Mirepoix (cuisine)
Similar flavour bases include the Italian "soffritto", the Spanish "sofrito", "refogado/sufrito" (braised onions, garlic and tomato) from Portuguese-speaking nations, the German "suppengrün" (leeks, carrots and celeriac), the Polish "włoszczyzna" (leeks, carrots, celery root and parsley root), the US Cajun / Creole holy trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers), and possibly the French "duxelles" (mushrooms and often onion or shallot and herbs, reduced to a paste).
Thirteen desserts
The first four of these are known as the "four beggars" ("les quatre mendiants"), representing the four mendicant monastic orders: Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinian and Carmelites.
Bayle St. John, writing in "The Purple Tints of Paris" (vol. 2) 
"The dishes are substantial; soup, boiled beef, veal, salad, cheese, apples, and what are called, for some mysterious reason, the four beggars — nuts, figs, almonds, and raisins, mixed together."