Roux French cuisine, but may be lard or vegetable oil in other cuisines. The roux is used in three of the five mother sauces of classical French cooking: béchamel sauce, velouté sauce, and espagnole sauce. In Cajun cuisine, roux is made with bacon fat or oil instead of butter and cooked to a medium or dark brown color, which lends much richness of flavor, albeit less thickening power. Central European cuisine often uses lard (in its rendered form) or more recently vegetable oil instead of butter for the preparation of roux, which is called in Slovak, in Czech, in Polish, ()
French cuisine course) or "dessert", sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert. French regional cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity and style. Traditionally, each region of France has its own distinctive cuisine. Paris and Île-de-France are central regions where almost anything from the country is available, as all train lines meet in the city. Over 9,000 restaurants exist in Paris and almost any cuisine can be obtained here. High-quality Michelin Guide-rated restaurants proliferate here. Game and ham are popular in Champagne, as well as the special sparkling wine simply known as "Champagne". Fine fruit preserves are known from