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French Classics

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French pantry essentials

The French pantry: from past to present

In the old days, the French pantry was the room between the backyard and the kitchen – in
French it was called the garde-manger, which literally means the “keep food”. The pantry was
always kept cool, well ventilated and not too much light was let in. It had several shelves and
cavities in the wall that opened from both inside and outside to accommodate raw
ingredients. These shelves were packed with dry goods and preserves, fruits and vegetables,
fish and duck confit amid the sacks of grain, dry sausages and hams. If you had to be

accidentally locked into a room, this was definitely the one you’d choose.

Nowadays, because of refrigeration and the way we shop, the need for a pantry as it was in
the old days has waned. Today, the traditional pantry has been replaced with a big-enough
grocery cupboard, a fridge and a freezer. Despite these modern conveniences, some things

never change, and the key to cooking well is still to be cleverly stocked up. When you open
the grocery cupboard, you should be immediately inspired by the tins of juicy tomatoes, the
fresh lentils, the fragrant herbs and the singular smell of onions and garlic. Whatever the
ingredients, you need to be presented with choice in order to get properly fired up about
cooking. Here is a list of a few items to have in your grocery cupboard at home:

Pantry stock list

General

Flour

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