In nearly every French household you’ll find these quintessential French Objects…
LA CHARENTAISE
A charentaise is a generic French word for slipper. It refers however to a specific pantoufle, usually plaid, which came from the area near Angouleme in the Charente area of France about 300 years ago. The area had many paper mills. At the time paper was made from rags and leftover felt pieces from the papermaking were used to line wooden shoes, making them warmer and softer. A bit later a shoemaker from the town of La Rochefoucaud in the Charente had the idea to add a rigid sole to the felt clog liners thus creating the pantoufle charentaise. In the late 1980s the slipper industry produced 60 million pairs per year – that works out to one pair per Français — and exported them all over Europe.
NUTELLA
Originally made in Italy, starting in 1964 Nutella is in every French person’s core and on their bread. Sometimes it is eaten right off the spoon out of the jar. Creamy hazel nut and chocolate goodness that is not just for kids, it’s 82% of the spreadables market in France. 800,000 jars are made each day in the factories in France! It all started during the dog days of summer in a heat wave when the chocolate melted. Instead of fighting the heat the gooey chocolate was put into jars and sold that way. The name means little nut and the recipe is slightly different to fit the taste of each country! France holds the record for Nutella consumption, eating 26% or 300,000 tons of it each year – yup it’s in the genes.
L’OPINEL
In 1985 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London selected the Opinel knife as part of an exhibit celebrating the 100 most beautifully designed products in the world, placing the Opinel alongside the Porsche 911 sports car and the Rolex watch. 2006 Phaidon Design Classics selected the Opinel amongst the 999 best designs in the world. In 1989 the consecration is complete when the word «opinel» is added to the Larousse dictionary making the brand a household word for folding knife. When you get one in hand you’ll appreciate the unique locking system. The family run company in Savoie produces about 5 million knives per year, some speciaized for mushroom hunting – another French pastime. No wonder every French person has one.
QUECHUA
The Quechua are a people from South America. But Decathlon used the name as a brand and it is one of Decathlon brands which you will see on tons of French sports gear. The brand was born on the slopes of Mount Blanc in 1997 and most French people own some Quechua gear. The most innovative and award-winning is the flip out tent – you can put it up in 2 seconds – perfect for busy Parisians. Decathlon’s model of pretty good quality, innovation and low prices draws everybody in. But don’t forget there are other Made in France sports brands: Rossignol, Le Coq Sportif, Lacoste, Aigle, Adidas…
There’s more Quintessential French you should know :
https://fusac.fr/quintessential-french-objects/ and
https://fusac.fr/essential-france-objects/
