Let’s be honest : learning French is difficult, but it’s all worth it when you can order some delicious food at a French restaurant. Well, maybe it’s not the most important thing to do with your French skills. But it’s also not something to dismiss. Here are some French words about food to learn if you’re a foodie or if you want to impress someone in a French restaurant.
When you’re learning a new language, it’s recommended to start with some basic vocabulary. And what do we use every day? Food words to order or to cook food. It makes sense to learn French food words.
French Words to Communicate With the Waiter
Let’s start at the beginning. When you go to a restaurant, you need to speak with a waiter or waitress and ask for the menu. And maybe you want to know more about the specials of the day. In both cases, you might want to learn some French words about food.
Le serveur / la serveuse: waiter / waitress
Est-ce que vous servez encore ? : Is the kitchen still open?
J’aimerai juste prendre un verre: I’ll just have something to drink
La carte / le menu: the menu
Menu dégustation: tasting menu
Le petit déjeuner: breakfast
Le déjeuner: lunch
Le dîner: dinner
Plat du jour: special of the day
Je voudrais: I would like…
Je suis allergique à…: I’m allergic to…
Avez-vous des plats végétariens ? : Do you have vegetarian dishes?
Avez-vous des plats végétaliens ? : Do you have vegan dishes?
Pain: bread
Couteau: knife
Fourchette: fork
Assiette: plate
Compris / Inclus: included
L’addition: the check / the bill
Le pourboire: tip
French Words for Ordering Drinks
While you decide what to eat, you might want to order a drink. Obviously, France is famous for all the wines they are producing. But if you’re not a wine lover, here are some French words to keep you hydrated.
J’aimerai du vin blanc : I would like some white wine
Vin rouge : red wine
La carte de vins: the wine list
Une bouteille: a bottle
La bière: beer
Le café: coffee
Le thé: tea
L’eau: water
Une carafe: a glass bottle
Le cidre: cider
Le Kir: white wine with cassis or blackberry liqueur
Le Kir Royal : champagne with cassis liqueur
Avec des glaçons: on the rocks
Un pichet: a small pitcher (usually of wine)
French Words About Food for Meat Lovers
You might notice it in French restaurants : the French cuisine is mostly based on meaty dishes. If you like meat, you will be in heaven. But be sure to learn all the right words to know the difference between beef and pork, for example.
La viande: meat
Bleu, saignant: rare (“blue” or “bleeding”)
À point: medium rare
Bien cuit: well done
Bifteck: steak
À la broche: cooked on a skewer
Charcuterie: an assortment of cured and dried meats
Boeuf: beef
Porc: pork
Saucisse / saucisson: sausage
Veau: veal
Ailes de poulet: chicken wings
Blanc de poulet: chicken breast
Coquelet: young male chicken
Poulet: chicken
Poulet rôti: roast chicken
Agneau: lamb
French Food Words to Add Some Vegetables or Fruits to Your Plate
Whether you are a vegetarian or not, there are so many great vegetables included in the French cuisine. And it’s great for your health, since they are high in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. And what about fruits, which are a great alternative to heavy and sugary desserts?
Haricot vert: green bean
Petit pois: garden pea
Maïs: corn
Endive: chicory
Fenouil: fennel
Roquette: rocket
Cresson: watercress
Céleri: celery
Chou de Bruxelles: brussel sprout
Chou frisé: kale
Épinards: spinach
Laitue: lettuce
Chou-fleur: cauliflower
Artichaut: artichoke
Pomme de terre: potato
Poivron: pepper
Betterave: beetroot
Gingembre: ginger
Aubergine: aubergine/eggplant
Tomate: tomato
Tomate cerise: cherry tomato
Poireau: leek
Ail: garlic
Champignon: mushroom
Concombre: cucumber
Courgette: courgette / zucchini
Citrouille: pumpkin
Carotte: carrot
À la vapeur: steamed
Poire: pear
Pomme: apple
Banane: banana
Abricot: apricot
Ananas: pineapple
Fraise: strawberry
Framboise: raspberry
Mûre: blackberry
Myrtille: blueberry
Cerise: cherry
Citron: lemon
Citron vert: lime
Orange: orange
Pamplemousse: grapefruit
Pastèque: watermelon
Pêche: peach
Prune: plum
Raisin: grape
French Traditional Dishes to Try
Let’s dive in the main subjects of this article: French food. Did you travel to France mainly to have all the amazing food? We can relate… It’s difficult to have all the traditional French dishes in only one trip, since there are distinct traditional dishes in every region of France. But you’ll have a good time trying. So here are some French words about food and especially, French food.
Le boeuf bourguignon : a beef stew braised in red wine, flavoured with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon
Le coq au vin: chicken in red wine sauce
Blanquette de veau: a ragout of veal, cooked in a white stock or water with aromatic flavorings
Soupe à l’oignon: a type of soup usually based on meat stock and onions, served gratinéed with croutons and cheese
Pot-au-feu: a beef stew with carrots, turnips, leeks, celery and onions
Quiche Lorraine: open pie with eggs, cream and lardons
La crêpe: a very thin pancake, sweet or savory
La galette: a savory crepe
Aligot: fondue-like mix of mashed potatoes and cheese
Cassoulet: rich meat and bean casserole
Confit de canard : duck confit
La choucroute: sauerkraut
Le hachis parmentier: ground meat covered with mashed potatoes
Les huîtres: oysters
Moules marinières : mussels cooked in a white wine broth with shallots and parsley
Coquilles Saint-Jacques : scallops
Bouillabaisse: a traditional Provençal fish stew
Ratatouille: a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish with tomatoes, garlic, onions, zucchinis, eggplants and bell peppers
Tartiflette : a dish from Savoy, made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions
Le vol-au-vent: a small, light, savory pastry filled with a combination of chicken, mushrooms and cream
Les cuisses de grenouille: frogs’ legs
Les escargots: snails served in-shell with garlic-parsley butter
Le steak tartare: seasoned, finely chopped raw beef
French Words for Dessert Lovers
Do you still have room for dessert? Of course you do! Take advantage of your trip in France to taste some delicious French desserts. From fruit pies to creamy desserts, French people know how to please your sweet tooth.
Tarte: pie
Tarte aux pommes: apple pie
Tarte Tatin: a pastry in which the apples are caramelised in butter and sugar before the tart is baked, like an upside down pie.
Tarte au citron: lemon pie
Gâteau: cake
Gâteau aux carottes: carrot cake
Gâteau au fromage: cheesecake
Gâteau au chocolat: chocolate cake
Bûche de Noël: Christmas cake
Kouign-amann: a Breton cake made with dough, a lot of butter and sugar
Macarons: macaroons
Bonbon: candy
Mousse au chocolat: chocolate mousse
Crêpes: crepes
Crème anglaise: custard
Crème glacée: ice cream
Choux à la crème: cream puffs
Brioche: sweet bun
Gaufre: waffle
We know how long this list was. Yet, we didn’t even list all the food vocabulary that exists in French! Some French words about food are even used in English, like amuse-bouche or Haute cuisine… But this article is a good start to feel more comfortable when talking about food. It will help you read and try some French cooking recipes. What are your favorite French words about food?
