Have you ever been to a French restaurant and had no clue what to order because everything was in French? If you’ve been to France, particularly outside of Paris, this probably has happened to you. Luckily, in the US, French restaurants take pity on us non-French speaking Francophiles and put most of the menu choices in English.
(Photo courtesy of Flickr)
However, even in these Americanized French restaurants, French words are still used to describe many of the dishes that are written in English. So you may see a dish that says chicken à la king and think – great – chicken, at least I know it’s poultry. But, do you really know how it’s prepared? Maybe not, because the description of the dish is full of French descriptors.These petit and unfamiliar words and phrases may leave you pleasantly surprised or a tad bitter about your menu selection. To avoid the latter, you can either:
- A. Ask your server for a quick French lesson prior to ordering and risk the classic French eye-roll because you are so American; or
- B. Become familiar with a few French menu words and phrases that will help you make an intelligent selection for your meal – oui oui!
Just in case you opt for B, here are a few French menu phrases to get you started…
15 Words/Phrases on a French Menu
- à la – Meaning “in the style of”
- Citron – lemon or citrus flavor
- Frite – fried, ie pommes frites = French Fries
- Au povre – peppered or in a pepper sauce
- Amandine – cooked or coated with almonds
- Coulis – a thick sauce made with one ingredient, ie raspberry coulis
- Crème FraÎche – a slightly sour cream, with the richness of a whipping cream, but the tangy flavor of sour cream
- Crêpes – very thin pancakes that can be sweet or savory
- Croûte – encrusted or in a pastry crust
- Entremet – dessert
- Les Plats Principaux – main plates or entrees
- Les potages – soups
- Les Poissons – Fish
- De la Mer – from the sea/seafood
- Apéritif – an alcoholic drink ordered before the meal
