Episodes

The modern charcuterie board may be beautiful, but it isn’t particularly French. This week, Caroline and Emily unpack the world of French charcuterie, from saucisson and jambon to pâté, rillettes, and pâté croûte. They explain why cheese and charcuterie were traditionally served separately, how regional pork traditions shaped French cuisine, and why the Instagram charcuterie […]

What actually is a bistro, and why does Paris seem to have a different word for every type of restaurant? In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily Monaco and Caroline Fazeli break down one of the most misunderstood concepts in French food culture. From cafés to brasseries to bouillons, the lines between these establishments […]

In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily and Caroline unpack the real story of Marie-Antoine Carême, the ambitious pastry chef who rose to cook for diplomats, emperors, and tsars, and helped shape modern French cuisine. Beyond the dramatized version, Carême was a master of image and storytelling, even spreading myths about his own life. […]

Potatoes are one of the most iconic ingredients in French cuisine today. But for centuries, the French refused to eat them. In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily Monaco and Caroline Fazeli uncover the strange and fascinating story of how the humble potato went from feared outsider to beloved staple of French cooking. Once […]

Mexican food in France is often treated as cheap street food, but chef Carla Kirsch is challenging that narrative. In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, we sit down with the Mexican-born, French-trained chef behind Alebrije in Lyon to talk about bringing Mexican cuisine into the French fine dining world. We dig into why French […]

Is beef bourguignon really a rustic Burgundian peasant dish? Or is it one of France’s greatest culinary PR successes? In this episode, Emily Monaco and Caroline Fazeli dig into the surprisingly modern (and non-Burgundian) origins of beef bourguignon, how it became a symbol of “traditional” French home cooking, and why the version most of us […]