From accents and culture, to lifestyle and food, regional differences abound in France. In southern France, you couldn’t be further from the butter-rich cuisine of the northwest or the lard and sausage-laden dishes of the mountainous southeast. Blessed by a sunny climate that brings long, hot, dry summers, France’s Mediterranean areas, which include the region of Provence, are famous for almonds, olives, chickpeas, garlic, honey and stunning local fruit crops (figs, apricots, strawberries, cherries, melons). These all play a big part in the traditional diet, which is based on olive oil as the main fat and is particularly rich in fresh vegetables. Cooking meals from scratch using fresh local ingredients from local markets or growers, is key to the southern French way of life. All across France, there’s a genuine…
