Francophone food: going beyond French gastronomy

This week, we will focus on Francophone food. French cuisine is renowned throughout the world for the richness of its dishes and its refinement. But what about the other Francophone countries? 

The countries where the French language is present often have a varied cuisine. Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco, Canada and Senegal are all French-speaking countries where people eat delicious and varied food. 

Here is a brief overview of the dishes that make up Francophone cuisine.

French cuisine: recognized throughout the world

I can’t talk about Francophone food without mentioning France! In 2010, UNESCO decided to classify the “French gastronomic meal” as a cultural and intangible heritage of humanity. A big step in the history of French gastronomy. 

Renowned throughout the world for its wide culinary repertoire and its refinement, French cuisine has a lot to offer gourmets! 

Among the most famous French dishes are beef bourguignon, pot-au-feu, cassoulet, sauerkraut, tartiflette, chicken basquaise and ratatouille. 

French desserts are also famous, such as Pêche Melba, macarons, apple pie, chocolate éclair, Paris-Brest, pain au chocolat (or chocolatine!) and croissants. 

Francophone food from Switzerland 

Neighbouring France, Switzerland is a diverse country due to its geography and languages. A good part of Switzerland is French-speaking. Therefore, this Francophone cuisine is a real treat for gourmets! 

Swiss gastronomy is known for its robust cheese-based dishes. Among the famous Swiss cheeses, there is the Vacherin Mont-d’or, Gruyère, Emmental, tête de moine and raclette. The Swiss use this cheese to make dishes such as raclette and fondue. 

Switzerland is also famous for its IGP Valais cured ham and its Grisons meat.

Culinary specialties of Belgium

A number of people in Belgium speak French! The country is known for fries and waffles. 

One can also try the waterzoï of Ghent, a kind of soup-meal made with fish or chicken. The ‘boulet à la liégeoise’, beef meatballs simmered in a sweet and sour sauce and chicons (endives) en gratin are also famous. 

Belgian desserts are numerous: Liège waffles, spéculoos, rice pie and Liège syrup (a spread made of different fruits). 

A plate of Belgian waffles with strawberries.

blog about Francophone food
Belgium is known for fries and waffles

Moroccan cuisine 

Moroccan food is full of delicacies that are rich in flavour and tease your taste buds. 

In Morocco, the inhabitants often speak French, especially in the fields of administration, commerce and banking. The Francophone food from Morocco is known worldwide for its three emblematic dishes: couscous, tajine and pastilla. 

Couscous is one of the typical dishes of Morocco. It consists of fine semolina and vegetables. Meat is the main protein and many spices and herbs such as cumin, saffron, turmeric, parsley, black pepper are used. Moroccans eat it with hot sauce, harissa, and candied and caramelised grapes. And… We French love it!

Tagine is a typical dish of the Maghreb.  It is simmered in a conical earthenware dish. It is made with meat (often lamb), vegetables and spices. Unlike couscous, tagine can mix sweet and savoury flavours (chicken tagine with lemon, beef meatball tagine with apricots etc.).

Pastilla is originally from Fes. It is a kind of pie made with a pastry sheet and filled with onions, parsley, almonds, eggs, cinnamon and often stuffed with pigeon. 

Moroccan desserts are also famous. You can enjoy small cookies made of almond, orange blossom and honey. Among the most famous Moroccan sweets is the corne de gazelle which is a small croissant made of almond, cinnamon and orange blossom. The crêpes mille trous and the orange salad with cinnamon are also delicious. 

Francophone food from Canada

French and English traditions influence Canadian food. French is spoken in Quebec, making Canada a Francophone country! 

Among the typical Canadian dishes, we can enjoy meat pie, a pie with meat and spices. Pea soup is also a great classic from Quebec! 

Desserts are not far behind, since Canada is the home of maple syrup, which we drizzle on pancakes. You can also try the pumpkin and pecan pie, the blueberry pie and the butter pie. The latter is a pie made of butter, eggs, sugar and syrup and baked until the surface becomes solid and produces a thin crust. 

What do they eat in Senegal?

French is the official language of Senegal. This country has a culinary repertoire diverse in flavours. It is said that Senegal has the best cuisine in West Africa!

Thieboudienne is the most famous dish of Senegal. It is a dish made of fish (often thiof), rice cooked in a vegetable sauce, dried shellfish, tomatoes and manioc. 

Yassa is a dish with chicken or fish marinated in a sauce of onions, lime and spices and accompanied with rice. Mafé is a dish of chicken or beef in a peanut paste sauce.

There are no real desserts in Senegal. However, the Senegalese have a wide variety of fruits. 

These were some Francophone foods. Which dish would you like to try? 

If you want to read this article in French, check it out here: La gastronomie francophone : plats gourmands et savoureux

Do you want to study French, participate in grammar workshops, prepare for an exam or take conversation classes in French? Contact me for a quote or for the schedule of individual and group French classes. 

Sincerely yours,

Élodie – Your Online French Teacher 

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Language stay in France – Limousin – Nouvelle-Aquitaine

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