How to Read a French Menu

Reading the menu in a  French restaurant  can be a little tricky, and not just because of language difficulties. There may be important differences between restaurants in France and in your own country, including what foods are offered and how they are prepared. Types of menus Le menu and la formule refer to the fixed-price menu, which includes two or more courses (with limited choices for each) and is usually the least expensive way to eat out in France. The choices may be written on the ardoise, which literally means slate. Ardoise can also refer  to the specials board the restaurant might display outside or on a wall at the entrance. The sheet of paper or booklet that the waiter hands you (what English speakers call the menu) is la carte, and anything you order from it is à   la carte, which means fixed-price menu. A couple of other important menus to know are: La carte des vins,  which is the wine menuUne dà ©gustation, which refers to a tasting menu, with small servings of multiple dishes (dà ©guster means to taste) Courses A French meal may include numerous courses, in this order: Un apà ©ritif cocktail, pre-dinner drinkUn amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule snack (just one or two bites)Une entrà ©e appetizer/starter (false cognate alert: entree can mean main course in English)Le plat principal main courseLe fromage cheeseLe dessert dessertLe cafà © coffeeUn digestif after-dinner drink Special Terms In addition to knowing how French restaurants list their food items and prices, as well as the names of courses, you should also familiarize yourself with special food terms. Le plat du jour is the daily special (literally, dish of the day), which is usually part of le menu.Gratuit and offert both mean free.The waiter will often add the word petit (little) to his offer: Un petit dessert? Un petit cafà ©?When youre full, say: Je nen peux plus or Jai bien/trop mangà ©. Other Terms To really feel comfortable ordering from the menu in a French restaurant, youll need to learn a number of common terms. The list below includes almost all common terms you would need to know to impress your friends while ordering in French. The list is broken down by categories, such as food preparation, portions and ingredients, and even regional dishes. Food Preparation   affin aged artisanal homemade, traditionally made la broche cooked on a skewer la vapeur steamed letouffe stewed au four baked biologique, bio organic bouilli boiled brl burnt coup en ds diced coup en tranches / rondelles sliced en crote in a crust en daube in stew, casserole en gele in aspic/gelatin farci stuffed fondu melted frit fried fum smoked glac frozen, icy, glazed grill grilled hach minced, ground (meat) maison homemade pol panfried relev highly seasoned, spicy sch dried truff with truffles truff de ___ dotted/speckled with ___ Tastes   aigre sour amer bitter piquant spicy sal salty, savory sucr sweet(ened) Portions, Ingredients, and Appearance   aiguillettes long, thin slices (of meat) aile wing, white meat aromates seasoning ___ volont (e.g., frites volont) all you can eat la choucroute sauerkraut crudits raw vegetables cuisse thigh, dark meat minc thin slice (of meat) fines herbes sweet herbs un mli-mlo assortment un morceau piece au pistou with basil pesto une pole de ___ assorted fried ___ la pure mashed potatoes une rondelle slice (of fruit, vegetable, sausage) une tranche slice (of bread, cake, meat) une truffe truffle (very expensive and rare fungus) Typical French and Regional Dishes aoli fish/vegetables with garlic mayonnaise aligot mashed potatoes with fresh cheese (Auvergne) le buf bourguignon beef stew (Burgundy) le brandade dish made with cod (Nmes) la bouillabaisse fish stew (Provence) le cassoulet meat and bean casserole (Languedoc) la choucroute (garnie) sauerkraut with meat (Alsace) le clafoutis fruit and thick custard tart le coq au vin chicken in red wine sauce la crme brle custard with a burnt sugar top la crme du Barry cream of cauliflower soup une crpe very thin pancake un croque madame ham and cheese sandwich topped with fried egg un croque monsieur ham and cheese sandwich une daube meat stew le foie gras goose liver ___ frites (moules frites, steak frites) ___ with fries/chips (mussels with fries/chips, steak with fries/chips) une gougre puff pastry filled with cheese la piprade tomato and bell pepper omelet (Basque) la pissaladire onion and anchovy pizza (Provence) la quiche lorraine bacon and cheese quiche la (salade de) chvre (chaud) green salad with goat cheese on toast la salade nioise mixed salad with anchovies, tuna, and hard boiled eggs la socca baked chickpea crpe (Nice) la soupe loignon French onion soup la tarte flambe pizza with very light crust (Alsace) la tarte normande apple and custard pie (Normandy) la tarte tatin upside down apple pie