A Food Lover’s Tour de France

Epicerie Fine, a new food show debuting this Sunday on TV5 Monde promises to be a fascinating tour de France gastronomique. Hosted by Guy Martin, the dynamic chef of Le Grand Véfour and other restaurants, the documentary series will focus on the most famous products of French gastronomy, from fish and meat to fruits, vegetables, cheeses and condiments, exploring their places of origin, interviewing their producers and discussing their methods of preparation.

Even a partial list of specialties (the series is being filmed now, and this list may change) is mouth-watering: sea scallops and oysters from Brittany, lake fish from Savoie, Sisteron lamb, chicken from the Landes, Southwestern black pig, fruits and vegetables from apricots to zucchini, Brie de Meaux and Banon cheeses, and other Gallic delights including truffles, olives, churned butter, honey, saffron, fleur de sel and Dijon mustard.

Filming will take Martin all over France, from the northern ports of Brittany to the mountains of Corsica, giving viewers the chance to meet the fishermen, livestock breeders, farmers, harvesters and cooks responsible for bringing these iconic foodstuffs to the French table.

Each half-hour episode will begin with Martin interviewing a leading producer (the program is in French, with English subtitles). Their discussion will cover the product’s history, varieties, uses, changes over time, and economic and environmental challenges. Next, a visit its place of origin—a cow barn for Brie de Meaux, a field of blackcurrant bushes for cassis de Bourgogne, a grove of truffle oaks, a lake port in Savoie where fishermen haul in their catch of the day—shows how the product is grown, raised or harvested. Finally, Martin and the producer will offer tips on preparation that will bring out the best of its flavor.

Martin was inspired to create the series, he says, “to shine a light on the men and women who produce, grow and raise the very best—and not necessarily the most expensive—of what the land, the sea and France have to offer.”

Part food-lover’s travelogue, part celebration of the people who for generations have been passing down their skills, Epicerie Fine promises to be a delightful illustration of why UNESCO added French gastronomy to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

The first episode, on Tricastin truffles, will air on Sunday, October 16 at 7:30 pm New York time on TV5Monde (check local listings). For an advance look at what’s in store, visit the show’s website: www.tv5monde.com/epiceriefine