1.1 Talking about food in French

Many French people place a great deal of importance on food – as the British often resort to talking about the weather, French people will fill the conversation with what they had for dinner the night before or what they are thinking of cooking that evening. Despite the growth in supermarkets, most French people still buy their bread from a local baker, and often visit markets to stock up on fresh, locally produced fruit, vegetables and meat. And although the pace of modern life has certainly affected how people eat, preparing food and taking time to enjoy it remain important.

Most regions boast an impressive diversity of dishes. From bouillabaisse (a fish soup from Provence) to choucroute (a dish of sauerkraut, sausages and pork, popular in Alsace), there are dozens of dishes and drinks to try when visiting a new region. Some regional specialities, such as foie gras or champagne , have become internationally famous.

Figure 1 Le foie gras du sud-ouest

Activité 1

Task 1

Can you work out what the following French food items are? Drag the English words against the French terms they correspond to.

vegetables

les légumes

ice cream

la glace

cheese

le fromage

red meat

la viande rouge

pineapple

l’ananas

sea food

les fruits de mer

white wine

le vin blanc

fish

le poisson

raw vegetables

les crudités

Using the following two lists, match each numbered item with the correct letter.

  1. vegetables

  2. ice cream

  3. cheese

  4. red meat

  5. pineapple

  6. sea food

  7. white wine

  8. fish

  9. raw vegetables

  1. les légumes

  2. la glace

  3. le fromage

  4. la viande rouge

  5. l’ananas

  6. les fruits de mer

  7. le vin blanc

  8. le poisson

  9. les crudités

The correct answers are:
  • 1 =
  • 2 =
  • 3 =
  • 4 =
  • 5 =
  • 6 =
  • 7 =
  • 8 =
  • 9 =

Task 2

Claudette Dupont and her husband, Paul, have invited their friends the Lenoirs and the Khalifes for dinner on Saturday. Claudette has made a list of what her guests and her husband like to eat.

Read her notes and for each name, select the item(s) that person likes.

Figure 2

Question 1

Ahmed

 

Question 2

Chrystelle

 

Question 3

Benoît

 

Question 4

Laura

 

Question 5

Paul

 

Activité 2

Task 1

We asked some French people what they like eating: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? Listen to the audio track, then select the correct answers below.

Audio 1
Transcript (opens in new window)

Question 1

All the interviewees like fish.

 

Question 2

Maryse, Philippe and Lionel like meat.

 

Question 3

None of the interviewees like Italian food.

 

Question 4

Maryse and Philippe like seafood.

 

Question 5

Maryse likes cheese.

 

OpenLearn - Beginners’ French: food and drink
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