Although French Recipes and French Cooking may not appeal to everyone, it is always elegant and refined. The masterpieces of royal cooks have become a signature in French cooking and the world's greatest chefs were masters of the recipes and cuisine. Different from Italian cooking, French cuisine is also noted for the diverse food preparation coming from each of the 26 regions. French recipes and techniques have also had a great influence on European cuisine as a whole. Schools that teach cooking techniques use standards and the cooking recipe of French cooking as the foundation for many other styles. This is especially apparent in western cuisine and recipes. It is the approach to healthy cooking and food in French recipes that reflects their love of dining, appreciation of fresh ingredients, home cooking and ingenuity in the use of available ingredients in the different territories. Where as interest in French cooking varies, each region in France has a special outdoor cooking recipe for each season and occasion. The different seasons has also challenged the ingenuity of the French chefs in coming up with a gourmet cooking recipe for varied dishes using basic ingredients that are plentiful. In summer, the cooking is light; salads and fruit dishes give the refreshing and healthful respite from the winters. When summer is gone, mushrooms are plentiful in the countryside's and appear in tasty stew recipes. Unlike Chinese cooking that highlights sea food, cooking venison highlights the well-prepared table during the hunting season that starts from September and runs until February. In spring, French food is spiked with oysters. Hence, French cooking is an art and has introduced gustatory delights to the commoner's table through diversity. The major tastes and flavors of French cooking recipes were invariably influenced by their proximity to other countries. Alsace, which is near Germany, has sausages, salted pork, raisin cakes, and potatoes as the main ingredient in their recipes for robust meals for all occasions. In the Alps region cheese reigns in almost all its provincial dish's recipes. The Artois-Picardy provinces in the northern regions have fish dishes and terrines. The bouillabaisse a stew of fish, tomatoes and herbs is a favorite starter to any meal and a well-loved dish in the Cote d Azure and Provence areas. The French cooking recipe in Britanny has made use of fruits in season in crepes; they also have the tasty flat crusty cakes and dumplings. Burgundy made edible snails an exotic dish and the southwest recipe gave the world cuisine pate foie gras a dainty dish of duck liver. Many French cookbooks make vegetarian cooking recipes difficult. However for the time-harassed French food enthusiast, there are now French cook books that make it easier and more fun to prepare than ever, with cooking tips and techniques. Not to mention the fact that even without cooking school or fancy cooking equipment, you can impress your friends with food, the names of which they cannot pronounce when you master a French cooking recipe.