I know you’ve all been wondering when I was going to announce the French Region for October. (Actually, I know you haven’t. Statistics show that these “Regional French” posts are some of the least visited on this site. And yet, some of the most searched… hmmm.) At any rate, this is a region I’ve had planned since the beginning, and one I’m very excited about: Burgundy. Bourgogne to the French. I will be using the terms interchangeably. Some of my favorite wines and cheeses in all of France come from Burgundy, not to mention some of the dishes that are inextricably linked with Classic French Cuisine, such as Boeuf Bourguignonne, Coq au Vin, and escargots. (Let’s not forget gougères are also a Bourguignonne specialty.) My trip is planned, and in honor of Dijon, whe’re I’m headed for a weekend, as well as in honor of Friday, I present to you Kir.
Kir, a classic French apéritif, was invented by Félix Kir, a former mayor of Dijon (who I can’t stop imagining as the Bud Clark of France). Cassis, aka blackcurrants, grow very well in Burgundy, so naturally the wine-loving populace came up with a way to make them alcoholic. By soaking fresh cassis berries in alcohol, they extract a sweet liqueur heady with the aromas of the ripe fruit. As the story goes, the drink was invented to make less-awesome white wine more drinkable by mixing it with one third crème de cassis. And believe me, it does. Cheers!
Originally published on Croque-Camille.
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