The three meals of the day– breakfast, lunch, and dinner– often include both bread and cheese. Maybe that is why the French rarely snack.
After all, food is a crucial part of daily life in France. Mealtimes are usually early mornings for breakfast, 11:30 am to 1 pm for lunch, and 7:30 pm to 9 pm for dinner.
Usually more sweet than savory, le petit déjeuner, as the French say, is not a very big or important meal in France. In fact, many French people don't eat breakfast at all, waiting until lunch to eat.
Many French people in larger cities enjoy having their breakfast in “un café”. They may even indulge in “un café noir et un croissant” every day! Many adults skip breakfast in France, or just drink coffee…
Alysa Salzberg, French Together writer and an American expat living in France, guesses that the later meal times developed from typical French working hours. “French people eat late because most standard job hours are 9 or 10 to 6, instead of 9 to 5 like in the States,” Alysa explains.
The French diet consists of real food
The traditional French diet has always been built around fresh whole food with minimal processing. French women shop daily at local markets for fresh vegetables, fish, meats, fruits, and dairy products.
The French tend to have a light breakfast - such as a croissant or pastry, bigger lunch, and small dinner (of course, unless they go for the full blown gourmet multi-course kind).
France is famous for its sophisticated cuisine, but there are many other facets to its food culture. Here are a few facts about French food culture that may surprise you: The French eat at least three meals a day and usually in courses. They eat a lot of bread, but not cakes or pastries.
A French breakfast is sweet. It is composed of slices of buttered bread and jam spread on it, sometimes croissants or other pastries and cereals. Usually, the drinks are coffee, orange juice or milk. Let's take a closer look at the principal ingredients of a Made in France breakfast.
French dinner courses can include: an apéritif (which is an alcoholic drink before the meal), hors d'oeuvres (which is typically soup, vegetables, or eggs), the principal plate (a meat, pasta, or crêpe), a salad (which is typically served separately from the principal plate), cheese (which is also served separately), ...
Most French people eat bread every day. It's not just a cliché, bread in France is a staple and something most people care about. French people take bread very seriously. In some countries bakers add nutritional supplements to their bread, or they add gluten to make the bread rise better.
Greece—CR Elena Paravantes. Greeks typically have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee and dinner. Traditionally the largest meal was lunch, but many have changed their habits to a more Westernized style of living.
In France, portions are much smaller than they are in the States. Don't be surprised to order a plate of poulet frites (chicken and fries), only to find a quarter of your plate filled with salad, one small chicken thigh and just a small handful of French fries.
Furthermore, healthy habits are ingrained in the French culture from a young age. The French generally eat smaller portions than Americans, and they usually enjoy only one large meal a day — lunch — whereas Americans often enjoy three. In addition, snacking is rarely encouraged.
Follow Mediterranean French Recipes
The diet includes large quantities of vegetables, fruits, olive oil, nuts, and fish. You can make a vegetable salad out of these ingredients for the most part. Then top it off with light to moderate physical activity.
Preparing and sharing food is one of—perhaps the essential—pleasure of French culture. Healthy food in France comes from moderation. There are no forbidden foods, only excess is looked down upon. The French have never been afraid of fat, so a small portion is often very satisfying.
Unlike many other countries, breakfast is considered the least important meal of the day. Our big meal is lunch or supper. While in many countries, breakfast contains savoury elements – cheese, cold meats, eggs or bacon, breakfast in France tends to be sweet and carb-heavy.
For the main dish, usually a combination of meat or fish will be presented, along with some vegetables and classic French pantry staples. Heavier meals like roast beef, lamb roast, boeuf bourguignon stew or a coq au vin are served in winter.
Distribution of bedtime during the week among French 2019
It displays that 33 percent of respondents declared going to bed between 11 pm and 12 pm on weekdays.
One of the most popular French breakfasts is Pain Perdu. This is your French toast made with bread that is dipped in eggs and milk, then fried. Pain Perdu actually translates to “lost bread” which refers to stale bread.
A typical French breakfast consists of a croissant or bread with butter and jam and sometimes a sweet pastry. Fresh fruit juice and hot beverages, like coffee or tea, are also included.
Walk into any American grocery store and it will be filled with a wide variety of chips, biscuits, candies, etc. Both adults and children snack regularly between meals. In France, there is only one acceptable time to snack, and it is mainly for children: le goûter at 3-4pm. And there are no chips involved.