of the Rugby World Cup.

French cuisine is renowned for being one of the finest in the world.[361][362][363][364][365][366] French cuisine is extremely diverse and has exerted a major influence on other western cuisines.[367] According to the regions, traditional recipes are different, the North of the country prefers to use butter as the preferred fat for cooking, whereas olive oil is more commonly used in the South.[368]
Moreover, each region of France has iconic traditional specialities : Cassoulet in the Southwest, Choucroute in Alsace, Quiche in the Lorraine region, Beef bourguignon in the Bourgogne, provençal Tapenade, etc. France's most renowned products are wines,[369] including Champagne, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and Beaujolais as well as a large variety of different cheeses, such as Camembert, Roquefort and Brie. There are more than 400 different varieties.[370][371]
French cuisine is also regarded as a key element of the quality of life and the attractiveness of France.[349] A French publication, the Michelin guide, had by 2006 awarded 620 stars to French restaurants, at that time more than any other country, although the guide also inspects more restaurants in France than in any other country (by 2010, Japan was awarded as many Michelin stars as France, despite having half the number of Michelin inspectors working there).

Popular sports played in France include football, judo, tennis[376] and basketball.[377] France has hosted events such as the 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups,[378] and hosted the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup.[379] Stade de France in Saint-Denis is the largest stadium in France and was the venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup final; it also hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in October 2007. France also hosts the annual Tour de France, the most famous road bicycle race in the world.[380][381] France is also famous for its 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car endurance race held in the Sarthe department.[382] Several major tennis tournaments take place in France, including the Paris Masters and the French Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. French martial arts include Savate and Fencing.
France has a close association with the Modern Olympic Games; it was a French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who suggested the Games' revival, at the end of the 19th century.[383][384] After Athens was awarded the first Games, in reference to the Greek origins of the ancient Olympics, Paris hosted the second Games in 1900.[385] Paris was also the first home of the International Olympic Committee, before it moved to Lausanne.[386] Since that 1900 Games, France has hosted the Olympics on four further occasions: the 1924 Summer Olympics, again in Paris[384] and three Winter Games (1924 in Chamonix, 1968 in Grenoble and 1992 in Albertville).[384]
Both the national football team and the national rugby union team are nicknamed “Les Bleus” in reference to the team’s shirt color as well as the national French tricolor flag. The football team is among the most successful in the world, particularly at the start of the 21st century, with one FIFA World Cup victory in 1998,[387] one FIFA World Cup second place in 2006,[388] and two European Championships in 1984[389] and 2000.[390] The top national football club competition is the Ligue 1. Rugby union is also very popular, particularly in Paris and the southwest of France.[391] The national rugby union team has competed at every Rugby World Cup, and takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship. Following on from a strong domestic tournament, the French rugby team has won sixteen Six Nations Championships, including eight grand slams; and has reached the semi-finals (6 times) and the final (3 times) of the Rugby World Cup.
Rugby league in France is a sport that is most popular in the south, with cities such as Perpignan and Toulouse having a strong presence in the game. The Catalans Dragons currently play in Super League, which is the top tier rugby league competition in Europe. The Elite One Championship is the professional competition for rugby league clubs in France.
In the last decades, France has produced a high number of world-elite basketball players, most notably Tony Parker. The French National Basketball Team has won silver at the FIBA EuroBasket 2011, its best performance in over 60 years. In addition, the national team won two Olympic Silver Medals, one in 2000 and one in 1948