France as a vegetarian

[WomanStanleyWoman2]

I know there’s a holiday topic, but the traffic is pretty much nonexistent, so I hope I’m okay to post here.

I’m vegetarian, as is my closest friend. We’re looking at short breaks this summer, and France looks like a good bet. However, when I went as a child it was HELL as a vegetarian. I don’t want to go through that again.

I was looking at destinations with cheap flights and was surprised to find vegetarian/vegan restaurants in some fairly small cities. Obviously this is a plus point - but it got me wondering, am I generally dismissing France as being non veggie friendly on the basis of school trips many years ago? Has it got a lot better?

Looking forward to hearing from vegetarians who’ve enjoyed French holidays and who have eaten well whilst there!

Cities are fine. Rural terrible

Marseille was super easy with my vegan friend - lots of North African influenced places, plus quite a few Italian places for veggie pasta dishes. Much better than the time we went to Geneva and the only thing we could find that worked were avocado sushi rolls!

Do they not eat ratatouille? 😮

Yeah, but usually as a side dish.

My DS is veggie and we cycle toured well off the beaten track and he was fine. We had some fabulous food. I did do a lot of research mind to make sure there were places he would get fed.

Lol I went to France as a vegetarian age 15.

Maybe it's better now but it was comedy bad. Offerings included omelette with no filling, or a plate of green beans.

It broke my vegetarianism (which was not very principled anyway tbh). I started eating steak.

Hope you have better luck!

Barcelona broke my friend's vegetarianism. She'd been veggie for as long as I'd known her and the first night of my visit she said, "Shall we make chilli con carne?"

Vegan here. Went to Aix last year, staying in a self-catering place and going out to Monaco, Arles, Avignon and Nice. Eating out was generally limited but OK (esp in Nice) - as another poster has said, get the Happy Cow app. Aix was limited restaurant wise but, like a lot of towns, had a market with loads of different types of fresh fruit and veg (I don't think I'd seen so many different types of mushrooms in once place before). I recall a supermarket did specialist vegan food including ice-cream but we mainly used the market.

In fairness, "tomates farcies" is a well known dish in France and the filling is always some kind of meat, usually pork.

This will be obvious to French people but not necessarily to tourists!

Yeah, I got it was stuffed tomatoes but assumed the "avec riz" meant the rice was the stuffing!

That's probably a bias on my part as peppers or tomatoes stuffed with rice is a well known vegetarian dish here in the UK.

We've always managed ok in France, with a mix of self-catering and careful picking around a menu. We have on occasion resorted to eating fish (I understand not everyone feels able to do this, it is a personal accommodation we make).

Last time we were in Paris though it was much improved, especially due to the availability of world cuisines. One of the best meals out I've had anywhere ever was a tiny Tunisian restaurant with a couple of tables on the street. The meze style dishes were varied, numerous, all veggie/vegan and absolutely delicious.

I mean they were delicious!

''@WomanStanleyWoman2

Yeah, I genuinely thought vegetables only exist as far south as Dover.

What did you get out of such a twattish post? Of course I fucking know they have vegetables in France. It’s whether I’ll be able to find meals made entirely from them that’s the issue - which literally everyone else managed to understand.''

Once you have to resort to swearing repeatedly in a comment you have already lost any argument you might have had...

It is frankly ludicrous to suggest that you would be ''unable to find meals made entirely from them'' in a country like France which has such a varied cuisine.

My point stands: you will be able to walk into any cafe or restaurant and find a salad and main that is suitable for vegetarians.

You might not have 20 options but of course you will be able to feed yourself ever day.

The arrogance of suggesting other countries in EU are not able to provide you with a plate of rice and veg or pasta and veg or a vegetarian burger is mind-blowing.

Currently sitting on French beach after eating at a restaurant with fabulous french produce. DH had the cheese board with 3 good portions of local cheese.

We're the cheeses definitely vegetarian?

In Paris we used to eat in ethnic restaurants - Indian, Chinese, Ethiopian,Mexican, Lebanese. Elsewhere I lived on pizza and salad

I live in rural France and there is usually a vegetarian option on each menu. Anywhere that translates their menus into English on Facebook seems to have a veggie option. Those that just have their menus in French, not so much. I've even got a nearby place that does veggie breakfasts and another that does veggie Sunday roasts.

I live in rural France. Even my village (population 944) restaurant has vegetarian options. And I mean real vegetarian - be aware that many French places will happily serve you seafood as a part of veggie menu. You won't starve.

@MargotBamborough , I know that fresh produce is available at bakeries and greengrocers, but the point is that the offering at French supermarkets is particularly poor, compared to the UK.

The supermarkets have vegan and veggie foods, so that is a bonus.

I have to say restaurants still aren't really brilliant, but I'm sure this will vary by location.

Paris should be fine, but a small provencal or isolated rural village might be different. Things haven't moved that quickly in a lot of France.

My daughter is vegan and we had a lot of problems with that in some restaurants.

That's good to know for next time, annoying that we didn't check Carrefour. We stayed about an hour away from Saint-Malo in quite a rural area.

But that's because French people who are actually interested in food don't buy fresh food from the supermarket. So the supermarket is never going to be where the good stuff is.

My point stands: you will be able to walk into any cafe or restaurant and find a salad and main that is suitable for vegetarians.

Absolutely not the case.

Agreed, I was in Paris last month. I still subconsciously scan the menu for veggie options as a throwback to my vegetarian days. Almost everywhere it would have involved asking for meat to be removed from a dish.

Ironically, junk food places are the places you’re most likely to find veggie/vegan options on the menu.

I’m slightly surprised that people think British supermarkets are better for fruit and vegetables than French ones. The fresh produce section was amazing in all the French supermarkets I went to recently, a million times better than my local Waitrose.