If you feel confident, French recipes (in French) are a great way to “test” your knowledge. (You’ll know if you understood the recipe at the first bite!)<\/p>\n
I like to follow a recipe without translating anything. That means directly internalizing every ingredient, tool and process used. The best way to do this is to just dive in and read recipes, trying to decode unknown words from context.<\/p>\n
Note that French recipes use the metric system (liters instead of cups, for example). Most cookware includes both systems, but here<\/a>\u00a0is a great resource for converting between English and metric quantities when cooking.<\/p>\n As for finding recipes, they’re widely available online. Marmiton.org<\/a>\u00a0and allrecipes.fr<\/a> are veritable treasure troves of user-submitted recipes from across France.<\/p>\n Looking for hands-on demonstrations? The YouTube channels Herv\u00e9 Cuisine<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and atatable<\/a><\/em>\u00a0have some nice examples. Recipes and videos are great ways to learn vocabulary through example instead of memorization.<\/p>\n These sites are in French. If you’re just starting out and don’t feel confident following a recipe from start to finish, all is not lost! Visuals really do help a lot.<\/p>\n The key here is gradual immersion. If you get stuck, WordReference<\/a> is an ideal resource for translating here and there.<\/p>\n Lastly, you can also learn a lot of French cooking vocabulary through watching movies, TV shows, documentaries, etc. related to culinary. One of my personal favorites is Ratatouille. It’s simple, heartwarming, and has a\u00a0lot<\/em> of useful words related to the kitchen.<\/p>\n In France, lunch, not dinner, is the main meal of the day. It’s not uncommon for families to spend two hours at the lunch table, serving course after course prepared since early morning.<\/p>\n A full-course meal includes an entr\u00e9e, side, salad, cheese, beverage, bread and dessert. I’ve chosen to present an example meal from Normandy. It’s a hearty meal from the terroir\u00a0<\/em>for farmers or laborers. For each dish, I’ll briefly describe my method of preparation but provide a link to more formal instructions (in French).<\/p>\n Again, try to work through the recipe I link to, only looking up English translations as needed. Considering all possible dishes that are prepared in Normandy alone, this is just one example French meal of thousands; it’s up to you to get creative later on.<\/p>\n Literally translated as “pot on the fire,” this stew is a vacuum cleaner of local produce, and variations are found across France.<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n Popular for its relative ease of preparation, a Norman pot-au-feu<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0typically includes\u00a0jambon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(ham),\u00a0carottes\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(carrots), oignons<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(onions) and pommes de terre <\/em><\/strong>(potatoes), but there’s room for creativity. Variations use poulet <\/em><\/strong>(chicken), b\u0153uf<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(beef), navets\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(turnips),\u00a0poireaux<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(leeks), c\u00e9leri<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(celery) or panais <\/em><\/strong>(parsnips).<\/p>\n Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n To prepare, budget about 5 hours. Mijoter<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(simmer) a side of ham\u00a0in a marmite <\/em><\/strong>(kettle)\u00a0with the carrots, onions and potatoes. You’ll also want enough bouillon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(broth) to cover the meat and vegetables. Feel free to garnir<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(garnish)\u00a0the top with persil<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(parsley), ail<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(garlic) or other seasonings. Let the whole pot simmer for 5 hours.<\/p>\n \u00c9cumer<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(skim)\u00a0occasionally. D\u00e9guster<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(taste) it to check how the broth is seasoned.\u00a0When done,\u00a0drain the pot and separate the meat and vegetables\u00a0into their own dishes for table presentation.<\/p>\n A gratin<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a dish that is gratin\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>, or covered with fromage <\/em><\/strong>(cheese)\u00a0or chapelure<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(breadcrumbs).<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n In Normandy, it often includes shredded r\u00e2p\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(shredded) potatoes, ham, \u0153ufs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(eggs) and onions.<\/p>\n Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n Faire revenir\/faire suer<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(lightly brown or sweat)\u00a0the onions,\u00a0then add the ham. In a separate bowl, battre<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(beat) the eggs with the cheese and assaisonnement<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(seasonings), such as garlic. Then\u00a0incorporate the ham and onions. Lastly, \u00e9plucher<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(peel) and r\u00e2per<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(grate) the potatoes and stir in. Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes.<\/p>\n Unlike in the States, in France the salad is eaten after the plat principal <\/em><\/strong>(main course). More than anything else, salads lend themselves to creativity.<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n A truly Norman salad requires nothing more than simple ingredients like laitue\/salade<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(lettuce), perhaps some coup\u00e9 en d\u00e9s<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(chopped),\u00a0ciboules<\/em><\/strong> (green onions) and some vinaigrette\u00a0made with vinaigre de cidre<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(apple cider vinegar). However, many people incorporate ham, chicken, apples, etc. The possibilities are endless.<\/p>\n Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n Simply tourner<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(toss) your chosen ingredients together in a large bowl. Often, the vinaigrette will settle on the bottom of the bowl.<\/p>\n France is known for its desserts, and no dessert screams Normandy like apple pie.<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n Generally, you’ll need a fond de tarte<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(pastry shell),\u00a0about 4 lbs of pommes <\/em><\/strong>(apples)\u00a0and\u00a0compote de pommes<\/strong><\/em> (applesauce).<\/p>\n Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n Spread applesauce in the shell and place the tranch\u00e9<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(peeled\/sliced)\u00a0apples on top in circles. Bake for ~30 minutes.<\/p>\n Optional: Enrober<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(coat)\u00a0with gla\u00e7age \u00e0 l’abricot<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(apricot glaze).<\/p>\n Pain<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(bread)\u00a0and cheese are served with the entr\u00e9e and salad. When with family, the French will often buy a miche<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(large, knobby loaf of bread), nothing fancy. Baguettes<\/em><\/strong> (literally “stick” or “rod”) are also a good choice.<\/p>\n As for cheeses, France has hundreds of them. For me,\u00a0camembert<\/a> goes perfectly with any bread, not to mention being as Norman as baseball is American. Contrary to popular belief, vin<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(wine)\u00a0is not ubiquitous in France.<\/p>\n Normandy, for example, is a bit too cool for vineyards, but apple orchards exist in abundance. A popular stand-in for wine is cidre\/cidre de table<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(table cider<\/a>). Served with lunch or dinner, table cider has a low alcohol content and is somewhat reminiscent of champagne. In contrast to pommes de table<\/em> <\/strong>(eating apples), pommes \u00e0 cidre<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(cider apples) are generally small and tannin rich. Note that everyday table cider is not the same as calvados<\/strong>,<\/em>\u00a0an apple brandy\u00a0with a very high alcohol content.<\/p>\n Like in English, a set of words applies to cooking and not much else. Often, a single action is described by different verbs<\/a> depending on whether or not the situation involves cooking. For example, \u00e9taler<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0means to spread out something generally, but tartiner<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0means to spread something food-related, like butter.<\/p>\n Such confusion also exists for nouns, cookware in particular. The English word “pot” can be translated as casserole<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0if it has handles, marmite<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0if it’s big and deep, fait-tout<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0if it isn’t very deep, or simply pot<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0if used for food storage. Such a rich vocabulary illustrates\u00a0the importance of food\u00a0in France.<\/p>\n It may seem like reinventing the wheel<\/a> learning a new set of vocab just for cooking. I mean, you could just use general words, and people will probably understand what you mean, but will you understand them?<\/p>\n Will you be able to decipher restaurant menus or follow directions to cook something yourself? It’s best to commit some basic French cooking vocabulary<\/a> to memory before you try to actually tackle a recette<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(recipe). More on that in just a moment.<\/p>\n French recipes frequently combine the imperative mood with the causative, an operation used\u00a0to describe one person getting someone else to do something. In French, the causative starts with the verb faire<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(to do), which is followed by an infinitive. For example, “I\u00a0made\/had<\/span> my brother prepare the meal” would be J’ai\u00a0fait<\/span>\u00a0preparer le repas \u00e0<\/span> mon fr\u00e8re.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Notice\u00a0the presence of fait<\/em><\/strong> and \u00e0<\/em><\/strong>. In fact,\u00a0recipes are\u00a0one of many great\u00a0real-world applications of the French you’re learning. You’ll often come across such\u00a0verbs as…<\/p>\n faire chauffer<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to heat (a food item)<\/p>\n faire revenir<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>to brown<\/p>\n faire cuire\/frire<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to cook\/fry<\/p>\n faire d\u00e9gorger<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to eliminate excess water (in veggies)<\/p>\n faire lever<\/strong> \u2014 <\/em>to leaven (use yeast to make dough rise)<\/p>\n faire mac\u00e9rer<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to steep<\/p>\n faire mariner<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to marinate<\/p>\n These are often employed in the imperative mood by using the causative. For example:<\/p>\n Faites chauffer le\u00a0lait.<\/em>\u00a0(Heat up the milk.)<\/p>\n But you’re literally saying, “Have the milk heated up.” The causative can be a stumbling block for learners, so practice whenever you can.<\/p>\n French cuisine is notable not only for its unique qualities but also its extreme diversity. It’s amazing how many climates are packed into such a small country. You can go from alpine tundra to subtropics in a two-hour drive!<\/p>\n FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p> \r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\nExample: A Full Course Norman Lunch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Entr\u00e9e: Pot-au-feu<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Side: Gratin de pommes de terre<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Au gratin potatoes)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Salad: Salade normande<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(<\/strong>Norman salad)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Dessert: Tarte aux pommes normande<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(Norman apple pie)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Minor dishes: Bread, cheese, drink<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Why Learn French Vocabulary Through Cooking?<\/h2>\n
Learn words used primarily for cooking<\/h3>\n
Connect with French people<\/h3>\n
Practice using the imperative mood with the causative<\/h3>\n
Deepen your understanding of French culture<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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