Many ingredients in French cooking are standard fare in the United States, such as milk, cheese, bacon, chicken and salmon. However, there are a number of French ingredients that are foreign to most American kitchens and that help to make French cuisine distinctive.
Meats
Less common meats in America that are widely used in French cooking include rabbit, duck and duck confit (duck cooked and packaged in its own fat), goose and goose liver, and frogs' legs.
Seafood
Eel, octopus, sea snails and sea urchins are all found in French cuisine, alongside many standard types of fish.
Vegetables
Although most vegetables used in French cooking are fairly universal, there are a few less common additions to their dishes, including shallots, Belgian endive, fennel, chard and celery root.
Fruit
The French make use of less common fruit such as red and black currants, elderberries, clementines and quinces.
Herbs and Spices
Finally, the catalog of herbs used in French cuisine far exceeds the imaginations of most American households. Angelica, capers, cardamom, lavender, rose water and tarragon are just a few of the many herbs in wide use in French cooking.
Tags: French cooking, French cuisine, most American, used French, used French cooking