FRENCH RECIPES

French cuisine has developed from centuries of social and political change. In the 17th century the French court moved away from heavy spices and towards the more liberal use of herbs and creams, signalling the beginning of modern cuisine. Cheese and wine are a major part of French cuisine, playing different roles regionally and nationally. Knowledge of French cooking has now contributed significantly to Western cuisines and its criteria are used widely in Western culinary education. So influential is French cuisine that, in 2010, the French gastronomy was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage".