glasses). Help children search a bi-lingual dictionary for words they don’t know.
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
C3: Scarecrows
l’épouvantail (m)
la paille le fer
- scarecrow - straw - metal/iron
l’épouvantail est fait en paille
the scarecrow is made of straw
l’épouvantail est fait en fer
the scarecrow is made of metal
la fête des épouvantails the scarecrow festival
Ton épouvantail est fait en quoi?
What’s your scarecrow made of?
Early Start French 3 8.12
Film C3: “Voici notre épouvantail!”
Film C3: “Je m’appelle Harry Potter; je suis magicien”.
Les quatre saisons
Present to the class
Confident pupils can present their designs to the class, e.g. You ask, “Ton épouvantail est fait en quoi?”; pupils reply “Il est fait (en paille)” You could then ask: “Qu’est-ce qu’il porte?”; pupils reply “Il porte (un pantalon)”
Talking point 2
EVERYDAY LIFE IN France
Scarecrows
Scarecrows were originally very functional: birds try to eat many farm crops, and farmers want to scare them away so they don’t lose much of their harvest and income to these hungry flying predators.
usually when it’s too cold where you are:
n air-freighting from warmer places;
n quick-freezing at the time of harvest;
n growing in glasshouses.
Watch film C4: Cauliflowers
❑ Watch film C4 which shows cauliflowers being cultivated using modern mechanised methods in the marshlands near Saint-Omer.
Scarecrow festivals
Every April the village streets of Moringhem in northern France are full of scarecrows. The event started one day in spring 1989 when the mayor’s secretary set up some scarecrows to direct some foreign friends to his home, as a bit of fun.
The villagers loved the idea so much that they voted at the town hall to make this an annual tradition every spring in April.
Warm up
Before showing Film C4 , discuss with the class what produce is currently “in season” at the time of your lesson; it could be vegetables, fruit, meat or fish. Talk about farming and the seasons: what season do children think is best for planting seeds and seedlings? When in the year should they be harvested? You could talk about how produce is made available out-of-season,
Respond with understanding
❑ In what season do children think the cauliflower seedlings were being planted? When in the year should they be harvested? (see “Talking Point 3”).
KEY SOUNDS
Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?
as in... épouvantail, étang, heard before in décrivez, été, légumes, marché
as in... épouvantail heard before in genou, août, vous
as in... épouvantail, étang heard before in printemps, jambe, antennes, santé
as in...écureuil, épouvantail, grenouille
heard before in chenille, oreille
3.8
8.13
Film C3: Metal scarecrow outside a workshop for farm machinery.
Film C4: ”C’est la saison pour planter les choux-fleurs.”
CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Growing food in your school garden
Try growing enough of one vegetable in your school garden, so you can make a soup with your harvest.
❑ Food Technology/ICT: Survey & Taste-Test
Set up an investigate-and-taste activity with seasonal produce.
Just like the Court of King Louis XIV, can you respond creatively to cooking a meal with the produce that is currently “in season”? (see “Talking Point 3” and Ch.3.11).
Aristocrats in those days were very excited by soups designed to bring out the particular flavour of one vegetable. Here is a pea soup recipe similar to those of the 17th century. Le potage is a soup generally made into a smooth puree before serving, so you need a blender (or press the mixture through a sieve by hand!):
Choices to make in your recipe:
(1) What sort of onions?
Either 4 spring onions, 3 shallots, 1 leek or 1 onion; add a chopped clove of garlic if liked.
(2) Add bacon or make it vegetarian?
Fry 2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, and chop up; or add some sort of ham. If you use bacon, you can add water instead of stock.
(3) Add flavour?
Add a pinch of sugar, if you want it sweeter; a squeeze of lemon juice for a sharper taste.
(4) Garnish to serve?
A small bunch of mint leaves, chopped; and a spoonful of crème fraîche, cream, or yoghurt.
RECIPE for Pea Soup
Ingedients:
30g butter
1 onion, chopped (or alternatives)
450g shelled peas (about 1.2kg of pods)
(or frozen peas); plus 5 pods for extra flavour
750ml vegetable stock (water if adding bacon)
Method:
1. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large pan and add the chopped onion and bacon. Cook gently until it starts to colour.
2. Add the peas and pods and stir well, then pour in 750ml stock/water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the peas are tender (about 10 minutes depending on size).
3. Remove any pods and puree the soup using a blender; then add the lemon juice and season to taste – try adding a pinch of sugar depending on the sweetness of your peas.
4. Warm up soup if it’s getting cold; serve with your chosen garnish.
Talking point 3
EVERYDAY LIFE IN FRANCE
Caulifowers and vegetables in France
Medieval cooking
At the time of King Louis XIV, eating habits in France began to change. In the Middle Ages, the diet of aristocrats was rich in meat and fish; vegetables were considered “indigestible, poor people’s food”.
In the days before refrigeration, cooks disguised the taste of meat and fish going bad by adding strongly-flavoured exotic spices and sugar. 17th-century food writers introduced new ideas, like Nicolas de Bonnefons, in ‘Le Jardinier français’ (1651) and ‘Les Délices de la campagne’ (1654), and chef, François la Varenne, in a recipe book entitled ‘La Cuisinier françois’ (1651). They persuaded cooks to bring out the natural flavours of foods rather than disguise them.
17th century fashion for gardens
Cooks were urged to seek really fresh meat, fish and vegetables. They stopped adding spices from the East like saffron, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom (except pepper); and replaced them with local herbs (parsley, thyme, bayleaf, chervil, sage, tarragon).
Sugar was only to be used in desserts. They persuaded aristocrats all over France to cultivate their gardens, and introduced new vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, peas, cucumber, spinach and artichoke. Cooks were encouraged to prepare simpler food with skill
Early Start French 3 8.14
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES le chou-fleur le potage les petits pois - cauliflower - soup - peas C4: Cauliflowers
At this time, King Louis XIV was building his Palace and Gardens at Versailles (see Ch.3.11), where he created a famous kitchen garden. The potager du roi with 30 gardeners had 16 square walled plots each specialising in growing a different fruit or vegetable for daily royal meals.
Fruits and vegetables became important in French cuisine. Louis was so fond of asparagus that he had glasshouses built in his garden so it could be grown all year round.
At Versailles, the King expected diners to eat with a “fork”, and introduced serving food in a series of courses, rather than all at once.
Louis’ wife, Madame de Maintenon (their marriage was never officially announced), wrote about how foods like the freshest tender young green peas became fashionable amongst idle courtiers: “The question of peas continues. The anticipation of eating them, the pleasure of having eaten them and the joy of eating them again are the three subjects that our princes have been discussing for four days ... It has become a fashion – indeed, a passion”.
Tiny young peas are still sold today with their French name, “petits pois”.
Chefs and French restaurants
Cooking became a specialized profession; La Varenne ‘s recipe book introduced new techniques for preparing meat and fish, such as thickening sauces with fine flour rather than bread; also pastries and fruit and vegetableswith many soup recipes.
It was soon translated into English as “The French Cook”. The preface said, “Of all the cooks in the world, the French are esteemed the best”; French dominance that continued.
I
After the French Revolution, chefs with no aristocrats to serve, set up “restaurants” to offer fine dining to paying customers.
Farming cauliflowers in Saint-Omer
Cauliflowers grow well in the damp fertile soils of the marshland near Saint-Omer in northern France, where farmers reached their fields by boat.
Cauliflower boat - traditional way of transporting to market. Now the farmers mainly use those fields to which they can drive their tractors and heavy machinery, thanks to bridges built over the waterways. They take the harvest to market by lorry, rather than the traditional boat. There are many different varieties of cauliflower: some are planted in autumn and grown over winter, and some are different colours.
3.8 Les quatre saisons 8.15
Le potager du roi.- grew fruit and vegetables in walled gardens to bring out the flavour of the main ingredient. La Varenne said “When I eat cabbage soup, I want it to taste like cabbage.”
La Varenne’s recipe for cauliflower soup, “potage de choux-fleurs”.
English translation of La Varenne’s “La Cuisinier François”, 1653
