France is, of course, a gastronomic country, famous for its haute cuisine, and cafes and restaurants are as much a symbol of it as Monsieur Gustave Eiffel's tower. However, an interesting question that interests many is how, with such an abundance of sauces and desserts, the French continue to be one of the fittest nations in the world.

Don't forget that the food served in fine restaurants differs significantly from the food that the French consume in everyday life, but there are several features of the diet that have not changed for generations. My friend and I We recently sat down and listed to each other who had noticed what during our year of living in France. Surely you will have other observations. We based it on how our friends and friends of friends eat. So, let's go!

1. Eating by the hour

Despite the arguments of scientists calling for split five meals a day, every true Frenchman traditionally eats 3 times a day. For breakfast in France, toast or pancakes with butter and jam are common. Lunch is a sandwich and a small cake from the nearest bakery or a set menu in a cafe. Dinner is varied and depends on the tastes of a particular family.

2. Cheese for dessert

The French love for cheese is not a cliché, but a feature of national thinking, which is taught to them from childhood. Every child is able to identify the type of cheese by sight and smell and tell how and what to combine it with correctly. And yet, cheese is a dessert that is usually eaten with fruits, berries or nuts after dinner or Sunday lunch, and not in the form of a sandwich for breakfast, as they like in Russia.

3. Bread and water

A baguette and a jug of water are always present on the French table. Most often, this is simple tap water, which the restaurant will definitely bring you completely free along with a baguette cut into a wicker basket. By the way, drinking water during meals is another habit that goes against modern nutritional rules, according to which you should not drink during or immediately after meals.

4. Late dinner

In most French families, the evening meal begins around 20 o'clock and, according to recent research, is increasingly spent watching favorite television programs. However, despite this eating schedule, the presence of fresh vegetables and herbs in the diet helps the French stay in shape. Lettuce is another must-have item in every refrigerator. It is most often eaten simply with olive oil and vinegar, sometimes adding cherry tomatoes and grated cheese.

5. Quality over quantity

In this confrontation, quality always wins. An early Sunday morning trip to the market, leisurely conversations with sellers, choosing only the freshest farm products - this is already a mentality that is drowned out by a trip to the nearest supermarket only in case of emergency. And no semi-finished products. The culture of semi-prepared dishes is alien to true Frenchmen. But the fashion for bio-products that are grown in environmentally friendly fields is becoming increasingly widespread.

6. Coffee every day

Black coffee in France is more than a drink. Everyone drinks it, always and everywhere. In the morning, the French go down to the nearest cafe or bakery to get it, drink it throughout the day to cheer up, for an afternoon snack if there is no time for a snack, and, of course, after a meal. By the way, ordering coffee after lunch or dinner is perhaps one of the basic rules of French etiquette. Moreover, the more expensive the restaurant where you dine, the more strictly this rule is observed.

7. Clear sequence of dishes

No matter how busy modern life is, the presentation and presentation of dishes is impeccable: a light vegetable salad with vinaigrette dressing, a main course, fruits and cheeses for dessert. It is worth noting that the French never eat fruits and berries separately as a snack, only sometimes combining them with cookies during an afternoon snack. But this is rather the prerogative of children and teenagers. Adults have an afternoon snack with a cup of strong black coffee.

8. Minimum amount of time at the stove

Everyday eating is very different from haute French cuisine, where a lot of effort and attention is paid to the cooking process. In the daily life of the average Frenchman, the time allocated to standing at the stove is limited to twenty minutes. This is due to their love for fresh, unprocessed foods, which they pair perfectly with meat snacks. Ham, raw smoked sausage, pates and all kinds of dried meats occupy an important place in the diet of a true Frenchman, and fish and meat steaks are more of a weekend staple.

9. With and without friends

The well-known French concept of “savoir vivre”, the ability to live, certainly includes food culture. This is not just the process of absorbing food in order to saturate the body with vitamins and minerals, but also a pleasure that can be obtained alone on a sunlit terrace, or in the company of friends and colleagues at a large table. Another feature of the French mentality are the so-called “apérots,” aperitifs to which they like to invite people to their homes. In this case, all kinds of chips, nuts, sliced ​​cheeses and other snacks are placed on the table.

10. Glass of wine

If you think that ideas about wine are limited to the simple rule “white for fish, red for meat,” you are mistaken. The French choose wine not only for each specific dish, where even the sauce served can change the choice of drink, but also for the event, time of day and temperature outside the window. Every resident of France must have at least a small wine stock, their own collection, which is constantly growing along with the growth of income and the Frenchman’s standard of living.

It has long been known that the French are gourmets. They can turn any meal into a gourmet meal with a special charm. Even fast food in their execution acquires a slight hint of the traditions of haute cuisine.

French breakfast

Every Frenchman's morning begins, naturally, with breakfast. But you will never see delicacies and fancy dishes on the table in the early hours. Traditional French breakfast is very simple and conservative. These are, as a rule, the famous crispy croissants, jam, tartine, yogurt, tea or hot chocolate, freshly squeezed juice and, of course, Americano coffee.

Espresso is not usually served for breakfast - it is drunk at a later time. Absolutely all drinks are served in large white cups. Real croissants are made without filling. And they are served with jam, butter or honey. French butter is absolutely amazing and with fresh baked goods it tastes divine.

French traditions

If you are planning a French breakfast, then it is better to buy baked goods in bakeries, of which there are quite a few in any quarter. The products there are always fresh, and they are much cheaper than in a cafe. If a croissant costs 90 cents in a bakery, then in a cafe it will cost 2.5 euros. Interestingly, if you order coffee for breakfast while standing at the bar, you will pay less than if you sit at a table. Such interesting traditions.

In the provinces, breakfast is much more satisfying than in the city. They serve a variety of pies, ham, processed cheese, vegetable and fruit salads, and baked potato slices. This kind of French breakfast is more understandable to our people than the city version. However, on Sundays and Saturdays, city cafes also offer a wide variety. Why do you think? Yes, because on weekends the French are not in a hurry and stretch out their meals almost until lunchtime.

French lunch is more like lunch - second breakfast. His time comes at noon. So, it is also very light. Perhaps the French are saving their energy for a big dinner. At this hour it is customary to serve fish and meat plates, salads, light soup, baguette and cheese for dessert.

French wine

France is famous for its wines. It is impossible to imagine any table without them. On average, one resident of the country produces approximately 90 liters of wine per year. Almost everyone drinks wine at dinner, even teenagers. It is customary to select wine with special care because it must be ideally combined with dishes. Often several types of wines are served with a meal, which are intended for different dishes. White wine goes well with fish and appetizers, red with meat, and dessert wines with desserts. But champagne is a drink only for special occasions. Brandy and cognac are often consumed after dinner.

Where do the French eat?

The French love to eat out. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s breakfast or lunch and dinner. That is why there are so many restaurants and cafes in the country. In them, people not only eat, but also read, talk, and have a good time with friends. But despite all this, local residents really appreciate delicious homemade dishes.

What dishes are served for a traditional French breakfast? Let's look at a few recipes.

French croissants

Any French breakfast is, first of all, a crispy croissant.

Ingredients:

1. One egg.
2. Puff pastry - packaging.
3. Grated chocolate.
4. Powdered sugar.

The defrosted dough should be rolled out into a half-centimeter thick cake. Next, it is cut into triangles. You need to put chopped chocolate at the base and then roll the croissants into a tube. They are brushed with egg on top and baked in the oven for twenty minutes.

Salad recipe

French Breakfast Salad is prepared from the following ingredients:

1. Fresh cucumbers - 160 grams.
2. Shrimp - 120 grams.
3. A teaspoon of wine vinegar.
4. Onion - 60 g.
5. Sugar.
6. Salt.
7. Olive oil.

The shrimp need to be boiled in salted water and then cooled. The onion must be peeled and cut into half rings, grated with sugar and salt, and sprinkled with vinegar.

Cucumbers are peeled and grated. The vegetables are mixed and placed on a plate. Place shrimp on top and season the salad with oil.

with cheese

It’s hard to imagine any French omelette; its preparation is quite simple.

Ingredients:

1. Milk - a tablespoon.
2. Egg - 3 pcs.
3. Cheese - 60 g.
4. A tablespoon of butter.
5. Ground pepper.
6. Salt.

Beat eggs with milk in a mixer. Butter is heated in a frying pan. Once the pan is hot, pour the egg-milk mixture onto it. The omelette takes twenty minutes to prepare. When finished, it is wrapped with grated cheese inside. In this form it is served on the table.

Light fruit salad

A light salad is perfect for what we call a French breakfast. A description of the preparation is given below.

Ingredients:

1. Pear.
2. Pineapple - 2 pucks.
3. Cheese - 150 g.
4. Mayonnaise.

The salad is very simple to make. Pineapples and pears are chopped, and the cheese is grated. The ingredients are mixed and seasoned with mayonnaise.

Baked bread

Ingredients:

1. Half a glass of milk.
2. White bread - 4 slices.
3. Cardamom - 1 pc.
4. Half a banana.

In a blender, mix the pulp of half a banana, milk and cardamom. Dip the bread on both sides in the resulting mixture and bake it in the oven.

Fish brizol

Fish fillet with beaten eggs is a very tender dish, easy to prepare, but at the same time quite filling and tasty. This is a wonderful option for a French breakfast.

Many of us have prepared a similar dish in our lives, but not everyone knows that it is called “brizol”. This interesting name hides fish in an omelet. This recipe is very simple. You need to take a fish fillet, pepper it and add salt, then fry it with a beaten egg.

Ingredients:

1. One fish fillet.
2. Two eggs.
3. Flour - 4 tbsp. l.
4. Salt.
5. Vegetable oil.
6. Ground pepper.

In general, to prepare such an original dish you need fairly simple ingredients.

Parfait

Parfait means “beautiful, immaculate.” Indeed, these words are very suitable for a wonderful dessert of fruit and yogurt.

This recipe is a classic version of making yogurt parfait. The uniqueness of the dessert is that you always have the opportunity to change the components and get more and more new tastes. Cereals are important in the recipe. This could be oatmeal, muesli, granola, etc.

Ingredients:

1. One banana.
2. Raisins - ¼ cup.
3. Half a glass of yogurt.
4. Muesli.
5. Fruits and berries.

You need to chill the dessert dishes in the refrigerator in advance. This will give the parfait the necessary freshness. A quarter of the yogurt should be poured into the bottom of the glass. Next, add raisins, berries, chopped banana, and any fruit. You can also add grains. Top everything with the remaining yogurt.

Personal observations

I recently had the opportunity to live for several months in Cannes with a French family. The average family: the husband is a low-level bank employee, the wife is a clothing store saleswoman, and the 12-year-old daughter is a college student.

I was lucky enough to observe from the inside how and what this family lives, look at family friends, how the French work and spend their leisure time, etc. I realized that in many ways the life of a French family is similar to a Russian one, but in nutrition, and especially in the approach to organizing this process, we differ radically.

So, the average, as already mentioned, French family. Getting up at 7 o'clock, since the child studies at college and needs to be taken there by car. For breakfast: adults - a cup of coffee, at best - coffee with a croissant or cookies, child - a chocolate-wafer bar, the label says “instead of breakfast" (!). Or yogurt. This is truly a “little breakfast”!

Lunch - from 12.00 to 14.00: adults - go to the restaurant closest to the workplace, or lunch in the office (bank, office) canteen, children - in the college canteen. Dinner - after 20:00: going to a restaurant or cafe with the whole family. Very rarely, a wife can pamper her family with home-cooked food, but more often than not, such a craving for “feat” can appear in the keeper of the family hearth only on the weekend.

There is a rather long pause between lunch and dinner and, of course, no body is able to withstand it. During this interval, the French will still drink coffee, take cheeses or meat from the refrigerator in a jar (ready-made and finely chopped - sold in all stores and very popular), which can be spread on bread, or some kind of pate, usually foie gras. Such a small French snack.

To be honest, this nutritional situation amazed me. After a month of eating like this, my stomach asked for something else liquid and hot, besides coffee and tea. I went to the supermarket, bought pork on the bone, sour cream, cabbage, potatoes, sorrel, tomatoes, herbs and cooked cabbage soup. I told the owners that today we were saving money on dinner at a restaurant and eating healthy.

The cabbage soup was a huge success. The head of the family said that doctors prescribe soups for them for stomach problems, but no one cooks these soups. To my remark that Russians eat soup for lunch almost every day, the French reacted unexpectedly: “Well, you have to waste two hours of time to cook it!” This is where I realized what difference between a French woman and a Russian one– a French woman will not waste her precious time in the kitchen. The French husband takes pity on her and takes her to a restaurant to eat. My preparation of cabbage soup, which took just over two hours, and my further exercises in the kitchen were perceived as a real feat.

The whole dinner was all about cabbage soup, which consists of products that are so healthy for the body - meat broth and vegetables, and in general about Russian cuisine, which, it turns out, is so tasty and healthy. And our soups for lunch are the envy of the French. They would also eat soups for lunch, but this is not customary - in a restaurant you can find some pureed soup on the menu, but this is a parody of a good soup, and my French also think so.

Our breakfast cereals are amazing! Hot soup with meat broth for lunch - delicious! Fermented milk products - kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese - are a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients for the intestines and bones! By the way, when I bought cottage cheese and sour cream in a Russian store and fed it to my Frenchies, the head of the family was delighted and said that he last ate this as a child (the man is 56 years old!), his grandmother fed him this... And his daughter had it after cottage cheese her stomach hurt, apparently she had gastritis from the monstrous French diet, but her parents decided that it was the cottage cheese and not the girl’s health. Nevertheless, the owner began to buy cottage cheese and sour cream from time to time in a Russian store (there are simply no such products in French stores).

In general, we came to the conclusion - In France there is very little cooking at home. The French freed themselves as much as possible from wasting time on cooking. Instead, they would rather sit in a cafe with friends or with a loved one, walk down the street hand in hand (I’ll write a separate post about this) or go to the cinema. The entire food industry is aimed at producing finished products. My Frenchies' entire refrigerator is filled with packages and jars - sliced ​​ham, cheese, sausages, pates, juices, ravioli, etc. Some semi-finished products and snacks. During the entire first month of living in this family, I never saw a single cooked dish at home.

One day I returned home closer to 16:30, when the owners’ daughter had already arrived from college. I didn’t have time to have lunch that day and invited the girl to eat boiled potatoes together. The girl was delighted, opened the refrigerator and took out a package of ready-made boiled potatoes (!). When I saw these slippery, stale tubers that I couldn’t dare call potatoes, I said that I would boil the potatoes myself.

Half an hour later, I took the fragrant, crumbly potatoes out of the pan and put them on plates, seasoned them with butter and sprinkled them with dill. The girl ate everything that was on the plate, turned to me and said: “I’ve never eaten anything like this!” It's SO delicious! Teach your mom to do this!” If they told me about this myself, I wouldn’t believe it. But it happened to me and impressed me so much that I decided to write about it. That is, it’s the 21st century, I’m sitting in Cannes, in the apartment of a French family, and in front of me sits a 12-year-old child who has never eaten a simple boiled potato in his life!!! Moreover, this child does not eat soups, and his parents do not know what buckwheat is, and when I showed them this cereal, they could not remember its name and I myself found this word for them in their own dictionary - sarrasin!!! (By the way, the buckwheat with butter impressed them as much as the cabbage soup).

The next day I baked them a manna cake, cut it lengthwise and coated it with condensed milk cream and butter, and topped it with chocolate cream made from a melted bar of dark chocolate, sugar and condensed milk. Nothing complicated, probably the most primitive cake in Russian cuisine.

I have never heard such delight in my entire life. Then the owners asked me to cook it several times, finally, the owners’ daughter decided to master the recipe herself and I happily taught her the next time I baked this cake. By the way, I also bought semolina, condensed milk and soda in a Russian store. There I also found frozen pollock fillets packaged in 1 kg packets, with a thin coloring. In my hometown of Siberia, Chinese pollock fillets are sold only at bases in 12 kg boxes, and there is three times more ice on it than the pollock itself. And here - German packaging, you pay almost only for the fish. Tasty and convenient. At home I fried this fillet in batter, and again the owners were heartbroken with pleasure. Although in general they try not to buy any congelés and surgel és.

At first, when I first settled with my French friends, they happily introduced me to their French life, and often it turned out that they told me obvious things that have existed in Russia for a hundred years.

The same thing happened with food. One day I was almost told “do you know what eggplants are?” In no case did they want to offend me, they just have an idea of ​​Russians as backward (through no fault of their own) people. After asking about the eggplants, the next day I bought 2 of them, cut them into circles, fried them in vegetable oil, spread them with mayonnaise and garlic cream and sprinkled them with chopped parsley. The French gasped with happiness. And surprise. They had never eaten such a delicious eggplant dish.

From that day on, they no longer asked me, “Do you know what this is?...” By the way, since then I very often cooked eggplants at their request. This dish eventually became almost standard and was constantly present in the refrigerator - the French liked it so much.

I can say with confidence - The French fell in love with Russian cuisine forever and wholeheartedly. We began to eat less often in restaurants, which, frankly, were boring, and more often at home, with home-cooked food. The owners paid for the cost of the food, but more often they bought it themselves, and I often enjoyed cooking for the whole family. It was not difficult for me - in Russia I cook for my husband and son and taught them to eat high-quality, freshly prepared food, thanks to which - ugh! Ugh! Ugh! – we don’t know about digestive problems. I can’t say that I’m a food fanatic or a professional cook, but I can cook ordinary dishes that every self-respecting woman should know. And as it turned out, I have an invaluable quality that is almost lost (forever?) by French women.

The fame of Russian cuisine quickly spread among my French friends and relatives. Friends, acquaintances and children of the head of the family from previous marriages began to come to us for dinner and Sunday lunches. Guests were sure to take photographs of the table and each dish separately, so that they could later tell and show it to their friends. The test shot for everyone was chicken with potatoes baked in the oven. Well, every Russian woman knows this dish almost from the cradle, right? Chicken, well beaten, smeared with mayonnaise and garlic, sprinkled with seasonings and placed on a baking sheet, surrounded by potatoes, also smeared with mayonnaise and garlic, all this goes into the oven until golden brown. There is probably no simpler dish among all the hot dishes. But the French admired it as if they had never eaten anything sweeter than carrots in their lives. How tasty and interestingly prepared. I couldn’t even stand it and asked – how do you even cook chicken, if not in such a simple way?? They thought (apparently, the thought flashed in their heads: “We don’t cook at all”). But they still remembered where and how they had seen the chicken cooked - one of the hostess’s friends muttered something about grilled chicken.

One day we were invited to a restaurant by family friends and there, when it was time for dessert, I chose fruit salad for myself, and everyone else chose chocolate mousse. I was also persuaded to try it, but I have a good idea of ​​what mousse is like on a full stomach, and decided not to risk it - make do with fruit. A family friend remarked to me something like “ The French love refined dishes and tastes of dishes“Look, you are a vigorous louse, I thought, you are our sophisticated ones. That’s why I watch you gobble up boiled potatoes with “Borodinsky” bread and sauerkraut at our house, it’s incredible. But she didn’t say anything out loud.

Anyway, after dinner, as we were all walking to our cars, the wife of this family friend and the daughter of my French friends complained that the mousse made them sick. The others didn’t say anything, but I’m sure they were also sick of the “refined taste” of this “real French” dessert.

When I had already moved to a rented apartment, my French friends came to visit me and, of course, I tried to pamper them with some regular Russian dish. Once I wanted to cook borscht, but I traveled all over (!) the Cote d'Azur and couldn't find fresh beets anywhere - only boiled ones in packages!!! That is, in the vegetable departments of supermarkets and on vegetable stands on the streets near small grocery stores you can find everything - leeks, potatoes, turnips, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, etc. All this is fresh and of excellent quality, but the beets are only boiled in packages. They don't have fresh beets anywhere. I even went to the market in Antibes one morning, but I couldn’t find fresh beets either from the “authentic” French or from the Arabs selling vegetables. Only boiled. Where did the raw beets go on the French Riviera? The French themselves could not explain anything to me about this. If anyone can clarify this issue for me, I will be very grateful.

In general, I concluded - if war happens, the French will not survive. The production of finished products will stop - the French will die out, and this is not a joke. Along with their “haute cuisine,” they lost the most ancient skill - preparing simple food for everyday nutrition. The mother of a 12-year-old girl has never cooked potatoes for her, and instead of porridge or mashed potatoes with meatballs, she serves her daughter a chocolate bar for breakfast. What for us is ordinary cuisine - cabbage rolls, cutlets, stuffed peppers, chicken broth - for them are almost masterpieces for which the hostess killed the most precious thing - her life.

By the way, the French saved a lot when eating at home; we also discussed this with them. The French suddenly realized that cooking at home using store-bought ingredients was much cheaper! It's funny, by God. But the head of their family is an economist by training.

At the college in Cannes, where I improved my French, there was a teacher, Serge, who, I felt, did not like Russians. Once, when the conversation turned to French cuisine, he asked me: “Do you know how to cook, and in general, does Russian cuisine exist?” He asked this question in all seriousness. Seeing my expression on my face - bewildered and mocking, that such a grown man asked something stupid, like farting in a puddle, he hastened to add: “Well, nothing is simply known about Russian cuisine, it has no reputation.” He believes that if we don’t have “haute” Russian cuisine, then we don’t have any cuisine at all. An adult guy has no idea how tasty he could eat if he lived in Russia. He doesn’t understand that “haute cuisine,” which the French can only try in a restaurant for a lot of money, is far from the best food, especially for everyday life. And if something global happens and semi-finished products disappear from stores, the French simply will not survive. A Russian woman will boil potatoes for her children, but a French woman will grab her head and won’t even realize that she can prepare food herself from scrap ingredients. French women have lost this ancient, invaluable skill. This is something like this, if you explain it in your fingers.

Therefore, I made a very definite conclusion: our everyday Russian cuisine is our achievement and our heritage Such luxury is no longer available to the French. They have become hostages to the production of finished products and equality between men and women. Nothing has changed in the minds of French men, despite feminism and high-quality semi-finished products. A woman standing at the stove is what French men dream of, and food prepared by loving female hands is an unattainable luxury for them, which can only be obtained by visiting a Russian woman or by marrying a Russian.

So, personally, I found another reason to be proud of myself, and thanks to the French for this - I can cook deliciously (I repeat once again - nothing supernatural, ordinary dishes that each of us Russians prepare every day), I can always feed my family, which no matter what happens, and in our ordinary life my family is always full and has no digestive problems. And instead of a soy and cocoa bar and a cup of coffee, I will serve my men wheat porridge with a cutlet and a glass of dried fruit compote for breakfast. And before going to bed they will drink a glass of kefir from me. And in general, I will make sure that they eat enough dairy products, fresh vegetables, and fish. It’s not difficult for me, it makes me happy, because these are my favorite people and I want them to be healthy and live a long time.

As for trying delicacies, eating oysters or, say, foie gras on toasted crackers, we’d rather go to a restaurant with the whole family. And these same delicacies will not bore us to the point of nausea, will not set our teeth on edge, will not get boring and will not empty our pockets, but will remain delicious delicacies that are good precisely because they are delicacies, and you eat them rarely.

French cuisine is famous for its variety and balance. Today my guest Maria will tell you about the secrets and details of the French healthy diet. Masha is the mother of two children, Russian-French bilinguals. Living in France, she studies the traditions and life of this interesting country, including French cuisine and the culinary habits of the French.

French cuisine is considered one of the best cuisines in the world. When we mention French cuisine, our imagination pictures exquisite and complex dishes, beautifully served at an elegant table. But few people know that in France there are simple, everyday and delicious dishes that can easily be classified as healthy cuisine. In general, the entire system of French everyday cuisine is built precisely on the rules of healthy eating. I'll tell you how the French manage to do this.

Each region has its own cuisine based on climate conditions.

France is a small country compared to Russia, it has many small regions, and each region, even part of a region, is necessarily famous for its cuisine, special dishes and local products. The cuisine of coastal Aquitaine differs significantly from the cuisine of Alsace, which borders Germany, and the cuisine of southern Provence is not similar to the cuisine of northern Picardy. What can I say, France has more than three hundred varieties of cheese!

These culinary features are associated with the varied climate of France and with the love of the French for their cuisine, which they tirelessly improve, while at the same time paying tribute to tradition.

Children are taught to eat healthy from childhood, creating balanced and varied menus for them.

The French love to come up with new combinations of different ingredients and vary their diet. They raise their children accordingly. From the beginning of complementary feeding, little Frenchies try not only apple or cabbage purees, but apple-mango and a mixture of avocado and bulgur. From childhood, French people develop their taste buds. Did your child not like leek puree with carrots? No problem, we'll try to give it in a month. At the same time, parents present the moment of eating as an exciting culinary experiment. And what recipes for kids are finger-licking good!

When a child grows up, he begins to try adult food with interest and observe the reaction of his parents while eating. French parents love to discuss food combinations at the table, what they like and don’t like. And since adults eat a very varied diet, preparing delicious dishes for themselves, children are also interested in eating the same things as their parents. In France, children love vegetables; very often children are given boiled green beans with sour cream or butter; this, one might say, is a classic side dish.

An important aspect of proper nutrition from childhood is to sit correctly at the table and give food enough time to be absorbed by the body.

It is believed that beautifully presented food improves appetite.

Juices are not consumed at any time; water is considered the main drink.

Snacks are also not welcome here. Every Frenchman eats four times a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Moreover, at a strictly defined time!

The French love the cuisine of their regions and prefer products grown in their own region.

After all, this means that these products have not been transported far away for a long time, which means they are fresh. Another plus is that you can go and see exactly how the manufacturer grows his vegetables and fruits, what he sprinkles with and how he fertilizes them. Many manufacturers open shops and sell everything directly, so to speak, from the field. And in some farms you can come yourself, collect seasonal products directly from the bush and pay for them at the exit. You definitely get fresh food here!

Some French people do not eat foods out of season, for example they do not eat tomatoes in winter and pumpkins in summer.

On every label of any product it is written who and how the product was produced, and whether it contains GMOs and chemical dyes.

All French people love to go to the market to buy food, where local producers often bring their goods. Firstly, the French are sure that the products in stores are of less selective quality, and secondly, at the market the seller will always advise what dish can be prepared from this or that product, what spices to use. And by the way, there are a lot of spices in France, and also, which surprised me, vinegar: apple cider vinegar, raspberry cider vinegar, walnut cider vinegar, apricot cider vinegar, etc.

The best meat is taken from a trusted butcher, who can select meat for you to order for cutlets, and the fish shop will advise you on a new dish. Good, tasty bread, of course, is bought from a baker, and dessert from a pastry shop.

All these products can be bought in the supermarket and are of good quality. But the best products are bought in themed food stalls. Probably, this attitude towards food allows the French to have a large selection of quality products.

Due to such a wide choice, perhaps all French people are culinary connoisseurs. For them, the kitchen is like a fun chemical experiment that allows them to get something new and tasty. They can talk for hours about which cheese goes with which wine, which appetizers go with which dish, and which sauce is best with mushrooms or squid.

The French love a varied diet; cuisine for them is an endless variety, a celebration of taste. They are all gourmets.

In France, no one really sticks to diets, and the French remain slim.

What's the secret? The optimal combination of fatty and not so fatty foods: a lot of meat or fish with vegetables, a little cheese or sauce and a very small dessert in the form of fruit or yogurt. All sorts of cookies and other baked goods are bought or prepared occasionally, and not constantly. The French also have small portions; here you are encouraged to try, taste, and not eat too much. The same applies to wine. You can eat well during the holidays or during family Sunday lunch.

The method of preparing dishes is also very diverse: steamed, oven-baked, raw or stewed. For example, the French eat some mushrooms raw. And the famous tartare is thinly sliced ​​raw beef with sauce.

The French do not like overcooked, overcooked food. Many people use a kitchen thermometer when cooking meat or fish.

On TV, any food advertisement is accompanied by advice on proper nutrition. “Eat at least five vegetables and fruits a day, do not consume too fatty, salty or sweet foods”. Schools often conduct thematic classes on proper nutrition. Many educational institutions prohibit the sale of chocolates and soda. Even the famous fast food, McDonald's, was ordered by the French government to reduce portions and add vegetables, salad, water and juices to the menu.

For the French, a balanced diet is combined with the concept of light, regular sports activity: walking, cycling, jogging or swimming.

It turns out that the meaning of the French healthy diet is this: eat a balanced diet (more vegetables and proteins, less fat and sweets), eat regularly, try everything, but little by little, diversify your diet, choose good quality foods and exercise!

I would like to say a huge thank you to Maria for such a detailed and interesting article! In turn, I will prepare a step-by-step recipe from French cuisine for my readers in the very near future.

Thank you for being with me!

The French are famous throughout the world as true gourmets. Who, like them, knows a real sense in the kitchen and understands the subtle combination of products and the variety of tastes. Later in the article we will tell you not only what the French like to eat, but also provide information about the food that they most likely would not eat.

True gourmets

Food is an integral part of the life of this people, a kind of ritual, of course, food is necessary for all people, but... with the French everything is different. They, first of all, look at it from the aesthetic side - for them it is a kind of creative object. Moreover, everything should be beautiful - both the internal taste content and the external beauty of the presentation of the food.

Understanding what the French like to eat, first of all, it is worth mentioning that they do not have ordinary dishes - even the simplest ones have their own zest. This is the standard of delicate taste and a special, unique sophistication. So, what do the French like and don’t like to eat?

Russian dishes they wouldn't try

Each nation has its own preferences in food: what is good for one may be beyond all reasonable boundaries for another, or at best, will not be something tasty. Russian and French cuisine, of course, differ from each other, and they have certain dishes that our people will not understand or accept, and similarly on their part.

For example, the French do not like herring, but in our country it is a very common product that is in good demand. And the residents of France call it nothing more than “rotten fish.”

The next product is jellied meat, however, it is not only incomprehensible to foreigners, but not even all Russians find it appetizing. Its strange consistency, smell and color are confusing. Buckwheat with milk is also beyond their understanding. Many French people have never tried this cereal at all, and even more so in combination with milk.

Lard is also a controversial product. They eat it, but not in its pure form - most often it is bacon, with a small layer of fat. The French also did not like jelly - its consistency resembles the same jellied meat, for the same reasons it was rejected from the list of taste preferences.

Now it will be interesting to consider what the French eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

How does the morning start?

It is customary for Russians to eat a hearty meal in the morning, but the French do not have this habit. Their breakfast is as light as possible. In the classical sense, it looks like this: orange juice, croissants, and also... coffee. Also on this list may be dried bread, honey, confiture, and butter. Naturally, not everyone eats this way, but this is, so to speak, breakfast in its classic version.

Let's see what's for lunch

A standard French lunch consists of three parts:

• entrance (first) dish;
• basic;
• dessert.

Many people deviate from this rule and can order one thing: a sandwich, salad, some dish or soup. The latter, it should be noted, began to lose its popularity. However, it is still used as an entrée dish. The most popular of them are onion and white cabbage. Puree soups are in greatest demand:

• vegetable;
• leeks with potatoes;
• from young peas;
• gazpacho soup, originally from Italy.

Aperitif

A traditional home dinner begins with an aperitif (it can be whiskey, etc., or just juice). The aperitif is delivered to the table with the so-called des amuse-gueule. Their role is played by salted cookies, canapes, and salted nuts.

On the first

And now it’s the turn of the entrance dish, which is often some kind of salad. The list of the most popular looks like this:

• “Niçoise” (it includes green beans, tuna, olives, lettuce, boiled eggs, tomatoes);
• tomato salad;
• green salad (mixed greens);
• grated carrots with dressing;
• eggs with mayonnaise;
• beet salad.

Next, different types of pate (pate), charcutry (sausages, servelat) are served along with gherkins. Open pies are also popular here, for example, with cheese, leeks, jambon, as well as those made according to an individual recipe.

Another dish that is valued by the French is snails (Burgundy) with garlic; for us this is definitely an unusual dish. Of course, it is worth noting seafood - oysters, scallops, mussels, shrimp, crabs.

A favorite of the French table is the dish "Fruy de mayor" - a salad with shrimp, mussels and salmon, dressed with yogurt. Sardines with olive oil and lemon juice are also popular.

By the way, for the curious, the recipe for Niçoise salad is as follows: 140 g of tuna (canned), 10 olives, 200 g of green beans, 8 anchovies, 4 tomatoes, 2 eggs, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, lettuce - according to to taste, 1.5 tbsp. l. wine vinegar.

1. First you need to prepare the sauce using olive oil, wine vinegar, freshly ground pepper, garlic, basil leaves, and salt. All this must be thoroughly mixed and set aside for now.
2. Now you need to boil the beans in salted water over low heat. Rinse it with cold water. To make it more tasty, you can lightly fry it for 1-2 minutes with olive oil and garlic.
3. Tomatoes and boiled eggs need to be cut, preferably in the same way - it will look more beautiful. Olives, if they are small, do not need to be chopped.
4. Let's move on to the final part. Place the torn lettuce leaves on the bottom of the plate. Next, go with thin onion feathers and pour a little sauce over them. Distribute the beans over the dish and add a little more dressing on top. Place the tuna in a mound in the center. Place egg and tomato slices, as well as anchovies, around. You can add freshly ground pepper and prepared sauce to taste.

Main course

We have looked at the entree options, and now we move on to the main course, which must certainly contain protein and carbohydrates. It could be a piece of meat or fish with a side dish. Beef cutlets, fried chicken steak, baked veal, tartare, salmon fillet, flounder, duck breasts - in general, there can be many options here.

The side dish is traditionally served with French fries, cauliflower, beans, artichokes, lentils, pasta, rice, and steamed vegetables. As a seasoning - sauce, sour cream, butter or olive oil, spices.

After the second course, the cheese platter will be used, and as you know, this product is simply extremely popular in the country. Here they are produced in a wide variety of forms and for every taste.

Dessert

And finally, if you go to a French lunch, you will be treated to coffee and dessert with cream, pastries and fruit. Moreover, fruits can be in different forms, for example, flambéed in cognac, rum or strong wine.

Let's now consider what the French prefer for dessert. The leader is a melting chocolate dessert (fondant au chocolat). Also on this list are chocolate mousse and pancakes - again with chocolate, banana and even cognac.

Simple to make, but no less tasty, the “Floating Islands” dessert is made from whipped egg whites, milk, vanilla sugar and caramel; in addition, you can add the famous tiramisu, yogurt with sugar or jam and also “strawberry”.

What does u look like? gin?

What do the French like to eat for dinner? The French prefer to have dinner at home, as well as lunch, but as an exception they can go to a bistro or restaurant. Unlike lunch, which they pay a lot of attention to, in the evening they eat light meals.

This could be some kind of vegetables for the first time; in the cold season they can be replaced by hot soups, and they can also be added to the main course, followed by dessert or cheese.

Differences in French cuisine depending on region

There are differences in the same recipe in different areas of the country. However, regardless of the region, there are common features that are inherent in French dishes. Typically, a lot of vegetables and root vegetables are used, and there is generally very little use of dairy products (the exception being cheeses). So what do the French like to eat in different parts of the country?

For example, Lyon cuisine is famous for its delicious onion soup - gratine; in Lorraine, a popular dish is open pies with slices of smoked lard and ham with melted cheese, as well as stewed cabbage with pork and smoked breast.

In Burgundy, wine is used in many dishes - it is added to sauces and gravies. Snails marinated in wine are served without shells with onions and parsley.

Various vegetables, garlic and all kinds of seasonings are widespread in Provencal cuisine. Meat consumption is limited here. Vegetable dishes here are prepared very satisfying. They often eat fish - halibut, pike, carp. They love seafood - mussels and oysters.

Desserts are in particular demand here: chocolate, nuts, nougat, creme brulee, cookies and cakes are always on the table.

What do the French like to eat in Normandy? Here they use dairy products in cooking - butter, cream and Camembert cheese. Even meat and fish are always cooked with cream.

We now know what the French like to eat, but still, each part of the country has its own characteristics, and this is why they differ from each other.

Some of the most famous dishes

What other dishes are worth trying when you find yourself in the country of true connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine? Reviews from gourmets about French cuisine indicate that the dishes here have a unique combination of flavors; in addition, they look very aesthetically pleasing. Only fresh ingredients are used for cooking, and attention to detail and design is paid.

The French favorite dish is foie gras. It is a very popular delicacy that can be prepared at home. There are many recipes for it, and we will look at the most common one. It is easy to prepare and requires a minimum of ingredients.

For fried foie gras, you need 500 g of duck or goose liver, green salad leaves, pepper and salt.

1. First, the liver must be carefully washed and divided into parts.
2. Place the pieces in the refrigerator for a while.
3. Then add pepper and salt, place in a frying pan and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side.
4. After a golden crust appears, you need to remove the liver from the pan. In this case, there is no need to add oil, because it itself is very fatty.
5. Roasted foie gras must be placed in a baking dish and cooked in the oven.
6. The delicacy is placed on a plate, which is decorated with lettuce leaves, and served immediately to the table.

Naturally, besides this dish, there are many others in the national cuisine that will answer the question of what the French actually eat and what else they prefer:

• “bloody steak” - the meat is fried on the outside, but the inside remains half-raw. Served with potatoes and vegetables;
• roti - beef roast;
• kok-o-ven - rooster in wine;
• Frog legs are a famous French delicacy. The legs of these amphibians are fried in breadcrumbs or deep-fried. However, not everyone dares to try them;
• Escargot is a delicious dish made from snails.

And here is another popular dish - ratatouille. Let's take a closer look at this vegetable dish, simple, but very tasty.

To prepare ratatouille, you need to take one piece each of eggplant and zucchini, 4 tomatoes, a third of red pepper, 3-4 cloves of garlic, half a head of onion, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, salt, bay leaf, herbs.

1. Next, cut the zucchini, eggplant and three tomatoes into thin slices.
2. Place the vegetables in a greased form. At the same time, they should alternate in color. Add bay leaf, pepper, sprinkle with oil.
3. Cut the onion and pepper into small cubes, which then need to be fried in oil.
4. The remaining tomato must be peeled, finely chopped and mixed with pepper and onion. Pour in half a glass of water. Cook the sauce for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and herbs, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour this sauce over the vegetables and bake them in the oven for an hour at 180°C.
6. Now you need to place it beautifully in the center of the dish and pour the sauce over it. Bon appetit!

It is also worth noting this feature of the national cuisine: almost all dishes are served with sauce. There are thousands of sauce recipes here, and for the French this is not just a gravy for a dish, but a very complex recipe and a certain sacrament. However, here it is customary to treat the preparation of any dish this way, putting your soul into creating incredible combinations of flavors that conquer the world.

French cuisine can rightfully be called the most exquisite in the world, and the process of cooking itself is a real art. Knowing this, you will understand that the French love to eat.