{"id":3423,"date":"2020-03-06T13:22:20","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T13:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=3423"},"modified":"2024-04-20T18:11:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T18:11:53","slug":"fun-facts-47-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2020\/03\/06\/fun-facts-47-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #47 – Understanding a French Menu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Donald's<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"English<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though the Norman Conquest is far back in our history, we still view French cuisine as a very exquisite and formal affair where our manners and language can be put to task. If you’ve ever felt like an old-world peasant at a formal French table, here are some words and phrases that will help you better understand the menu and enjoy the dining experience. Importantly, relax, allow the staff to attend to you, and savor the meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"French<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

ma\u00eetre d\u2019h\u00f4tel<\/strong>  – Ma\u00eetre<\/em> is French for master<\/em> whose responsibilities include supervising the wait staff, taking reservations, and welcoming guests. American speakers shorten the phrase to ma\u00eetre d<\/em> whereas British speakers say ma\u00eetre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sommelier<\/strong> – A wine waiter or wine steward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ap\u00e9ritif<\/strong> – An alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

bon app\u00e9tit <\/strong> – A salutation before eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

cuisine<\/strong> – Though simply “kitchen” in French, cuisine<\/em> also refers to a style of food preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

prix fixe<\/strong> – Several courses included under one \u201cfixed price.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

plat du jour<\/strong> – Literally, \u201cplate of the day,” and available only on that day, a plat du jour<\/em> is a dish prepared in addition to the usual menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e0 la carte<\/strong> – Food items that can be ordered individually and not part of a set meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

vinaigrette<\/strong> – A dressing of oil and wine vinegar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

soupe du jour<\/strong> – \u201cSoup of the day” is the advertised specialty on a given day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance<\/strong> – In general usage, the phrase refers to the prize item in any collection. In reference to food, the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance<\/em> is the main or most difficult-to-resist part of a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

au jus<\/strong>  – Chiefly used in the U.S., au jus<\/em> indicates that a dish, usually meat, is served in a gravy containing its own juices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

au gratin<\/strong> – A dish prepared au gratin<\/em>, or “browned,” has been sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese and browned in the oven or under the grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

baguette<\/strong> – A long, thin loaf of French bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

cordon bleu<\/strong>  – Literally, \u201cblue ribbon,\u201d reflects a sense of first class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

en brochette<\/strong> – A brochette<\/em> is a skewer. En brochette<\/em> simply refers to food cooked or grilled on skewers, like shish kebab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

omelette<\/strong> – A dish traditionally made of beaten eggs fried in a pan and folded over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pot-au-feu<\/strong> – The literal meaning is \u201cpot on the fire.\u201d It can refer to a large traditional French cooking pot or to something cooked in one, usually a thick soup of meat and vegetables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

roux<\/strong> – A mixture of fat and flour heated together and used in making sauces and soups. In the U.S., a spicy roux is a staple of southern Cajun cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

saut\u00e9<\/strong>  – The French verb sauter<\/em> means \u201cto jump.\u201d Vegetables that are saut\u00e9ed<\/em> are fried in a pan while being tossed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

soup\u00e7on<\/strong> – Literally, French for suspicion<\/em>, it refers to a very small quantity or \u201ca pinch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e<\/strong> – A cream topped with caramelized sugar and served as dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

petit four<\/strong> – Literally, “little oven,” this is a small fancy cake, biscuit, or sweet served with coffee after a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

caf\u00e9 au lait<\/strong> – Coffee taken with milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e0 la mode<\/strong> – This French expression means \u201caccording to the fashion.\u201d In the U.S., the term usually applies only to desserts and means \u201cwith ice cream.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

English has had the influence of many languages in its history. Check out the rich vocabulary we’ve inherited from Spanish<\/a> and Native American<\/a> languages, the beauty of the Scots language<\/a>, or the fascinating story of Gallah, the creole language of the American South<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the previous<\/a> or next<\/a> Fun Facts About English<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Donald's<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Task Cards<\/a> and Exit Tickets<\/a> are great for review or a snap assessment of lessons taught. These card sets will become a staple in your collection of classroom activities!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though the Norman Conquest is far back in our history, we still view French cuisine as a very exquisite and formal affair where our manners and language can be put to task. If you’ve ever felt like an old-world peasant at a formal French table, here are some words and phrases that will help you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[94],"tags":[1205,1222,1220,1218,1203,1219,1211,1223,1196,1206,1210,20,1204,1199,1208,1207,133,1201,1216,1197,1221,1202,1215,1213,1200,1214,1198,1212,1209,1217,1195],"class_list":["post-3423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fun-facts-about-english","tag-a-la-carte","tag-a-la-mode","tag-aperitif","tag-au-gratin","tag-au-jus","tag-baguette","tag-bon-appetit","tag-cafe-au-lait","tag-cordon-bleu","tag-creme-brulee","tag-dining-etiquette","tag-donalds-english-classroom","tag-en-brochette","tag-french-cuisine","tag-french-dining-terms","tag-french-restaurant-guide","tag-kinney-brothers-publishing-blog","tag-maitre-dhotel","tag-omelette","tag-petit-four","tag-piece-de-resistance","tag-plat-du-jour","tag-pot-au-feu","tag-prix-fixe","tag-roux","tag-saute","tag-sommelier","tag-soupcon","tag-soupe-du-jour","tag-understanding-french-menu","tag-vinaigrette","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8GlQB-Td","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/047.jpg?fit=1252%2C1252&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3423"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11038,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3423\/revisions\/11038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}