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).
French cuisine
The first characteristic was a rejection of excessive complication in cooking. Second, the cooking times for most fish, seafood, game birds, veal, green vegetables and pâtés was greatly reduced in an attempt to preserve the natural flavors. Steaming was an important trend from this characteristic. The third characteristic was that the cuisine was made with the freshest possible ingredients. Fourth, large menus were abandoned in favor of shorter menus. Fifth, strong marinades for meat and game ceased to be used. Sixth, they stopped using heavy sauces such as espagnole and béchamel thickened with flour based "roux", in favor of seasoning their dishes with fresh herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. Seventh, they used regional dishes for inspiration instead of haute cuisine dishes. Eighth, new techniques were embraced and modern equipment was often used; Bocuse even used microwave ovens. Ninth, the chefs paid close attention to the dietary needs of their guests through their dishes. Tenth and finally, the chefs were extremely inventive and created new combinations and pairings.