Holy blue!
You ate all wrong in France.
But don’t worry. MailOnline Travel has French chef Justine Bordet, from Londonsay Cord by Le Cordon Bleuand Didier Agueh, the French brand’s artistic director and executive host at Park Plaza Hotelsto find out exactly how to eat out in France.
Here, they share clues you’re at a tourist-trap restaurant, the key steak-ordering mistake — and why it’s a bad sign to receive butter with your bread in a French restaurant.
The worst faux pas
Ordered from the wrong menu
Didier says a ‘common mistake that tourists make France‘ is ‘confusion of the different types of menu’. He explains: ‘In France, the “menu” usually refers to a set menu where everything is included on it.
‘If they want to choose just one dish, they need the “a la carte” menu, which has a list of dishes that can be ordered as separate items, rather than together as part of a set menu.’
French food experts have shared the top mistakes tourists make when dining out in France. LEFT: Justine Bordet is head chef at Cord at Le Cordon Bleu. RIGHT: Didier Agueh is the brand’s artistic director and executive host at Park Plaza Hotels
Although snails are considered ‘more than a novelty’ in France, Didier says they should be ‘cooked in garlic butter, parsley or thyme’ if tourists do want to try them
Eat bread without the proper label
While ‘it’s normal for bread to be brought to the table when you eat out, there are some customs to keep in mind when it comes to eating it,’ says Didier.
He explains: ‘In France, the bread is meant to be enjoyed with your main course or to mop up the sauce at the end of the meal. For this reason you will rarely be served butter alongside the bread – you will know you are in an authentic French restaurant if they adhere to this custom.’
Justine warns that tourists should never order crackers with cheese, as ‘cheese is eaten with bread in France’. However, she adds that in some regions of France, cheese is served with ‘semi-salted butter’.
Snails ordered
Didier says: ‘Snails are one of the first things that come to mind when you think of French food, but the truth is that they are considered more of a novelty than something eaten regularly. A lot of French people don’t eat it at all.’
Justine agrees, adding: ‘Tourists think the French spend their time eating snails, frog legs and foie gras, but this is exceptional and less common than it sounds.’
If you’re tempted to order snails, Didier explains: ‘The best way to enjoy them is when they’re cooked in garlic butter, parsley or thyme – if that’s not an option, go elsewhere!’
Don’t say bonjour
Justine says tourists often make the mistake of ‘not saying bonjour when entering a public place’ such as a restaurant.
Didier explains that tourists will have to be clear if they like ‘steak well done’, as it is usually rarely served in France
Expect a well done steak
Didier warns: ‘The French like their steak rare, so keep that in mind when you let the waiter know how you like yours cooked. If you like your steak well done, it can be done medium rare, so always be clear and make sure the waiter knows you don’t like it even a little pink.’
How to spot a tourist trap restaurant
Open all day
Didier says: ‘Certain meal times are still followed in France and authentic restaurants are likely to stick to this. Lunch is served between 12:30 and 14:30 and dinner between 7 and 22:00 on all sessions. Early dining is not very French and restaurants that open before these times are probably designed to cater to tourists. If they open later for dinner, that’s a good sign that French people eat there.’
Long menu
Justine says: ‘Certain restaurants appear traditional and authentic, but they are tourist traps. The longer a menu is and the more options it has – you should generally avoid it.’
The dishes you must try
Justine recommends trying bouillabaisse, a seafood stew, in the southeastern region of France
Justine explains: ‘It all depends on the region and the season. France is really big and varies a lot in terms of gastronomy in one region from another.
‘Most French specialties are shared dishes. The French attach great importance to sitting around a table for a while and sharing a typical, well-cooked dish with friends or family.’
While the chef says it ‘would be impossible to list all the delicious specialties in France’, she recommends a few regional dishes that tourists should add to their bucket list.
Brittany – galette bretonne (a savory buckwheat pancake) and kouign-amann (a sweet round pastry).
Bordeaux – la mouclade (steamed mussels served in a saffron sauce) and cannele (a rum flavored pastry with a custard filling).
Southwest France – cassoulet (a meaty stew with sausage, pork and beans) and poulet Basquaise (chicken cooked in a pepper sauce).
South East France/Provence – ratatouille (stewed vegetables), bouillabaisse (seafood stew) and l’aioli (garlic and olive oil sauce).
Auvergne – la truffade (a pancake made of thin potatoes and cheese) and l’aligot saucisse (mashed potatoes, melted cheese and sausage).
Dreams – gratin dauphinois (potatoes baked in cream).
Savoy – raclette (melted cheese) and fondu savoyarde (cheese fondue).
Northeast France – la choucroute (sauerkraut and sausage) and la tarte flambee (pizza-like dough topped with cheese, bacon or mushrooms).
Justine also recommends trying ‘les cuisses de grenouille’ (frog legs), adding ‘don’t be afraid, the meat is very similar to poultry’.
Tourists should also try beef bourguignon, French onion soup and French veal soup, according to Justine.
