France is one of the world’s top tourist destinations and boasts a rich culture with many events throughout history. Additionally, this beautiful nation also harbors some interesting and lesser known facts that deserve more recognition.
French engineers created the camera phone in 1997, while one of the world’s oldest individuals ever was Jeanne Louise Calment from France who lived to be 122.
Wine
France is well-known for many things, from its mouthwatering cuisine (held up as an international benchmark) to the iconic Eiffel Tower – and there are plenty of fascinating facts about France to uncover.
Wine, from Champagne of the Gods to Cognac of the Rich, is one of the country’s premier exports. French are also passionate about cheese production with more than 1,200 types produced each year – so much so that February 20 is dedicated to Cheese Day celebrations in their nation!
Wine’s primary acid is tartaric acid derived from grapevines, making wine highly resistant to spoilage due to bacteria’s inability to metabolize it. Furthermore, its composition includes high amounts of glycerol that gives wine its distinct sweet taste while helping keep it fresh for extended periods.
Wine can come from virtually every region on Earth; its label will typically indicate which region it hails from to allow consumers to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into when making their selection. This makes shopping wine easier!
Wine is unique among beverages in that we can easily assign it a geographical name, like Savoy or Burgundy, because its grapes grow only in specific areas and this helps consumers differentiate the various wines available to them.
As such, there are various wine regions throughout the world – France being no exception. Their wines are highly-regarded worldwide; so, should you visit, be sure to bring along a selection of your favorite bottles – the locals will thank you!
Croissants
Croissants are an iconic breakfast pastry, known for its flaky buttery exterior and tender interior. Ideal as part of an overall healthy diet when consumed moderately, croissants offer endless sweet and savory filling possibilities and should always be served alongside coffee or tea for optimal enjoyment. Although croissants contain significant calories, fat and sodium amounts when consumed regularly they can still form part of a healthy lifestyle plan when eaten responsibly.
A croissant is a type of pastry composed of layers of dough folded over and around layers of butter or margarine to produce its signature airy texture. Granulated sugar may also be added for sweetness.
The croissant has long been associated with France, but its roots lie elsewhere – specifically Austria and Germany as a variation on kipfel. It is thought that French queen Marie Antoinette from Austria brought it with her when she returned home in 17th century France.
Butter is the star ingredient in a croissant, providing both flavor and texture. Cut into very thin pieces, it is then laminated into the dough during a process called lamination – this allows it to melt during baking to form paper-thin layers that define this classic pastry treat.
Other ingredients necessary to creating croissants include flour, salt, cold water or milk, yeast and sugar. All-purpose or bread flour is most often used, while water or milk is necessary to hydrate all the dry ingredients; salt helps balance flavors while stimulating dough rise while yeast provides leavening power – instant or active dry yeast is often recommended; cold water or milk adds moisture but isn’t essential to making a tasty dough texture.
A croissant can be served alone, or with spreads such as jam, chocolate or cream cheese. Savory variations often contain items like ham, cheese or spinach fillings; when brushed with egg before baking it becomes golden-brown on the outside while remaining soft and buttery on the inside.
Snails
French cuisine is famously delicious, and escargot is among the most beloved dishes. Yet many don’t realize that snails are some of the world’s slowest animals – moving at only 0.5-0.8 inches per second, they would take over 24 hours to travel one mile! Snails are known for their shells which protect them from predators while simultaneously helping regulate temperature regulation.
Snails possess an innovative reproductive system. Being hermaphrodites (having both male and female reproductive organs), snails use smell and taste to find potential mates; once found, one of them stabs their potential partner with an appendage called a love dart to prevent their body rejecting any sperm that comes through from either partner and increase fertility rates. Snails belong to the Mollusca family of animals like Clams and Oysters but are unique as the only species possessing true protective shells as opposed to an exoskeleton shell covering their bodies instead.
One of the more fascinating snail facts is that they produce slime to help them move around. This slime creates a suction between their foot and whatever surface they are crawling on, or can even stick to walls, creating an advantage when climbing surfaces such as vines or razor blades without getting hurt.
Snail slime serves more than one purpose – from helping build their shells to absorbing water and nutrients from the air in times of drought to burrowing into snow to stay warm, helping snails remain alive in even colder climates.
An interesting snail fact is their use of slime to defend themselves against bacteria. Snails produce thick fluid composed of carbon dioxide and proteins which kill any infections entering their bodies – thus being one reason for their ability to ward them off effectively.
Kissing on Train Platforms
Kissing on train platforms may seem romantic, but it can cause trains to depart early. That is why one train station in northern England recently installed a sign dividing their parking lot into “kissing” and “no kissing” zones – designed to prevent people from staying too long on platforms before their train departs and creating traffic jams that delay other passengers.
Warrington Bank Quay in Cheshire, England was chosen as the site for filming Brief Encounter; during which Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard share an unforgettable kiss on its platform before parting ways.
However, at one station they’ve installed “no kissing” signs, on the grounds that long goodbye clinches were creating congestion and delays. Virgin Trains insists these ‘no kissing’ signs are just meant as a lighthearted way of encouraging people to move along quickly so they can catch their train.