7 French Food Stereotypes Finally Debunked: Who Would Have Thought?

If French cuisine is so renowned in the world, it is no surprising that myths have emerged about it. Today's time to debunk them!

You may think most of French people are all chefs, that they love cooking as much as smoking cigarettes or eating baguettes, or even that their favorite food is foie gras and a glass of good wine... Well, sorry to disappoint but some of these may not be as true as you thought.

  Unless to be really passionate about cooking or if both of your parents, your brother and your neighbor’s dog are chefs, there is little chance that you are a chef without having received professional cooking training. It’s the same for French people. Being born there does not guarantee they will have magical cooking powers – ask my friends.

Right below a list of arguments that prove that this French food stereotype is false:

• No.
• This is not true.
• This is false.

More seriously, bread is almost sacred in France. Consider bread love as a polytheist religion. For instance, the iconic baguette has its own range of fluctuations (e.g. with sesame seeds, cornbread, filled with cheese, etc). Among all these types of bread, quality may change as well, and modern methods of production have definitely not helped improve the overall quality of bread, but traditional French methods – used in little bakeries, for example – still honor this culinary legacy.

  Although France may be wordly renowned for the quality of its gastronomy, this does not mean that other cultures are not highlighted by the different kinds of restaurants and food spots you can find while visiting France. We’re not so egocentric!

  Just think about how a multicultural and cosmopolitan city Paris is. I promise you won’t have any difficulties finding ethnic food specialized restaurants in the capital. Eventually, Maghrebi, Vietnamese, Chinese or even American food are all part of the Parisian experience one should live during their journey! As much as local traditional French cuisine.

  This one is all about cultural perspectives. It may happen that you have the feeling that waiters are not completely at your beck and call. And they aren’t. But they are doing their job, and French culture implies that waiters would prefer to let you enjoy your meal without disturbing you – unless you’ve asked for something. Tips is not a popular practice in France as waiters and waitresses get paid real wages. Oh, and yes. Bread and water are free.

 Of course, this French food stereotype one depends on the type of meal you want to prepare. But not all dishes that are part of French eating habits are hard to reproduce at home, whenever you live. For instance, simple French presentations such as a plate of "moules marinières" or a steak with a green salad accompanied by a classic vinaigrette sauce is not a big deal. Just try and you’ll see! And if you fail, it's only a matter of time.

And if you're not sure of your cooking skills, why not test them? I bet you are more talented than you think... Check out the perfect example of an easy and quick French recipe right below! 😏

 As William Shakespeare once said: "No". Thank God, this stereotype is not true either. French gastronomy has been built from several regions’ own cuisine. Of course, even French people may not be aware of all the ingredients and dishes that this represents – and that’s part of the journey! For instance, only for cheese, we count no less than 1,200 different types of French cheese, and some have estimated that the total number may reach 1,500! So, which one do you want to taste first?

7. THERE’S ONLY ONE TYPE OF FRENCH CUISINE 😱

6. ALL FRENCH FOOD IS DIFFICULT TO PREPARE AT HOME 😰

5. WAITERS.RESSES ARE USUALLY NOT NICE TO YOU IN FRENCH RESTAURANTS 😒

4. INTERNATIONAL/ETHNIC FOOD IS NOT A GOOD CHOICE IN PARIS 🌎

2. ALL BREAD ARE CREATED EQUAL 🥖

  French people do like unhealthy food as much as you may do (a lot). In 2016, 63% of French people recognized to consume certain junk food products even if they knew they were not good for their health. As mentioned in my first blog post How to Eat Like the French and Lose Weight, French “joie de vivre” makes them more careful about the quantity and frequency of these deviations than about the actual consequences on their diet.

3. FRENCH EATING HABITS ARE USUALLY EXTREMELY HEALTHY 🌱

1. FRENCH PEOPLE ALL HAVE CHEF SKILLS 👨‍🍳

Nicolas Frémaux, October 13 2021

Because only 7 points is not enough to list aaaaall French food stereotypes, we kept some for you to share in the comment section. What myth do you know? What French eating habit do you follow? I wish we could share a meal all together, but in the meanwhile let's share some comments! ⬇️

Emily in Paris (2020), http://urlr.me/2GCqv.               Emily in Paris (2020), http://urlr.me/7XrhD.

Etiennevoss (May 27, 2015), http://urlr.me/Ggfdq.

Naskarrkid (February 1, 2016), http://urlr.me/2vXhV.     Rickrobles (December 19, 2017), http://urlr.me/LFVDB.

(February 18, 2016), https://urlz.fr/gExi.

TO FINISH WITH...

As usual, we propose you additional content on the same topic:

As we insisted on debunking French myths, we wanted to finish on a good note! And what's better than French inspired recipes from the iconic Gordon Ramsay? Let's cook!

❤️

7 French Food Stereotypes Finally Debunked: Who Would Have Thought?

If French cuisine is so renowned in the world, it is no surprising that myths have emerged about it. Today's time to debunk them!

Nicolas Frémaux, October 13 2021

  Unless to be really passionate about cooking or if both of your parents, your brother and your neighbor's dog are chefs, there is little chance that you are a chef without having received professional cooking training. It's the same for French people. Being born there does not guarantee they will have magical cooking powers – ask my friends.

Right below a list of arguments that prove that this French food stereotype is false:

• No.
• This is not true.
• This is false.

More seriously, bread is almost sacred in France. Consider bread love as a polytheist religion. For instance, the iconic baguette has its own range of fluctuations (e.g. with sesame seeds, cornbread, filled with cheese, etc). Among all these types of bread, quality may change as well, and modern methods of production have definitely not helped improve the overall quality of bread, but traditional French methods – used in little bakeries, for example – still honor this culinary legacy.

2. ALL BREAD ARE CREATED EQUAL 🥖

1. FRENCH PEOPLE ALL HAVE CHEF SKILLS 👨‍🍳

   Although France may be wordly renowned for the quality of its gastronomy, this does not mean that other cultures are not highlighted by the different kinds of restaurants and food spots you can find while visit France. We're not so egocentric!

   Just think about how a multicultural and cosmopolitan city Paris is. I promise you won't have any difficulties finding ethnic food specialized restaurants in the capital. Eventually, Maghrebi, Vietnamese, Chinese or even American food are all part of the Parisian experience one should live while visiting France! As much as local traditional French cuisine.

4. INTERNATIONAL/ETHNIC FOOD IS NOT A GOOD CHOICE IN PARIS 🌎

   French people do like unhealthy food as much as you may do (a lot). In 2016, 63% of French people recognized to consume certain junk food products even if they knew they were not good for their health. As mentioned in my first blog post How Typical French Dishes Can Help You Lose Weight, French "joie de vivre" makes them more careful about the quantity and frequency of these deviations than about the actual consequences on their diet.

3. FRENCH EATING HABITS ARE USUALLY EXTREMELY HEALTHY 🌱

   This one is all about cultural perspectives. It may happen that you have the feeling that waiters are not completely at your beck and call. And they aren't. But they are doing their job, and French culture implies that waiters would prefer to let you enjoy your meal without disturbing you – unless you've asked for something. Tips is not a popular practice in France as waiters and waitresses get paid real wages. Oh, and yes. Bread is free.

Of course, this one depends on the type of meal you want to prepare. But not all dishes that are part of French eating habits are hard to reproduce at home, whenever you live. For instance, simple French presentations such as a plate of moules marinières or a steak with a green salad accompanied by a classic vinaigrette sauce is not a big deal. Just try and you'll see! And if you fail, it's only a matter of time.

And if you're not sure of your cooking skills, why not test them? I bet you are more talented than you think... Check out the perfect example of an easy and quick French recipe right below! 😏

6. ALL FRENCH FOOD IS DIFFICULT TO PREPARE AT HOME 😰

5. WAITERS.RESSES ARE USUALLY NOT NICE TO YOU IN FRENCH RESTAURANTS 😒

  As William Shakespeare once said: "No". Thank God, this one is not true either. French gastronomy has been built from several regions' own cuisine. Of course, even French people may not be aware all the ingredients and dishes that this represents – and that's part of the journey! Only for cheese, we count no less than 1,200 different types of French cheese, and some have estimated that the total number may reach 1,500! So, which one do you want to taste first?

7. THERE'S ONLY ONE TYPE OF FRENCH CUISINE 😱

Because only 7 points is not enough to list aaaaall French food stereotypes, we kept some for you to share in the comment section. I wish we could share a meal all together, but in the meanwhile let's share some comments! ⬇️

TO FINISH WITH...

As usual, we propose you additional content on the same topic:

As we insisted on debunking French myths, we wanted to finish on a good note! And what's better than French inspired recipes from the iconic Gordon Ramsay? Let's cook!

❤️