France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the sixteenthth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Nord-Pas de Calais.

“Nord” stands for the Northern part of France south of Belgium and “Pas de Calais” is the coastline directly facing Dover, England.
The last possession of our English cousins at the end of the 100 Years War, it is both a rich agricultural and industrial region.
The culinary specialies featured here are:
-Maroilles, one of its most famous cheeses.
-Betises de Cambrai/Cambrai’s stupidities, probably the most renown French bonbon/sweet!
-Cickory, used instead of coffee or tea even now!

The sea and the coastline provide for many varieties of fish and shellfish, notably mussles (also featured on this sheet!) whose recipes we copied from our Belgian neighbours (including frites/fried potatoes!).

In winter, visit the numerous harbours, castles and farmsteads. In summer join the British on the beaches!

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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the fifteenthth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Lorraine.

Lorraine has always been a “disputed” region. It even became a “Kingdom in Exile” when Louis XIV gave it to King Stanislas of Poland, then bringing a touch of French grandeur still witnessed in Stanislas Square in Nancy.
When Charles the Bold, Duke of Bourgogne died there in his last battle, it sealed the fate of Bougogne inro the hands of the French King.
It changed hands no less than three times because of the modern conflicts between France and Germany.

Among its culinary specialties you can find on the sheet:
-Mirabelles. Now available in grocery stores in France, Germany and elsewhere, they almost completely disappeared and were succefully re-grown in Lorraine.
-Madeleines cakes created by a local pastry chef in the name of his mother (Mine had the same name, too!) when she was bed-riddden.
-Milk in Lorraine helps produce superlative cheese.

But Lorraine is known all over the World for its artists such as Galle and Daum! A visit to the numerous museums of the region (glass, enamel, etc.) is a must before you venture into its great restaurants!

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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the fourteenthth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Limousin.
This region is remarkable for its great variety from arid mountains to luscious plains around small lakes and large rivers.
Its capital, Limoges, acquired its fame since 1769 thanks to its splendid porcelain.
On the sheet you can discover the following culinary specialties:
-Gateau Creusois made with hazelnuts from a recipe dating back to the XVth Century.
-Hazelnuts and all kinds of nuts and mushrooms found inside abundant forests.
-Foie gras de Brive, the main city in Correze (no wonder they play top-class rugby there!)
-Cheeses and meat from the great bovine herds kept in freedom half of the year.

Limousin is also a popular land for nature trekking. Historic sites are just too many. You might need half a dozen cameras if you decide to visit the region!

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Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the thirteenthth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Languedoc Roussillon.
Languedoc Roussillon for a long time of the Provence Realm in the Middle Ages until it was broken by the Albigeois Crusade while Roussillon stayed for a long time under the King of Spain’s dominion.
This turbulent history made this region an extremely rich and complex.
It the largest producer of wines and the origin of many a “national” gastronomic specialty.

On this sheet you can notice:
-Aligot, a poor people’s food which has recently turned fashionable.
-Garlic, a must for almost any cooking!
-Cheeses, a plethora of them!
-Creme Catalane, arguably the best kind of Creme brulee.
There are many others, including mushrooms and cassoulet (although thisis disputed by other regions!)

Now, there are two facts that not many people know:
1) Wolves are protected there in a natural habitat!
2) Jeans or denim originated from Nimes as Bleu de Nimes. It is not American, although it is an American national who imported it first when he noticed the sturdy material worn by the local farmers!

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Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the twelfth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Ile de France.

Ile de France, as its name indicates, “started” with islands in the middle of the Seine River inhabited by the Parisii Celtic tribe, and slowly expanded to become France. It certainly took a long time against many odds!

Limited in area as it is, it nevertheless accounts for some specialties.

-Brie Cheese is assuredly the most famed local product.
-Confits de petales de Provins/flower petals jams are one of its hidden culinary treasures!
-Numerous orchards used to feed the Kings.

But it is a region probably more noted for culinary utensils (Sevres porcelain) and its art de vivre/lifestyle!

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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the eleventh of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Franche-Comte.

Franche-Comte is a rich land bordering Switzerland and has acted as a military buffer zone for ages. It exchanged hands numerous times over the ages but has somewhat preserved its originality thanks to hard winters and sometimes difficulty in access.

On this sheet you can se two of its main products:
-Saucisse de Morteau whose recipe is lost in the times. It needs at leat 48 hours to smoke and makes for a great dish with cabbage or lentils!
-It cows produce great milk for superlative cheeses of all kinds.

It shares a lot with Switzerland as shown by its precision industries, lace-making and beautiful mountain vistas!

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Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the tenth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Corse.
Corse or Corsica has a long has long, rich and extremely agitated history. Even now, it “refuses” to go along any centralized authority.
It had been a haven for Moorish pirates before being possessed by various families and states from Italy. It was subsequently sold to France in the 18th Century with the remarkable consequence that its most famous/notorious son, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte became French for the sorrow of many a family or country almost all over Europe.
Corsicans have always been resilient and self-sufficient.
On this sheet you will discover:
-Chestnuts, the bread of Corsica as islanders have always eaten more bread made from chestnut flour than wheat flour.
-Pork: sausages, of all kinds, have been a food staple.
-Donkeys who found their way onto plates in the form of succulent salamis!
-Brocchu Cheese (Goat milk), a superlative cheese served fresh or matured to various degrees.

Corse also has many a wine worth the voyage whileit seas are renown for its lobsters and Mediterranean fish!
Do you know that a railway crosses the whole island, giving access to some unforgettable views and hidden old towns?

Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the ninth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Champagne Ardennes.
Champagne and Ardennes is a combination of two vastly but very rich regions of France.
“South” Champagne first made ist place in history for the City of Rheims where French Kings had to be crowned to get official recognition. It later became famous for its Champagne sparkling wines. Contrary to many other viniferous regions, Champagne Houses do not conduct cultivation but buy their grapes before processing them. As for the claims of some that Dom Perignon was a blind monk who invented sparkling wines, they have never been proved. At least one sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux, saw its birth before the emblematic monk was born!
Champagne count other gastonomic specialties such as:
-Chaource cheese, a creamy white mold cheese reminiscent of Camembert but with a vastly different taste and aroma. Created in the Middle Ages, Marguerite de Bourgogne made it her staple food!
-Biscuit rose de Reims is a must-buy souvenir!

Ardennes is renown for its great forests providing noble families with abundant game.
You can see samples on the sheet:
-Wild boar is still widely hunted there for its meat.
-Andouillette/Chitterlings in Troyes is probably my favourite dish there. Great cooked in beer with apples!

Both rich lands, which unfortunately saw innumerous wars until the very XXth Century!

Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the eighth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Centre.
Centre is actually a vague term to describe a region that covers land between Paris and Auvergne and the western shores. It has a rich history and shares many castles with Pays de La loire. In the Renaissance French Kings had extravagant castles built there to escape dirty and noisy Paris in Blois (my own father’s hometown), Chambord, Chenoncy and many others across the River Loire.
You might just be able to discern the following on the sheet:
-Cheese. This region has innumerable splendid goat cheeses!
-Fruit and fruit cakes
-Vegetables.
-Venison. As it includes the vast Forest of Sologne, venison, wild boar and other game are plentiful!
Like the rest of the Loire area its climate is the mildest in France making a great place to visit any time of the year!

Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the seventh of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Bretagne.
This is most Cetic region of France and Celtic language is taught at all levels from kindergarten to university. It is a land battered by the seas and the winds and its people are among the hardiest in France.
A land with many legends (Lancelot, witches and so on), it was an independent until in the late Middle Ages.
It is renown for some of the best butter in France, but also for, as seen on this particular sheet:
-Lobsters, especially the “blue tail/Queue bleue” and all kinds of seafood.
-Galettes and Crepes.
-Kouig Anan.

It is a region worth visiting with its many islands still retaining their original wilderness and magnificent natural environments! Ask the British!

Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the sixth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Bourgogne.
In a sense Lou Ann might say it is not fair to introduce this region so early (I do them in alphabetical order!) because this is my “home region”!
This is an enormously rich land, in history, industry and gastronomy.
It is renown for its superlative gastronomy, but many forget that photography was invented there (Nicephore Niepce in Chalon sur Saone), that it counts major companies (Areva, which produces 74% of all electricity in France), a traditional first-class Carnaval and an International Air Ballon Meeting (Chalon sur Saone again! My “hometown”!), and that it used to be a Dukedom in the Middle Ages more powerful than France!

On this particular sheet you can discover:
-Charolais beef.
-Cheese: Epoisses
-Wine: Clos de Vougeot
-Ginger bread/Pain d’epices
-Mustard (of course! Dijon where I was born!)
-Escargots/Snails

I can guarantee there are plenty more!

Please check the new postings at:
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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the fifth of these sheets I’d like to introduce is Basse Normandie.
Interestingly enough The French Post has decided to depict the gastronomy of Basse Normandie (Lower Normandy) but to ignore Haute Normandie (Upper Normandy). Normandie, as it name says, is the land given to the Normans, Northmen, Vikings by a crafty Frnec King to keep them off Paris and guard the access to the Seine River.
It has since then been one of the richest gastronomic regions of France feeding Paris and many invaders during the Hundred Years War.

One can see the following specialties on the stamp sheet:
-Petit sale/Small salted mutton. Sheep grazing grass along the shores of Normandie ingest a good amount of salt blown by the winds, making their flesh extremely tasty and rid of the “usual smell”.
-Milk and Cheese (ever heard of Camembert?)

Other specialties include cider, calvados, omelettes (Mont Saint-Michel) and all kinds of cakes, biscuits and sweets (bonbons).
Oh, I forgot to mention that it lays along one of the richest fishing seas in France (Dover Sole for example that the English steal from us! LOL)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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France has issued many stamps on food (not foodstamps!) on her own gastronomy for quite some time.
A new series will be issued on April 25th and wil be printed in the form of mini-sheets dedicated to a particular region with stamps, pics and explanations.
With the fourth of these sheets I’d like to introduce Auvergne.
Auvergne is an ancient land made famous by the Celtic tribe’s, the Avernes, resistance to Julius Caesar when he conquered Gaul.
It is also remarkable for a plethora of natural mineral water sources and spas first exploited by the Romans (who loved their baths).
It is still considered as the last wild region of France with its extinct volcanoes, bitter winters and hardy people.

One can see the following specialties on the stamp sheet:
-Salers Cheese from the Cantal
-Perigord black truffles
-Vichy sweets made in the same city of Vichy renown for its spas and mineral water.
-Salers cows which for great cheese and meat.
-innumerable fruit and nuts including chestnuts.

Plenty more, I guarantee you!
I almost forgot: One of the best trekking areas with plenty of inns and small restaurants vying for the best local food!

Please check the new postings at:
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