Who eats properly the French or nutritionists. What the French love to eat: a list of dishes, the best recipes and reviews

There are about 250 countries in the world and of course, each of these states has its own distinctive features even in ordinary, everyday details. Today, cookies.kz will reveal interesting moments and specifics in the diet and catering schedule in France.

Let's start with the fact that in the diet of the average Frenchman you will not be able to see the usual beef or chicken broth. In France, and as you can see in most of Europe, it is very difficult to find the thin broth that we are used to. Usually, preference is given to cream soups.

Breakfast starts with a cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice with toast or scrambled eggs. In principle, breakfast is not much different from what we are used to. But you rarely hear an invitation to dinner from a Frenchman, and this is not because you are unattractive, it's just that what we consider to be dinner in France is a late dinner, from about 18.00-20.00 in the evening. A suggested meal plan looks like this:

8.00-10.00 - breakfast
13.00-15.00 - early lunch
18.00-20.00 - late lunch and then everything goes as for dinner.

Therefore, if you are invited to dinner, you should clarify with the interlocutor what kind of dinner he has in mind, so as not to get into a mess.

Another interesting observation in meal planning in French cities is that absolutely all cafes, restaurants and pubs are open every day only from 10.00-14.00 (sometimes until 12.30), later they are closed until 19.00 for half a day. Every Sunday all shops, restaurants and any public places are closed until 19.00 pm, and sometimes for the whole day. On holidays, it is customary to sit at home and celebrate the event with loved ones. Restaurants and entertainment places are tightly closed on all major significant dates in the country, because residents believe that people working in these places should also have a rest like everyone else and have a day off on an equal footing. Coming out on the streets of the city on Sunday, one gets the feeling that the city has simply died out. It is also normal for you to be denied food for a certain period of time. The French, for the most part, do not chase big earnings, they are more committed to observing the traditions and unspoken rules that society has created over the centuries. Even Japanese, Thai or Mexican restaurants will be closed at the right time. Such a reverent and respectful attitude towards ancestors, history and adds up the image of the French as a stately nation.

In all this confusing system of restaurant opening hours, Paris is an exception. Most likely, due to the large flow of foreigners and the development of tourism. But if you want to feel the real atmosphere and life of France, be sure to visit the suburbs or small towns with an incredible history, such as: Rouen, the very city where Joan of Arc was burned, Lille or Provence and you will see not only history in the past, but and the preservation of historical traditions at the present time, not forgetting that at lunchtime it may be difficult to find a place to eat.

Crispy pastries, rich soups, mouth-watering stews, mind-blowing meat dishes and unbearably tempting desserts - yes, french cuisine- a paradise in which you can dissolve and forget! Comprehending French cooking, you wonder: how, with all this gastronomic splendor, do the French themselves manage to remain in normal dimensions?

It is wrong to say that French women are all slender slim girls. Among the country's 60 million people, there are overweight and even obese people. But their percentage is negligible, proof of this is France's penultimate place in the ranking of countries in terms of the proportion of obese population. By the way, the USA is in the lead in this list.

They enjoy pastries, always drinking wine, and dine for hours. Crispy baguette with slices of hard cheese (fatty varieties) and dried ham - a sacred thing! Phenomenal, so let's figure it out.

The secret of the slimness of French women

In the art of living, which does not allow them to indulge in extremes. They have eating habits, but there is no concept of “stress eating”. They eat a lot, but they also walk a lot.

The French are famous in the world as true gourmets. Who, no matter how they are, knows the real deal in the kitchen and understands the subtle combination of products and the variety of tastes. Further in the article, we will not only talk about what the French like to eat, but also provide information about the food that, most likely, they 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 ... the French are 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 serving 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 fine taste and a special, unmatched sophistication. So, what do the French like and what don't they like to eat?

Russian dishes that they would not try

Each nation has its own preferences in food: what is good for one may go beyond all reasonable limits for another, or, at best, will not be something tasty. Russian and French cuisine, of course, are different from each other, and they have certain dishes that our people will not understand and will not 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 inhabitants of France call it none other than "rotten fish."

The next product is jelly, however, it is incomprehensible not only for foreigners, but even not all Russians find it appetizing. Confused by its strange texture, smell and color. Buckwheat with milk is also beyond their understanding. Many of the French have never tried this cereal at all, and even more so in combination with milk.

Fat is also a controversial product. They eat it, but not in its pure form - most often it is bacon, with a small fat layer. Kissel also did not please the French - in terms of consistency it resembles the same jelly, 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 heartily in the morning, but the French are deprived of this habit. Their breakfast is very light. AT classical understanding it looks like this: orange juice, croissants, and also ... coffee. Also on this list may be dried bread, honey, confiture, butter. Naturally, not everyone eats like this, but this, so to speak, is breakfast in its classic version.

Let's see what's for lunch

A standard French lunch consists of three parts:

• entrance (first) course;
• main;
• dessert.

Many 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 entrance dish. The most popular of them are onion and white cabbage. Pureed soups are in the greatest demand:

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

Aperitif

A traditional home-cooked lunch begins with an aperitif (whiskey, etc., or just juice can be used as it). The aperitif is brought to the table with the so-called des amuse-gueule. In their role are salted cookies, canapes, salted nuts.

On the first

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

• "Nicoise" (it includes green beans, tuna, olives, lettuce, boiled eggs, tomatoes);
• tomato salad;
• green salad (a mixture of greens);
• grated carrots with dressing;
• eggs with mayonnaise;
• beetroot salad.

Next, different types of pate (pate), sharkutri (sausages, serverat) 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 appreciated 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, shrimps, crabs.

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

By the way, for the curious, the Nicoise salad recipe is as follows: 140 g of tuna (canned), 10 olives, 200 g of green beans, 8 anchovies, 4 tomatoes, 2 eggs, 1 head onion, 2 cloves of garlic, salad - 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, 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. Wash her out cold water. In order for it to become more tasty, it can be lightly fried for 1-2 minutes with olive oil and garlic.
3. Tomatoes and boiled eggs need to be cut, and preferably in the same way - it will look more beautiful this way. Olives, if they are small, do not need to be crushed.
4. Let's get to the final part. Put the torn lettuce leaves on the bottom of the plate. Next come thin onion feathers and pour a little sauce. We distribute the beans over the dish and again a little dressing on top. Put the tuna in a slide in the center. We lay egg and tomato slices around, as well as anchovies. To taste, you can add freshly ground pepper and cooked sauce.

Main course

We have considered the entree options, and now we move on to the main dish, which, of course, must contain protein and carbohydrates. It can 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.

French fries, cauliflower, beans, artichokes, lentils, pasta, rice, steamed vegetables are traditionally served as a side dish. As a condiment - sauce, sour cream, butter or olive oil, spices.

After the second course, cheese platter will be used, and as you know, this product is simply very popular in the country. Here they are produced in the most various types and for every taste.

Dessert

And in the end, if you get to a French lunch, coffee and dessert in creams, pastries and fruits will be waiting for you. At what fruits can be in different form, for example, flambéed in cognac, rum or strong wine.

Consider now what the French prefer for dessert. The leaders are melting chocolate dessert (fondant au chocolat). Also on this list are chocolate mousse, pancakes - again with chocolate, banana and even cognac.

Simple to make, but no less tasty dessert "Floating Islands", made from whipped proteins, milk, vanilla sugar and caramel, in addition, you can also add the famous tiramisu, yogurt with sugar or jam, and also "strawberries".

What does it look like gin?

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

It can be any of the vegetables for the first, in the cold season they can be replaced by hot soups, and a main course is added to them, at the end of the dessert or cheese.

Differences in French cuisine by region

In different regions of the country there are differences in the same recipe. However, regardless of the region, there are common features that are inherent in French dishes. As a rule, a lot of vegetables and root vegetables are used, and there is also generally very little use of dairy products (cheeses are an exception). 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, open pies with slices of smoked bacon and ham with melted cheese, as well as stewed cabbage with pork and smoked breast are popular dishes.

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

In Provencal cuisine, various vegetables, garlic and all kinds of seasonings are widely used. The consumption of meat is limited here. The vegetable dishes here are very hearty. They often eat fish - halibut, pike, carp. They love seafood - mussels and oysters.

Desserts are in special demand here: there are traditionally chocolate, nuts, nougat, creme brulee, cookies and cakes 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.

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

Some of the most famous dishes

What other dishes are worth trying when you are in the country of true connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine? Gourmet reviews of French cuisine indicate that the dishes here have a unique combination of flavors, in addition to this, they look very aesthetically pleasing. For cooking, only fresh products are used, 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 consider the most common. It is easy to prepare and requires a minimum of ingredients.

Fried foie gras requires 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 pepper and salt, put in a pan and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side.
4. After a golden crust appears, it is necessary to remove the liver from the pan. In this case, you do not need to add oil, because it itself is very oily.
5. Toasted foie gras must be placed in a baking dish and brought to readiness already in the oven.
6. The delicacy is placed on a plate, which is decorated with lettuce leaves, and served immediately to the table.

Naturally, in addition to 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 at the same time it remains half-baked inside. Served with potatoes and vegetables;
• roti - roast beef;
• kok-o-ven - a 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 gourmet 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 eggplant and zucchini, 4 tomatoes, a third of red pepper, 3-4 cloves of garlic, half an onion, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, salt, bay leaf, herbs.

1. Next, cut the zucchini, eggplant and three tomatoes into thin circles.
2. Place the vegetables in a greased dish. 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. Sauce cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and herbs to it, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the vegetables with this sauce and bake them in the oven for an hour at 180°C.
6. And now you need to beautifully put it in the center of the dish and pour over the sauce. Bon appetit!

Another feature of the national cuisine should be noted: almost all dishes are served with sauce. There are thousands of recipes for sauces, and for the French, this is not just a sauce for a dish, but a very complex recipe and a certain sacrament. However, here it is customary to treat the preparation of any dish in this way, putting the soul into it, creating incredible combinations of tastes that conquer the world.

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

In France, the cult of grace reigns. And although there are also enough “fat women” there, many manage to maintain slender, toned forms until old age. How?

What is the secret of the slimness of the most elegant women in Europe?

To begin with, wise French women do not allow newfangled theories about proper nutrition hack at the root of the experience accumulated by generations. They consider it natural to consume bread, chocolate, and wine, while maintaining health and slenderness.

Most French ladies have a skeptical attitude towards diets for weight loss, moreover, to everyone in a row and at once. Stop! - you say, - what about the famous French diets? Same ?

The fact of the matter is that the national mentality, reflected both in food addictions and in a balanced attitude to nutrition, has penetrated even into them. They don’t always look like diets either, rather, nutrition systems on which you don’t need to lose weight, but just live day after day. In any case, many French diets have a "radical" short version (in line with the beauty industry) and not at all radical and not short (in line with tradition).

The logic is this: you need to eat right all the time, there is no point in diets designed for a certain period and specific goals (for example, to lose weight by 10 kege). And can this logic be denied rationality?

The philosophy of the French school of harmony

Following a strict diet for several months will break the spirit of not only the fair sex, but also a healthy man. But if you impose small restrictions gradually, over, for example, three months or six months, and at the same time observe the reaction of the body, gently and respectfully “leading” it, then this is not self-torture, but self-love.

This is very important point: food habits are secondary!

The secret of harmony is in the right attitude, in a special philosophy, adhering to which, you can save not only health, but also beauty.

If you borrow at least a fraction of the attitude of French women to food and life in general, the problem of weight will cease to be so "terrible" and "hypnotic". You will learn that weight maintenance is just part of a program called THE ART OF ENJOYING LIFE.

The secrets of harmony of French women - we make a list

• If you feel guilty about not eating right, then French women prefer to think about tasty healthy food. Feel the difference, as they say. You focus on the negative feeling of guilt, they focus on the positive emotion of anticipation of their beauty. And your health.

• It is customary for us to eat one or two dishes during one meal, but in in large numbers. We love to have a lot. French women do exactly the opposite: they eat small portions, but do not limit themselves in the number of dishes. Their tables are always varied. So, in order to raise their tone and mood, they eat a couple of pieces of good chocolate, and not a whole bar, as we do.

• French women do not eat low-fat, devoid of natural taste products. They believe that it is better to eat a little bit, but this “little bit” should be natural, impeccably organic and super tasty. By this.

• The Frenchwoman never refuses herself small pleasures. She was just brought up differently and knows that there is a big distance between the desire to pamper herself and promiscuity. In addition, she has excellent self-esteem, and she restricts herself not because she is “not good enough and slim”, but solely for the purpose of enjoying various food pleasures.

Enjoy is the key word. The meaning of life, its tasty and healthy essence.

• After all, if you eat "from the belly" of pies with liver, then what is the pleasure in this? One sheer exhaustion! Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman is rational and too good about herself: she is not ready to turn her life into an indisposition.

• Our heroine considers living together with a man who is indifferent to food to be the worst punishment. However, there are few such people among the French, for the most part they themselves are avid cooks and gourmets.

• For each dress, the Frenchwoman, as you know, picks up a neckerchief. Similarly, every meal is not complete without a vegetable snack and fresh juicy fruit. Fish is required three times a week. Every day - a glass of fermented milk product.

• The secrets of harmony in French are three meals a day, and, mind you, full. It is not customary to ask for supplements, it is believed that only the first pieces bring pleasure.

• French women cannot imagine their life without bread. In French cuisine (our favorite topic) - more than 5000 recipes for making bread! But in order not to gain weight (or if they have already grown fat), these flour lovers do not chew bread mechanically, but count how many pieces they ate. Actually, having gained weight, the Frenchwoman goes to only one restriction - she refuses cakes and controls other flour.

A French woman counts how many pieces of bread she ate - literally!

• Do you weigh yourself often? Probably every day? They are - NEVER! Or rather, rarely. Why neuroticize yourself, a smart woman will say? And it will be a thousand times right. After all, if you get better, you will immediately know about it: eyes and mirrors do not lie!

• For French women, eating is a real ritual. They will never allow themselves to eat in front of the TV or on the go. And they never "bite"! In addition to being unhealthy, it is also ugly, and the French are great aesthetes.

• Attitude towards drinks. To quench their thirst, French women drink non-carbonated mineral water. Wine is consumed only dry, and only during meals. They drink a lot of coffee. (The most unhealthy French habit is coffee with a cigarette).

• They prefer the stairs to the elevator and love walking. They walk a lot and often, including after eating. By the way, they don’t go to gyms, but they do gymnastics in the morning.

• But the most effective diet, according to French women, is sex. However, this is not news: the Frenchwoman is always sexy and desirable.

If we draw conclusions from all of the above, the secrets of harmony in French look like this:

- self-love (self-esteem, madames!)
- common sense (practicality)
- delicious natural products ("for my beloved - only the highest grade according to the highest category!")
– small portions (the famous French greed? :))
- frequent walks (“Let the Bastille fall, but I will walk for half an hour”)
- sex (oh yeah)

Pretty simple, right?

A study by Harris Interactive showed that in their sexual fantasies, men are more likely to be around French women than with girls of other nationalities. French women are elegant, young and full of life even in adulthood; can sit for hours in a cafe, eat croissants, without worrying about their figure. At the same time, they look so calm and relaxed that we can only ask enviously: what is the secret of French women, what do these women do differently from us?

We admire the French style and want to know: what is it really, this relaxed, slender life à la française? Learn about French women's eating habits, self-care, dressing style and the secrets of good manners.

59-year-old French model, style icon Inès de la Fressange, author of French Chic

The secrets of eating French women

1. A glass of water before breakfast. French women start new day from a glass of drinking water, which is consumed half an hour before. Thus, they not only benefit the stomach, but also moisturize the skin from the inside.

2. Eat small meals. French women monitor the quality of food, eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and soups. Since only wholesome food is served at the table, there is no reason for bad thoughts and feelings of guilt. Therefore, relaxed French women can afford several dishes, including dessert, without gaining weight. Balance and small portions are the most important thing in the process of enjoying food. If you know that a delicious dessert is ahead of you, then it will not be difficult for you to put a piece of bread aside. There is no need to control calories, as is customary among Americans. Instead, always put half a serving on your plate.

3. Limit sugar and starchy foods.“Since April I have stopped eating carbohydrates,” is something you will never hear from a French woman. If jeans start to squeeze, French women react immediately before they really start to lose shape. Hint - the fastest way to add weight is sweet and starchy foods. Limit such body-damaging foods to prevent the problem before it becomes significant. The word "diet" in the country of croissants is not known.

Emmanuelle Alt (49), editor-in-chief of French Vogue and a typical Frenchwoman

Secrets of beauty and self-care

4. Don't get young - be beautiful at any age. While American women strive to look as young as possible and resort to a facelift for this, French women consider themselves attractive and far beyond ... How do they do it? They accept aging and understand that they can please and seduce at any age.

The main thing is posture and style, French women believe. At 50, it is impossible to look like a twenty-year-old. And if, despite this, you constantly strive to look younger, you will get some torment. It is better to find in yourself what you consider beautiful and emphasize it, rather than imitate the style of your daughter.

5. Invest in self-care - but wisely! Many women are willing to spend on beauty large sums. And often the wrong things. Instead of using outrageously expensive face creams, it's better to go to the dentist more often and whiten your teeth. Because with a beaming smile, you can forget about everything else. The truth is that affordable cosmetics from good manufacturer Nothing better than dear! And for example, argan oil after washing can work wonders.

Léa Seydoux, French actress and model

6. Botox? In no case! In the US, visiting a beauty doctor has long been considered good manners. In France, other means of combating aging are preferred. Many French women use moisturizing masks and move a lot. daily walks, good dream and proper nutrition is much better than injections.

7. Wear light makeup. A little bit of blush, natural eye shadow, mascara and a beautiful lip gloss will add sophistication and completeness to the image.

8. Always try to be perfect.. Heading to the nearest store? Make an effort to look chic. You may meet the man of your life when you least expect it.

9. Think about yourself. More often than not, women have to sacrifice a lot to take better care of their families. But in France, it is believed that only a woman who is in harmony with herself can be a good mother. Of course, women here also love their children, however, they do not feel guilty when they combine motherhood with other things, such as love relationship or cosmetic procedures.

French style secrets

10. Dress smartly. French women do not like frills. If you wear short skirts, give preference to discreet styles. Wearing a transparent blouse, complement it with tight black trousers. Experiment with sex appeal, but don't be too outspoken.

11. Use accessories. But at the same time, moderation is important - do not hang yourself with trinkets from head to toe. Include only one eye-catching accent in your look, such as a cute silk scarf or a beautiful brooch.

12. Buy timeless classics. You may be tempted to buy something extravagant. A true Parisian will only buy what goes with the rest of her wardrobe. No doubt you should be aware fashion trends. But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on them. For example, style from (small black dress or suit) suitable for any occasion. And since such things will last you a long time, you can buy something more expensive.

Gabrielle Chanel, an orphan girl who gave the world a little black dress and jackets of a special elegant cut, and also defended the right of women to wear trousers

13. Mix styles! If the image is too perfect, it may seem boring. The Parisian always breaks the usual standards: she wears sandals instead of sneakers with ordinary jeans, and sneakers are a pair of tuxedos. She never follows the rules of typical girls, does not repeat the images from the catwalks. Anyone who knows how to combine high fashion with cheap clothes from the sale creates his own style.

14. Do not become a hostage to fashion. When a French woman looks at women in uncomfortable high heels, she imagines how much pain these shoes bring. She has no desire to wear them. As well as uncomfortable trousers, a miniskirt that needs to be constantly adjusted. The motto of French women: only those clothes look good in which you feel comfortable.

15. Wear nice underwear. You will immediately feel sexier if you know that your image is completely flawless.

16. Less is always better. This applies to makeup, as well as accessories and perfumes - otherwise your friends will get a headache. We warn women who think that they need to hide the signs of aging: a black pencil highlights crow's feet, and glitter emphasizes the finest lines. Too much makeup is better not to apply. Our advice: remove all unnecessary cosmetics from the dressing table!

Secrets of French upbringing

17. Respect yourself and others. French women are sweet, welcoming and friendly. They do not clash in public places, they greet the saleswoman in the store or the cashier in the subway before turning to them with a request.

18. Smile. In fact, the French tend to hold back their emotions and rarely smile. But there is nothing more beautiful and sexy than a smile on the face of a well-dressed, self-confident woman.

19. Stay mysterious. Americans have a bad habit of telling their life story even strangers. The French are very reserved - they guard their privacy like a precious pearl! Nothing excites men so much as the mystery that they will seek to unravel.

20. Build confidence. It is easy to see that this quality is inherent in all the French, both men and women.

Top photo: Ines de la Fressange