French Food Vocabulary Overview

Overview

This lecture covers key French food vocabulary, including meals, breads, fruits, vegetables, traditional dishes, spices, sweets, cheeses, and drinks, with pronunciation tips and common mistakes highlighted.

French Meal Times

• French meals: breakfast (morning), lunch (midday), snack (afternoon), dinner (evening).
• Some regions (Switzerland, Quebec, Belgium) use different names: breakfast, dinner (noon), supper (evening).
• "I had breakfast/lunch" can cause confusion since both use similar phrasing in French.

Bakery Basics and Breakfast Foods

• Common breads: regular baguette, traditional baguette (crispier).
• Regional bread names differ across France (e.g., Paris vs southwest).
• Typical breakfast items: breads, pastries.

Fruits and Pronunciation

• Cranberry in French is "canneberge" or "cranberries" (from North America).
• "Watermelon" is "pastèque" in France; in Canada, it's "melon d’eau."
• Pronunciation can vary between formal and everyday French.

Vegetables and Salads

• Types of squash include pumpkin (for Halloween) and zucchini (often confused with cucumber).
• "Salade" means lettuce or mixed vegetables/fruits; "laitue" specifically means lettuce.
• "Ail" (garlic) is used by cloves, potatoes are "pomme de terre" or "patates" (colloquial).

Traditional Dishes and Common Foods

• "Croque madame" is a "croque monsieur" with a fried egg.
• French cuisine includes meat dishes, seafood, soup, and pasta.
• "Pâtes" (pasta) is plural; "pâte" is dough.
• Classic dishes: "steak frites" (steak with fries), meatless: "ratatouille."
• Side dishes often accompany meat.

Spices and Sauces

• Common spices: salt, pepper, and others; olive oil often by request.
• Sauces: pepper (meat), tartar (mayonnaise, capers, mustard), béchamel (butter, flour, milk), béarnaise (egg yolk, butter, herbs), Roquefort (cheese), vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, salt, pepper).

Desserts and Sweets

• Desserts include: mousse, profiteroles (cream puffs with ice cream and chocolate), brioche, crêpes Suzette (orange liqueur).
• "Glaçage" is icing on pastries.
• "Dessert" has one "s," not to be confused with "desert."

Cheeses and Dairy

• Many French cheeses to know (types not listed in detail).

Drinks

• Alcoholic: red, white, rosé wine; champagne (from Champagne region); pastis (anise-flavored); kir (white wine with blackcurrant liqueur); kir royal (champagne instead of wine); cider.
• Non-alcoholic: juice ("jus"), water (still/sparkling/mineral), tap water is free in restaurants.
• End of meal: coffee (espresso), tea.
• Pronunciation tips: "jus" (juice) vs "joue" (cheek).

Key Terms & Definitions

• Baguette — Long, thin loaf of French bread.
• Croque madame — Grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg.
• Pâtes — Pasta (plural term).
• Pâte — Dough (for bread or pizza).
• Ratatouille — Vegetarian French dish with stewed vegetables.
• Béchamel — White sauce made with butter, flour, milk.
• Kir — Aperitif of white wine and blackcurrant liqueur.
• Kir royal — Kir with champagne instead of wine.
• Jus — Juice; not to be confused with "joue" (cheek).
• Glaçage — Icing or frosting.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the video or website for pronunciation and more vocabulary practice.
• Practice identifying meal names and foods in menus.
• Share the vocabulary with a classmate or language partner.