Mediterranean influence on French Chefs?

French cuisine is thought by many to be the best in the world and with its years of tradition and refinement it can certainly boast some amazing dishes. Interestingly though, for all the pride the French take in their own heritage and identity, their food scene remains open to the influence of other cultures, in particular Mediterranean cooking.

National cultures are funny things really. We think in terms of countries and their boundaries but in fact the situation isn’t as clear-cut as all that. With the exception of islands, the boundaries are totally arbitrary and what you really have is just groups of people moving through life together and having an impact on each other’s lives. This means that over the years France has been influenced by its neighbours and you’ll find elements of German cuisine and Italian cuisine in amongst the omelettes and the moules frites.

As a Greek girl living in Athens, I find it interesting to observe the influence of Mediterranean cooking on French cuisine, and particularly to see the number of Greek and Turkish restaurants in Paris at the moment. A delivery service such as Deliveroo typically offers a really good selection of Mediterranean eateries that give an authentic taste of this sort of food.

You’ve got somewhere like Le Cheval de Troie that offers fantastic kebabs. These are relatively simple dishes that are really quite rustic but that have that amazing smoky flavour that can only be imparted by a proper wood fire. There’s nothing quite like it and one of these kebabs in a warm flatbread with fresh, crisp salad makes for a very satisfying meal. Alternatively this place does an excellent Moussaka. This heart-warming dish isn’t just a veggie alternative to the meat dishes- with the delicious aubergine, rich tomato sauce and salty feta cheese it’s something that everyone can enjoy.

Then there are the restaurants that specialise in Mediterranean delights such as hummus and tabbouleh. O’Bon Traiteur is a great example, the hummus here being beautifully enriched with olive oil and lightened with a squeeze of lemon. The Lens Royal here is also brilliant. Using lentils along with onion and pepper, the whole mixture is lifted by mint and cumin to make a nice fragrant dish.

A true hybrid of French and Mediterranean cuisine is found at Balls. The great range of dumplings here is the product of both cuisines. There are French-inspired veal and caramelised onion dumplings playing off that rich, refined heritage; and then there are Mediterranean-inspired options such as veggie dumplings highly flavoured with coriander and cumin for that powerful, fragrant flavour.

So clearly the French aren’t quite as proud when it comes to their food as their reputation would have one believe. They are certainly open to the influence of other cultures and their Mediterranean restaurants show just what happens when they get a taste for Greek and Turkish cuisine.