Lorraine (German: Lothringen) is a cultural and historical region in north-eastern France. From 1982 until January 2016, Lorraine was an administrative region of France, when it became part of the new region Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine. Lorraine’s name stems from the medieval kingdom of Lotharingia, which in turn was named for either Emperor Lothair I or King Lothair II. It became later the Duchy of Lorraine before it was annexed to France in 1766.
As a region in modern France, Lorraine consisted of the four departments Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges, containing 2,337 communes. The regional prefecture was Metz, although the largest metropolitan area of Lorraine is Nancy. Lorraine makes up nearly half of France’s border with Germany, and also borders Belgium and Luxembourg. Its inhabitants are called “Lorrains” in French and number about 2.4 million.
The use of the potato in Lorraine can be traced back to 1665 and it is used in various traditional dishes of the region such as the potée lorraine. The Breux potato, which takes its name from the village of Breux in the north of the Meuse, is considered to be excellent by experts due to the perfect conditions of the area. Smoked bacon is also a traditional ingredient of the cuisine of Lorraine. It is used in various traditional dishes of the region, including the famous quiche lorraine. The mirabelle plum of Lorraine is the emblematic fruit of Lorraine. It is used in pies and other desserts, as well as in alcoholic beverages. Traditional dishes in the region include: Quiche Lorraine, Pâté lorrain (chopped pork and veal flavoured with white wine and baked in puff pastry), Potée lorraine (a stew of smoked meats and sausages, with cabbage and root vegetables) and Andouille (tripe sausage). Some cheeses come from Lorraine: Carré de l’Est, Brouère, Munster-géromé, Tourrée de l’Aubier and others. Desserts include: Madeleine, Macaron, Rum baba, Plombières ice-cream, various pie recipes (brimbelles bilberry, mirabelle plum, rhubarb, quark and a lot more). The most well-known wine of the region is the Côtes de Toul. There are vineyards in the valley of the Moselle, the valley of Seille, the valley of Metz, and the valley of Sierck-les-Bains. Historically, Lorraine was the location of many breweries, including the Champigneulles founded on June 20, 1897.
Except for dispersed settlement in the Vosges mountains, traditional farms display linked houses, forming linear village. They are built quite far from the road, the area between the house and the road is called l’usoir. Until the 1970s, the usoir was used to store farming tools, firewood or even manure. Today they are generally used as a garden or for car parking. Furniture developed a specific identity after the Thirty Years’ War: the “Lorrain style”.
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