France gives you a real taste of a country that has made food one of the great joys of everyday life. It creates a culinary journey from the restaurants of Lyon to the kitchens of Provence, through the vineyards of Bordeaux to the bakers of Paris, to discover the food that defines today's French cooking: the freshest seafood with herb aioli, winter salt pork with lentils and slow-cooking cassoulet, warm brioche and petits pots de crème.

Beautiful photographs shot in France show how to choose the best produce -- from market fresh vegetables to seafood, regional cheeses, and charcuterie. To partner the recipes, special sections explore the essence of French food and drink. Varieties of cheeses, charcuterie, seafood, patisserie, and breads have been photographed to make identification easy.

Included are sections on such special topics as: - Properly ripening a Camembert - The baguette - French chocolate - Enjoying the best of France's wines and champagnes.