FRENCH COURSE MENU

• In western formal dining, a full course menu can consist

of 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 courses, and, in its extreme
form, has been known to have twenty-one courses. In
these more formalized dining events, the courses are
carefully planned to complement each other
gastronomically. The courses are smaller and spread
out over a long evening, up to three, four or five hours,
and follow conventions of menu planning that have
been established over many years. Most courses
(excluding some light courses such as sorbets) in the
most formal full course dinners are usually paired with a
different wine, beer, liqueur, or another spirit. The most
luxurious well-known full course is, of course, created
from French in which represent their elegant service in
gastronomy.
17 FRENCH COURSE MENU
• This legendary full classic French full
course dinner consists of 17 menus
from appetizer to dessert and ended
with a drink.
1 – Hors-d oeuvre / Appetizer
• In recent years, hors d’oeuvres have
gained popularity, and now appear
on most of the menus in modest
eating places. Served from a
rotating trolley or a tray a small
amount of each variety being placed
on the plate to make up a portion.
2 – Potage / Soup
• Soup also act as an appetizer for the
further courses to come. Soups like clear
soup(consommé) and the other a thick
soup (crème, velouté, puree) are served
during this course. Although it must be
noted that the clear soup is always placed
first on the menu.
3 – Oeuf / Egg
• Oeufs are the dishes made from egg.
There are many styles of cooking and
preparation of eggs such as boiled, en
cocotte, poached or scrambled. This
course is not included in the dinner
menu.
4 – Farinaceous / Farineaux / Pasta or Rice

• This is Italy’s contribution to the

courses of the menu. It includes
different kinds of rice and pasta. Pasta
dishes are spaghetti, lasagna and
gnocchi. There are more than 200
varieties of pasta. The ingredients,
size, shape and colour determine the
type of pasta.
5 – Poisson / Fish
• Poisson is the dishes made from fish.
Fish, being soft-fibred, prepares the
palate for the heavier meats that
follow. Ideal fish for dinner menu
compilation are: Sole, Salmon, Halibut,
Escallops, etc. Rarely seen on a menu
for the evening meal are Cod, Bass,
Haddock, Brill, Hake, and Plaice.
6 – Entrée / Entree
• The First in the meat course Entrées is
generally small, well-garnished dishes
which come from the kitchen ready for
service. They are always accompanied
by very rich gravy or sauce when relive
follow entrée then potatoes and
vegetables are not served with the
latter; if, however, a reliever does not
follow the entrée they would be served
with the dish.
7 – Sorbet / Sorbet
• Because of the length of the French
classical menu, this course is
considered to be the rest between
courses . It counteracts the previous
dishes and rejuvenates the appetite for
those that are to follow. It is water and
crushed ice slush flavoured as a rule
with champagne and served in a glass.
8 – Releves / Joints
• This is the main meat course on the
menu, Releves are normally larger
than entrees and take the form of
butcher’s joints which have to be
carved. These joints are normally
roasted. A sauce or a roast gravy with
potatoes and green vegetables are
always served with this course.
9 – Roti / Roast
• At this stage, the balance of the courses is
gradually returning from heavy to light.
Roast always contain roast of game or
poultry: – chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant,
quail. Each dish is accompanied by its own
particular sauce and gravy, with a green
salad served separately on a cresent
shaped dish.
10 – Legumes / Vegetables
• We now have a vegetable dish served
only with its accompanying sauce.
These are vegetable dishes that can
be served separately as an individual
course or may be included along – with
the entrée, relevé or roast courses.
11 – Salades / Salad
• Various types of salads which are
served during this course.
12 – Buffet Froid / Cold Buffet
• In this course, Chilled meat(small)
pieces are served;.
13 – Entremets / Sweets
• Entremets on a menu refers to
desserts. This could include hot or cold
sweets, gateaux, soufflés or ice-cream.
14 – Savoureux / Savory
• A dish of pungent taste, such as
anchovies on toast or pickled fruit.
They are served hot on toast or as
savoury soufflé.Welsh rarebit, Scotch
woodcock, Canape diane are some of
the examples.
15 – Fromage / Cheese
• Fromage is an alternative to the outdated
savoury course, and may be served before or
after the sweet course. It is usually served
with butter, crackers and occasionally
celery.Gouda, Camembert and Cheddar are
some examples of cheese.All type of cheese
may be offered together with appropriate
accompaniments, the ideal cheese board will
combine hard, semi-hard, soft or cream, blue
and fresh cheese.
16 – Dessert / Cut Fruits & Nuts
• Dessert is a course that typically
comes at the end of a meal. All forms
of fresh fruit and nuts may be served in
this course. Common desserts include
cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries and
candies.
17 – Boissons / Beverage
• All types of hot or cold
beverage,Tea,Coffee etc. are served.
Always remember that while compiling
menus beverages are not counted as a
course.
FRENCH MEAL STRUCTURE
Three meals
• le petit déjeuner (breakfast): A quick
meal that typically features French
bread with jelly or jam, croissants, or
chocolate-filled pastries. French
residents partner their pastries or
bread with coffee or tea.
Three meals
• le déjeuner (lunch): French citizens
traditionally take a two-hour break,
although lately many Frenchmen have
started taking only an hour break.
Commonly lunches incorporate
sandwiches and desserts.
Three meals
• le diner (dinner): This meal consists of
three courses: hors d’eouvre
(introductory course), the main course,
and a cheese or dessert course. The
main course regularly pairs meat with
vegetables and is served with pasta or
rice.
French dinner courses
• L'Apéritif (Aperitif): Hosts invite guests into
their living room and serve them light
alcoholic drinks and small appetizers to
stimulate their appetites for the meal ahead.

• L'Entrée / Hors d'oeuvre (Appetizer):

Appetizers at the start of the dinner, vary
from cold dishes such as beef carpacio,
Roquefort flan, and salmon mousse with
capers to hot dishes like French onion soup,
cheese soufflé, and sole filet terrine.
French dinner courses
• Le Plat Principal (Main course): May
include a wide variation of cooking
styles according to the different
regions in France. For instance,
Bretagne in the northwest of France
uses more butter and cream in its
cooking, whereas areas in the east of
France use more sausages and
sauerkraut in their meals. The main
course of a French dinner typically
includes either meat or fish, served
with side dishes of salads, rice, or
French dinner courses
• Le Fromage (Cheese): A cheese board is prepared,
consisting of cheese of varying textures and flavors.
The cheese board is accompanied by fruits, nuts,
and baguette bread on the side, along with more
wine, of course.

• Le Dessert (Dessert): Dessert in a French dinner is

similar to desserts from other types of cuisines in
that it is sweet to the taste and can be either hot or
cold. Since it is served towards the end of the French
dinner, dessert is commonly light and small to
prevent guests from feeling too full. Popular French
desserts include chocolate profiteroles, chocolate
mousse, and apple tarts.
French dinner courses
• Le Café (Coffee): Just like the aperitif,
coffee is served as a gesture of gratitude
and pleasure at having guests for dinner.
Coffee is usually taken in the relaxed
atmosphere of the living room. Each guest
is served coffee in a small cup,
accompanied by a square piece of dark
chocolate or a chocolate truffle, which is
believed to enhance the aroma and taste of
the coffee. An alternative such as tea should
be prepared for guests who do not drink
coffee.
 French dinner courses

• Le Digestif (Digestif): The digestif signals the

end of a French dinner. Guests, particularly
men, are offered small doses of strong
alcoholic beverages such as cognac, brandy, or
whisky. The cultural practice of serving digestifs
at the end of a meal has significantly declined
due to higher awareness of the dangers of
drunk driving. Nevertheless, during special
occasions such as Christmas Eve family
dinners, digestifs are still offered to men, along
with a good cigar to puff on.
FRENCH FRIES
The origin story
• Despite its name and popularity, the French fries are
not French. The origins can be found in Belgium, where
historians claim potatoes were being fried in the late-
1600s.

• According to Belgian lore, poor villagers living in Meuse

Valley would often ate small fried fish they caught in the
river. During the winter months when the river froze,
fishing would become an impossible task and forced
villagers to find other sources of food.

• This is when the villagers turned to the root plant,

potatoes, slicing and frying them just like the way they
prepared fish.
The origin story
• American soldiers were first introduced
to the fries while they were stationed in
Belgium during World War I.
• Fries, or French fries, are one of the
most popular side dishes in the world.
They find accompaniment in dips,
mayonnaise, ketchup, and even
vinegar.
The French fries’ American connection

• According to an early 19th century

manuscript written by then-US President
Thomas Jefferson, he talks about a dish
called ‘Pommes de terre frites en petites
tranches’ (Potatoes deep-fried while raw,
in small slices). Some historians have
claimed that this recipe came from the
French chef, Honoré Julien. By 1850s,
this recipe gained so much popularity that
it became a mainstay in several American
cookbooks as ‘French Fried Potatoes’.
Interesting facts
• Did you know Belgium is also home to
the world’s first, and so far the only,
French Fry Museum? The tasty snack
also has a day assigned to it. National
French Fry Day is celebrated across
the US on July 13 every year.
• In 2014, Belgium sought to give
French fries a cultural heritage status.
According to a 2014 report by Reuters,
“Belgian fries are traditionally sold, in a
paper cone, in a “fritkot”, generally a
shack or trailer. There are some 5,000
Interesting facts
• “To become recognized by the United Nations’ cultural
arm UNESCO, they need to be endorsed by a minister
of culture, and Belgium has three of them,” it added.

• “The government of the Dutch speaking region of

Flanders recognized Belgian fries as an integral part of
national culture this year, and the French- and
German-speaking communities are expected to debate
the issue next year. UNAFRI, the national association
of fritkot owners, which started the drive, says the
unpolished establishments are uniquely Belgian,
combining the country’s embrace of chaos with a
dislike of corporate uniformity,” the report continued.
Interesting facts
• Even though potatoes are a versatile
vegetable, the Belgian/French
discovery remains a sinful treat we will
be ready to munch on, without
counting those calories!
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Exactly who introduced these golden

strips of goodness to the world isn’t
entirely known.  Among the various
theories, it’s generally accepted that
the French fry was invented by either
the Belgians or the French.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Potatoes were first introduced to

Europe not through the French or
Belgians, but through the Spanish.  In
1537, Jimenez de Quesada and his
Spanish forces encountered a village
in Colombia where all the natives had
fled.  Among other things, they found in
the native’s food stuffs potatoes, which
the Spanish initially called “truffles”.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Around 20 years later, potatoes were

brought back to Spain and also introduced
to Italy.  At this time, the potatoes were still
quite small and bitter and didn’t grow well
in either Spain or Italy.  However, over
time, larger and less bitter versions of the
plant were cultivated and the plant
gradually caught on elsewhere in Europe,
though it was initially met with quite a bit of
resistance (for more on that, see the bonus
facts at the bottom).
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• In any event, historical accounts indicate that the

Belgians were possibly frying up thin strips of
potatoes as early as the late 17th century (though
some claim it wasn’t until the late 18th century) in
the Meuse Valley between Dinant and Liège, in
Belgium.  How they supposedly came up with the
idea was that, in this area, it was very common
for the people to fry up small fish as a staple for
their meals.  However, when the rivers froze up
thick enough, it tended to make it somewhat
difficult to get fish.  So instead of frying up fish in
these times, they would cut up potatoes in long
thin slices, and fry them up as they did the fish.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Giving some credence to this story is

that the Spanish controlled much of
what is now modern day Belgium at
the time the Spanish introduced the
potato to Europe.  So, at least, the
Belgians probably were among the first
to have a crack at the potato, in terms
of thinking up ways to prepare food
from potatoes.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Now to the French argument: the

popularity of the potato in France is
largely credited to a French army
medical officer named Antoine-
Augustine Parmentier, who very
famously championed the potato
throughout France and parts of Europe.
During the Seven Years War,
Parmentier was taken captive and, as a
part of his prison rations, was given
potatoes.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• At this time, the French had previously

used potatoes only for hog feed and never
ate them.  The reason being that they
thought potatoes caused various diseases. 
In fact, in 1748, the French Parliament
even banned cultivation of potatoes as they
were convinced potatoes caused leprosy. 
However, while in prison in Prussia,
Parmentier was forced to cultivate and eat
potatoes and found the French notions
about the potato just weren’t true.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• When he came back to France,

Parmentier began championing the
potato as a potential food source. 
Finally, in 1772, the Paris Faculty of
Medicine proclaimed that potatoes were
edible for humans, though Parmentier
still encountered significant resistance
and wasn’t even allowed to grow
potatoes in his garden at the Invalides
hospital where he worked as a
pharmacist.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Parmentier then began a more

aggressive campaign to promote the
potato in France, hosting dinners
featuring potatoes with such notable
dignitaries as Benjamin Franklin,
Antoine Lavoisier, King Louis XVI, and
Queen Marie Antoinette.  He also
would hire armed guards to surround
his potato patch, to try to convince
people that what was in the patch was
very valuable.  He would then tell the
guards to accept any bribes they were
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Once the French accepted the potato

though, its popularity skyrocketed in
France. By 1795, potatoes were being
grown on a very large scale in France,
including at the royal gardens at
Tuileries, where the gardens were
converted into potato fields.  Within
that span of time, the French either
invented or learned to make fries. 
Once discovered/invented French fries
became extremely popular in France,
particularly in Paris, where they were
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Now, it should be noted that this all

happened in the late 18th century,
which was as much as 100 years after
some people say the Belgians were
supposedly already making “French”
fries. But by other arguments, this all
happened around the same time for
both the French and the Belgians. So
who knows?
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• It should also be noted that, shortly

before the potato became popular in
France, the Franco-Austrian war was
going on (also known as the War of
Austrian Succession), much of which
took place around modern day
Belgium.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES
• .  So it’s possible that the French
soldiers were introduced to fries by the
Belgians at this time and, a couple
decades later when the potato became
popular in France, these former
soldiers then introduced the
preparation method to the rest of
France.  Or it’s possible the French
came up with the idea on their own
and spread them to Belgium around
the same time; or that both came up
with the idea independently
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Whatever the case, it was the French who

seem to be the ones that spread fries to
America and Britain and it, in turn, was the
Americans, through fast food chains, that
eventually popularly introduced them to the
rest of the non-European world as “French
fries”.  Ironically, because of this latter
spread by American fast food chains, in
many parts of the non-European world,
“French fries” are more often than not
known as “American fries”.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

Bonus Facts:
• While the Belgians may or may not
have invented the French fry, today,
they do consume the most French fries
per capita of any country in Europe.
• In most of the English speaking world,
thin cut and thick cut fries are called
two different things, fries and chips,
respectively.  In North America, it is
typical  to simply call them all French
fries and, when they are distinguished,
it is usually just by adding an adjective,
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• In 1802, Thomas Jefferson had the

White House chef, Frenchman Honoré
Julien, prepare “potatoes served in the
French manner” for a dinner party.  He
described these as “Potatoes deep-
fried while raw, in small cuttings”. 
(French fries at a White House state
dinner….  classy.)  This is one of the
earliest references to fried potato strips
being referred to as “French”.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES

• Steak fries, or chips, actually tend to

have lower fat content than normal
French fries, due to the lower surface
to volume ratio.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES
• Burger King’s French fries (and
probably McDonald’s too) are sprayed
with a sugar solution just before being
packaged and shipped to the various
franchise locations.  This produces the
golden color through caramelization of
the sugar when it is fried.  Without this,
the fries would end up having about
the same outside color as inside after
being fried.
THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES
• McDonalds is known to fry their fries
twice, the combined time taking about
15 to 20 minutes.  Once for cooking
the insides and once for making them
extra crispy on the outside.