Fascinating Facts About French Foods

Aside from the monuments and historical places, France is also very popular when it comes to its cuisine. French food is probably one of the most fabulous and widely acclaimed foods across the globe. It is loved and praised all over the world for very good reasons. In fact, even their simple baguette paired with cheese is one of the many delights of visiting France.

If you’re someone who loves French foods, you might also want to know more about them. If so, here are some fascinating facts about French food.

1. In France, the legal drinking age is 18 for alcoholic beverages that contain over 21 percent of alcohol and 16 for alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer.
2. France consumes over 500 million per year.
3. Food is a high priority in France. The French people consider food and eating as a part of their culture and tradition.
4. Most of the shops and government buildings in France observe a two-hour lunch break. That’s why most of them are closed from 12 PM to 2 PM.
5. Over ten million baguettes are sold in France every year.
6. France is the largest consumer of cheese in the world. Every person in France consumes an average of 25 kilograms of cheese per year.
7. At least two recipe books are being published every day in France.
8. There are different varieties of French food. Almost every region in France has its own distinctive style of cooking.
9. There are over 400 kinds of cheese that are traditionally made in France.
10. In France, most of the food shops and supermarkets are closed on Sundays.
11. The French bakers have their own saint which is named Saint-Honore. And every year on the 16th of May, they have a special feast to celebrate him and all the bakers in France.
12. Even if the croissant is a staple at every French bakery, it did not originate in France. In fact, the croissant actually came from Austria.
13. French toast has been present in medieval France, back then, it was called pain perdu. But the French toast did not originate in France because.
14. Macarons are known to be one of France’s specialties, but it is not invented in France. Catherine de Medici from Italy was the one who first brought and introduce the macarons to France.
15. France is one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products.
16. Wine production in France started in Roman times.
17. Most of the world’s famous liquors like Armagnac, Cognac, Grand Marnier, Pastis, and Chartreuse were produced in France.
18. If Champagne is produced outside of France, it can only be called sparkling wine.
19. The French’s love of food is very diverse that they enjoy eating in a fine dining restaurant but at the same time, they love fast food like Burger King and McDonald’s.
20. If you enter a McDonald’s in France, you will see that they serve beer.
21. Many people in France love dipping their bread and pastries into their hot beverages before eating it.
22. While France has the reputation of creating rich and luxurious deserts, most of their desserts at home just consist of fruit, natural dark chocolate, and yogurt.
23. France is the first country that banned supermarkets from throwing away unsold food. The government requires supermarket owners to give unsold foods to charities.
24. The French love to eat horse meat, frog legs, and rabbit. It is normal to see these meats on a restaurant menu.
25. Their traditional Christmas menu often consists of smoked salmon, escargots, raw oysters, foie grass and Champagne.
26. There is a law in France which states that a traditional baguette should weigh 250 grams and contain only three ingredients- flour, salt, and yeast.
27. French children often have gouter or quatre-heure as an afternoon snack. It usually consists of brioche, crepes, croissants, and hot chocolate. It is prepared especially for their little stomachs.
28. Le Pain, a type of baguette, is usually served for free and unlimited in almost all of the restaurants in France.
29. When it comes to eating cheese in France, they have what they call the cheese etiquette. It means that when a cheese tray arrives at your table, you have to cut the pieces of the cheese just like a pie, take a slice and place the sample on your plate.
30. Wine is an essential part of every French meal.

These are the fascinating and delicious facts about French food that we gathered for you. Which one is your favorite?