French Pantry
by Jessica
(Victoria, BC, Canada)
French Pantry Supplies - At L'épicerie
Question: What are the common ingredients that are found in hand in a French kitchen and pantry?
Answer: Hi Jessica, Thanks for stopping by and asking a question.
On well stocked French pantry shelves you are likely to find some of the same basic ingredients that are found many places in the world, including: pasta, beans, lentils, rice, flour, canned tomatoes and tomato sauces, cooking oil, sugar, honey, baking powder, vanilla extract and cocoa.
Some of the more remarkable ingredients in the typical French pantry would be tapenade, tinned sardines and mackerel, olive oil, UHT milk*, balsamic vinegar, coconut milk, bouillon cubes, and high quality cooking chocolate.
You could also expect to find a number of herbs and spices in a typical French kitchen. The basics might include: cumin, curry, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, and a mix of herbs, known as Herbes de Provence.
If you would like to explore more, have a look at this page on French Ingredients.
Hope that helps answer your question a bit and thanks for visiting EFF. If anyone would like to contribute with some ideas of favorite ingredients to keep on hand in their French pantry, please jump right in and use the comment form below.
Photo Credit: The Pink Pepper Corn.
*This is heat sterilized milk that comes in cartons or plastic bottles and has a shelf life of several months. Most milk sold in France is conditioned this way.