If you’re anything like me, you love to experience the real, authentic side of a country and its culture whenever you travel.
So, when you visit France, and you see the many, many shops and restaurants selling frog legs, escargot, and sugary crepes with tons of toppings, you’re probably wondering… do French people really eat that? Or is this a bit of a tourist trap?
In today’s video lesson, I’ll give you an inside look at the touristy foods you’ll find all over France, but that a French person would never eat. I’ll even explain entirely in French, so you can practice your oral comprehension at the same time.
1 - The lesson all in French
En France, et surtout à Paris, vous allez découvrir de nombreux restaurants pour touristes.
In France, and especially in Paris, you will discover numerous tourist-oriented restaurants.
Dans les quartiers les plus fréquentés, certains établissements adaptent leurs menus pour cette clientèle.
In the most frequented areas, some establishments adapt their menus for this clientele.
Et pas seulement en les traduisant en cinq langues !
And not just by translating them into five languages!
Non, les plats eux-mêmes peuvent être conçus pour proposer des recettes “typiquement françaises” – auxquelles la plupart des Français n’ont jamais goûté !
No, the dishes themselves can be designed to offer “typically French” recipes – which most French people have never tasted!
Par exemple, les cuisses de grenouille. C’est un plat célèbre, assez emblématique de la cuisine française. Mais pour la majorité des Français, c’est une simple curiosité : peu de gens en ont déjà mangé. Et en tout cas, c’est toujours dans des circonstances particulières, pour ne pas mourir idiot.
For example, frog legs. This is a famous dish, quite emblematic of French cuisine. But for the majority of French people, it is a mere curiosity: few have ever eaten it. And in any case, it is always in special circumstances, so as not to die foolish.
Et pour être claire, il n’y a rien de mal à ça ! Vous aussi, vous pouvez profiter de votre voyage en France pour goûter les recettes étranges du pays. Et il n’y a rien de mal non plus à apprécier un restaurant pour touristes, évidemment.
And to be clear, there is nothing wrong with that! You too can enjoy your trip to France by tasting the country’s unusual recipes. And there is nothing wrong with enjoying a tourist restaurant, obviously.
Souvent, ils connaissent leur marché et savent offrir l’expérience que vous désirez. Mais aujourd’hui, je voudrais seulement clarifier que de nombreux plats ne sont pas une habitude des Français.
Often, they know their market and know how to provide the experience you desire. But today, I just want to clarify that many dishes are not a habit of French people.
Comme manger des escargots, à la bourguignonne, cuits dans leur coquille avec une garniture à base d’ail, de persil, et de beurre. C’est délicieux ! Mais ça ne fait pas vraiment partie du quotidien des Français.
Like eating snails, Burgundy style, cooked in their shell with a garnish based on garlic, parsley, and butter. It’s delicious! But it doesn’t really belong to French people’s everyday life.
Dans la même situation, on a le ris de veau, un plat délicieux mais très délicat, et le steak tartare, coupé au couteau : composé de viande crue hachée finement et assaisonnée entre autre de moutarde et de jaune d’œuf.
In the same situation, we have veal sweetbreads, a delicious but very delicate dish, and knife-cut steak tartare: made up of finely chopped raw meat and seasoned with, among other things, mustard and egg yolk.
Ce plat est souvent présenté comme typiquement français. Mais pour les
Français, il est réservé aux occasions spéciales – et aux amateurs de viande crue hachée.
This dish is often presented as typically French. But for the French, it is reserved for special occasions – and for lovers of finely chopped raw meat.
D’autres plats encore sont réservés à des palais entraînés. Certains fruits de mer, par exemple, comme le bulot, une huître, ou une araignée de mer.
Other dishes are reserved for trained palates. Some seafood, for example, like whelks, an oyster, or a spider crab.
Certains fromages aussi : si le maroille fait partie du quotidien culinaire du Nord de la France, son odeur peut rebuter certains Français pourtant habitués aux camemberts !
Some cheeses too: if Maroilles is part of the daily culinary life of northern France, its smell can put off some French people who are used to Camemberts!
Enfin, le plat le plus français de tous est probablement le coq au vin.
Finally, the most French dish of all is probably coq au vin, rooster in wine.
Le coq est l’emblème de la France, et le pays est évidemment un grand producteur de vin.
The rooster is the emblem of France, and the country is obviously a major producer of wine.
Eh bien personnellement, je n’en ai jamais eu dans mon assiette!
Well personally, I have never had it on my plate!
En osant commander tous ces plats lors de votre visite en France, vous pourrez donc découvrir des trésors à table et impressionner vous-même vos amis français !
By daring to order all these dishes during your visit to France, you can discover treasures at the table and impress your French friends yourself!
2 - Vocabulary review
Il n’y a rien de mal à ça ! = There’s nothing wrong with that.
Pour ne pas mourir idiot. = “So you don’t die ignorant” (literally) = “Just for the sake of knowing”
** Le truc en plus **
“Pour ne pas mourir idiot” is kind of grim! Similarly, when learning something new and surprising, we also use “Je mourrais moins bête.” (= I’ll die a bit less of an idiot = I’m one bit smarter now.) Or in the second person: Tu mourras moins bête (= you’ll die a bit smarter.)
“Tu mourras moins bête” became the name of an excellent series of illustrated books (or une bande-dessinée = a comic book) by French writer Marion Montaigne, of la vulgarisation scientifique, science popularization. It’s smart and funny!
And it was adapted as animation for the TV channel Arte: YouTube Channel for “Tu mourras moins bête” episodes for free.
** ** **
And now, let’s talk a bit about the food!
Les cuisses de grenouille = “frog’s thighs” (literally) = frog’s legs
Une cuisse = a thigh, from the knee up.
Une jambe = a leg,
Une grenouille = a frog
Un escargot = a snail, an escargot
Un escargot de Bourgogne = an escargot from Burgundy (big)
Un escargot à la bourguignonne = escargot cooked in the Burgundian way
With le beurre (= butter), l’ail (= garlic), le persil (= parsley)
Un ris de veau (silent “s”) = a veal sweetbread, a type of gland that’s delicious when cooked well.
With les échalotes (= shallots), le vin blanc (= white wine)…
Unrelated: Rire (= to laugh), je ris (= I’m laughing)
Le riz (silent z) = rice
Le steak tartare = steak tartare
With la viande crue (= raw meat), le jaune d’œuf (= an egg’s yolk, and not le blanc d’œuf = an egg’s white), la moutarde (= mustard)…, Here, la viande cru(e) = la viande pas cuit(e) = raw / not cooked meat
But is sounds like:
Croire = to believe, cru(e) = believed (adjective / past participle)
For instance:
La viande est crue ! Je l’aurais pas cru !
= the meat is raw! I wouldn’t believe it!
** Le truc en plus **
The popular story says that “steak tartare” comes from the Tartars (nomads related to the Mongols) who would prepare meat by placing it under their saddle, so they could eat it raw during raids or traveling.
However, the dish’s origins can actually be traced back to French cuisine, where it gained popularity in the early 20th century. The “tartare” part of the name probably comes la sauce tartare (= tartar sauce, from mayonnaise, pickles and herbs) it was served with, which name probably derives from la crème de tartre (= tartar cream) a natural powder that was used to stabilize mayonnaise.
** ** **
Un fruit de mer = “fruit of the sea” = seafood like:
Une huître = an oyster
Un bulot = a whelk
Une coquille Saint-Jacques = a scallop
Un homard = a lobster
Une crevette = a shrimp or a prawn
And now, Bon appétit !
Keep exploring French culture with me!
Click here to get your next lesson:
- French People Never Eat Alone
- French Food Culture: “French Kids Eat Everything”
- French People Never go to Champs-Élysées
- Are French People Rude? A Native Parisian’s Take On This Stereotype
À tout de suite.
I’ll see you in the next video!
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Salut Géraldine
Je pense que le fromage est écrit “le maroilles… “ comme le village..