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French · Culture · A2 to C1

French food culture: l’apéro, the four-course meal, la baguette and the cheese course

Short answer: the French meal has a fixed order: l’apéritif, l’entrée (the starter, not the main), le plat, le fromage, le dessert and le café. Meals are long and shared, eaten at set times (lunch around 12:30, dinner around 20:00), and in 2010 UNESCO listed le repas gastronomique des Français as world heritage. Bread sits on the table, not the plate, and you keep your hands, not elbows, on the table.

Le repas · step through a Sunday lunch
l’apéritif la-pay-ree-TEEF · the pre-meal drink Drinks and small bites in the living room before sitting down.
Qu’est-ce quewhatje vous sers ?I you serve
kes-kuh zhuh voo SAIR · “What can I get you to drink?”
The apéritif

On prend l’apéro ?

The apéro is a drink with nibbles before dinner, at home or on a café terrace. An apéro dînatoire replaces dinner entirely, with enough food to make a meal. These are the lines you will hear.

Onweprendtakel’apéro ?the aperitif
on pron la-pay-ROH · “Shall we have a drink?”Apéro is the everyday short form of apéritif.
Volontiers !gladly
vo-lon-TYAY · “I’d love to!”
Qu’est-ce quewhattuyoubois ?drink
kes-kuh tü BWA · “What are you drinking?”
Un petita smallverre de blanc,glass of whites’il te plaît.please
uhn puh-TEE vair duh BLON, seel tuh PLAY · “A small glass of white, please.”Un petit verre is polite understatement, whatever the size.
À la tienne !to yoursSanté !health
a la TYEN, son-TAY · “Cheers!”Look each person in the eye as you clink, or legend says seven years of bad luck.
At the boulangerie

Une baguette, une tradition, un pain de campagne

France has around 35,000 bakeries, and many people buy bread every day. The words on the board tell you exactly what you are getting.

On the boardWhat it isAsk for it
la baguetteba-GETthe standard long loaf, about 250 gUne baguette, s’il vous plaît.
la traditiontra-dee-SYONa baguette made by law with only flour, water, salt and yeastUne tradition bien cuite.
le pain de campagnepan duh kon-PAN-yuha round country loaf with a thick crustUn demi pain de campagne.
la ficellefee-SELa thin baguette, “string”Une ficelle, s’il vous plaît.
le croissantkrwa-SONbuttery crescent pastryDeux croissants au beurre.
le pain au chocolatpan o sho-ko-LApastry with chocolate (chocolatine in the south-west)Un pain au chocolat.
The cheese course

Le plateau de fromages

Cheese comes after the main course and before dessert. A good board has one of each family; each cheese is tied to a region, and many carry an AOP label (protected origin).

Table manners

Bon appétit, à la vôtre, je n’ai plus faim

A few habits differ from English-speaking tables. Each comes with the phrase you need.

  1. 1Wait for the host to say it before you start.
    Bongoodappétit !appetite
    bo na-pay-TEE · “Enjoy your meal!”
  2. 2Keep both hands on the table, wrists resting on the edge.
    Les mainsthe handssuronla table !the table
    lay MAN sür la TABL · “Hands on the table!”
  3. 3Put bread on the tablecloth beside your plate; use it to push food.
    Tuyoume passesme passle pain ?the bread
    tü muh PASS luh PAN · “Can you pass me the bread?”
  4. 4Ask for tap water: it is free in restaurants.
    Une carafe d’eau,a jug of-waters’il vous plaît.please
    ün ka-RAF DOH, seel voo PLAY · “A jug of tap water, please.”
  5. 5To refuse more, don’t say “je suis plein”: it can mean pregnant or drunk.
    JeIn’ainot-haveplusmorefaim, merci.hunger thanks
    zhuh nay plü FAN, mair-SEE · “I’m full, thank you.”
  6. 6In a restaurant, the bill only comes when you ask.
    L’addition,the bills’il vous plaît.please
    la-dee-SYON, seel voo PLAY · “The bill, please.”
At the market

Au marché: de saison, bio, du coin

Weekly open-air markets are central to French food culture. Vendors and shoppers use a small set of phrases about freshness and origin.

Ellestheysontarede saison ?in season
el son duh say-ZON · “Are they in season?”
C’estit’sdu coin ?from-the area
say dü KWAN · “Is it local?”
Je vousI youmetsputautre chose ?other thing
zhuh voo MAY oh-truh SHOZ · “Anything else?”
Je peuxI cangoûter ?taste
zhuh puh goo-TAY · “Can I taste?”
C’estit’sbio ?organic
say BYOH · “Is it organic?”
Ce serathat will-betout,allmerci.thanks
suh suh-RA TOO, mair-SEE · “That’ll be all, thanks.”
Wine and drinks at a meal

Un verre de rouge, une carafe d’eau

Wine is ordered by colour more than by grape, and tap water in a jug is free in every restaurant.

Keep going

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l’additionFood and drink →Ordering, ingredients, the restaurant.la bûcheHolidays →The réveillon and the galette.un kilo deShopping vocabulary →Markets and quantities.chocolatineRegional French →Chocolatine or pain au chocolat?