Marita van der Vyver paints a vivid picture of indulging in traditional French cuisine while reading timeless novels, celebrating the beauty of cherished tastes and tales.

Tasting a famous traditional meal for the first time can thrill me as much as reading a classic novel for the first time. You know, those dishes you always hear about and yearn to eat if you're serious about food? I like to compare them to the books I've been meaning to read for as long as I can remember, because I love reading even more than I love food.

About two years ago, I got the chance to taste the legendary pressed duck or canard au sang (duck with blood), as the French had called it before international diners became queasy about blood and the insides of animals. (If you're vegetarian, I'll forgive you if you skip the description of its preparation a little lower down.)

Nowadays the most famous version in La Tour d'Argent, the renowned Paris restaurant on the banks of the Seine, is named Caneton Frédéric Delair -- after the chef who started serving it here in the 19th century. Delair also had the brilliant marketing idea of numbering each duckling, and the diners who received a card with the bird's serial number now count well over a million.

Of course I dreamed of eating the...