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.
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.
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.
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 pasta. Wine is served throughout the meal – red wine to go with red meat and white wine to go with white meat or fish.
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.
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.
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.