1 Food in France

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

Activity 1

Part 1

Make a list of French words for food and drinks that you already know. You can also list some of your favourite French dishes.

Example:

Croissant, boeuf bourguignon

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Discussion

Among others, you may know petits pois, crêpe, croque-monsieur, foie gras, crème brûlée, crème fraîche, tartiflette, brioche, baguette

Be careful: couscous in French usually means the whole dish (a spicy meat and vegetable stew served on steamed couscous grains).

Part 2

Now study the following shopping list and match each item to its English equivalent. You may need to use a dictionary.

Figure 2 Shopping list

Entrées:

Entrées

Starters

chips

crisps

œufs

eggs

fruits de mer

seafood

crevettes

prawns

moules

mussels

huîtres

oysters

olives

olives

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

  1. Entrées

  2. chips

  3. œufs

  4. fruits de mer

  5. crevettes

  6. moules

  7. huîtres

  8. olives

  1. Starters

  2. crisps

  3. eggs

  4. seafood

  5. prawns

  6. mussels

  7. oysters

  8. olives

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

Viandes/poissons :

viandes

meat

poissons

fish

steak

steak

poulet

chicken

truite

trout

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

  1. viandes

  2. poissons

  3. steak

  4. poulet

  5. truite

  1. meat

  2. fish

  3. steak

  4. chicken

  5. trout

The correct answers are:
  • 1 =
  • 2 =
  • 3 =
  • 4 =
  • 5 =

Légumes:

légumes

vegetables

haricots verts

green beans

champignons

mushrooms

tomates

tomatoes

petits pois

peas

carottes

carrots

oignons

onions

frites surgelées

frozen chips

salade

salad leaves

pommes de terre

potatoes

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

  1. légumes

  2. haricots verts

  3. champignons

  4. tomates

  5. petits pois

  6. carottes

  7. oignons

  8. frites surgelées

  9. salade

  10. pommes de terre

  1. vegetables

  2. green beans

  3. mushrooms

  4. tomatoes

  5. peas

  6. carrots

  7. onions

  8. frozen chips

  9. salad leaves

  10. potatoes

The correct answers are:
  • 1 =
  • 2 =
  • 3 =
  • 4 =
  • 5 =
  • 6 =
  • 7 =
  • 8 =
  • 9 =
  • 10 =

Autres:

Autres

Others

riz

rice

pâtes

pasta

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

  1. Autres

  2. riz

  3. pâtes

  1. Others

  2. rice

  3. pasta

The correct answers are:
  • 1 =
  • 2 =
  • 3 =

Desserts:

Desserts

Desserts

glace

ice cream

ananas

pineapple

fromage et pain

bread and cheese

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

  1. Desserts

  2. glace

  3. ananas

  4. fromage et pain

  1. Desserts

  2. ice cream

  3. pineapple

  4. bread and cheese

The correct answers are:
  • 1 =
  • 2 =
  • 3 =
  • 4 =

Boissons:

Boissons

Drinks

vin

wine

eau minérale

mineral water

coca

cola

jus de pommes

apple juice

thé

tea

café

coffee

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

  1. Boissons

  2. vin

  3. eau minérale

  4. coca

  5. jus de pommes

  6. thé

  7. café

  1. Drinks

  2. wine

  3. mineral water

  4. cola

  5. apple juice

  6. tea

  7. coffee

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