Vegetarian food in France

[midnightmoon8]

We've just returned from a lovely holiday in France. It was perfect apart from one issue - I'm vegetarian and found finding vegetarian options in restaurants almost impossible. We travelled around and mainly stayed in b&b accommodation and ate out each evening but this involved traipsing round restaurant after restaurant until we found somewhere suitable. Think we'll go self-catering in future but wondered how other vegetarians overcome this? There must be French vegetarians - where do they eat??!

I too find it very difficult, especially as I also have dietary restrictions for medical reasons.

I stay in self catering & make the most of the gorgeous fresh food at the maskers. Whilst trying to avoid the bakeries! .(🥲🥲)

I don't know why this surprised you! It's a country with strong, quite traditional notions about cuisine, most of which are meat or fish-focused, and while there are far more French vegetarians than there used to be, it's still fairly uncommon for them to be catered to in 'ordinary' restaurants. If we're in the provinces and I don't have time to research somewhere to eat, I will default to omelette, cheese and salad where necessary. In Paris, I will eat Lebanese, very high end, or go to one of the falafel places in the Marais. But in general, I don't go to France for the food!

Probably lots of cheese.

I thought it was still illegal to be vegetarian in France? 😂

Seriously though, France is not historically big on vegetarianism. It is improving as more young people become veggie/vegan. Your best bet will be in cities like Paris and Lyon but self-catering may be your easiest option at times I’m afraid.

If you don’t speak French, this article tells you what you can say in a restaurant to get them to alter a dish so it becomes veggie for you:

thegoodlifefrance.com/tips-for-vegetarians-in-france/

I seem to end up eating a lot of omelettes. I did find one place in the centre of Limoges that did fabulous salads at lunchtime for the shop/office workers. Otherwise in the cities you get Moroccan restaurants that adapt to vegetarian. In the countryside it's not so easy.

It is tricky. I’ve eaten a lot of French omelettes over the years!

More places have a veggie burgers now. I have had a butternut squash tagine this year in France that was delicious and also plenty of ratatouille. I find the uk bad now for veggie options, a lot is just processed microwave fodder.

TBH I mostly have a chèvre chard salad when out in France, assuming you eat none veggie cheese.

Vegetarianism just isn't a big thing in France, especially outside Paris and big cities. It's always been the case and I expect always will. France has a fantastic cuisine which is very meat-based, think of all the wonderful meat, poultry and fish dishes as well as the charcuterie.
My vegetarian sibling usually has to default to omelette, frites, pizza, salad in restaurants. A friend's son is vegan living in France for a while, that's even more difficult.

Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise in France as in most places in Europe, concentrated in the cities and larger towns, particularly Paris of course, and more so in the (somewhat more affluent and liberal) north than the south. I think that's understandable and the same as the UK, you will definitely get more variety and focus on vegetarian and vegan options in London or other big cities in the UK than rural areas where you're probably looking at a cheese sandwich or a veggie burger as your options repetitively!

We were recently on holiday in the south of France with a vegan and there was something she could eat at every restaurant (admittedly once it was a green salad and there wasn't always a choice) which was unthinkable even 10 years ago. In the larger towns we even found vegan restaurants and cafes, and the supermarkets had good vegan ranges with vegan cheeses, ice creams etc available, again much progress. We also found that even where there was nothing available on the menu the chef could often prepare something for her when asked - think it helps if you're able to ask in reasonably good french rather than English though! So in short yes there definitely are vegetarians in France and they do eat out but if you want to eat out easily and with choice it does pay to stick to more urban areas. Progress is definitely being made as well so stick with it!

Also there is a cafe near me that does a lovely roasted veg quiche. If I’ve had a lighter lunch that means I have space for a cafe gourmand dessert! Silver linings and all that…

My sister is veggie and we go to France (rural)every year and generally don't have too much problem. Sometimes you need to be creative eg ask for the salad without the geziers or whatever. If you are extremely strict ie don't want cross contamination it would probably be harder in rural France but generally we've found most restaurants happy to discuss options, as they have chefs who know how to cook ie not pre prepped meals. although we both speak good French which prob helps

This issue is why I haven't ever gone to France despite quite wanting to for other reasons!
My friends who visit say it is getting better, but it is still behind the UK due to their stronger traditions and fish/meat culture.

When I went 30 years ago I once had a plate of lettuce with sweetcorn. Recently a veggie burger!

Plenty of vegetarian food is available but you won’t automatically find veggie options in meat and fish oriented restaurants,though you can usually get creative and order a starter that happens to be vegetarian and a portion of fries for instance (not being fussy is a must) eg tapenade tart is often a starter. Lebanese or Tunisian food will have veggie options. We’ve managed ok with vegetarian dd but she did resort to cheese boards and omelettes sometimes and saw some chefs being cross with their maitre d for offering off menu options to us!

I also found the same in Spain, I do eat fish though but not seafood. I am not a pizza fan but resorted to it one evening. I love salad and veg and fruit obviously so had lots of salad and found a great budda bowl place which I had twice. Even resorted to Mc Donalds once obvjust the fries and coffee🙄 I was tired of looking and explaining with zero Spanish! Greece is my favourite for eating out on holiday it just seemed so much easier. But it won't spoil holidays, just have to eat the amazing fruits 😋

I speak fairly fluent French, and DH and I have been spending time in various parts of France since the start of the 90s, and I can honestly say that the approach suggested in that article (to ask for a 'modified' version of a dish without meat or fish) is largely going to be met with incomprehension or a kitchen physically just lifting the piece of meat or fish off the plate, and giving you the accompaniments that have been cooked with/dripped on by said meat or fish. Plus, often meat or fish is integral to dishes, in a stock or sauce. I've had to turn down offers of onion soup very often because it usually has beef stock.

I have been to numerous French weddings where the bride and groom went to lots of trouble to sit down with the caterers and explain what the vegetarians needed, often providing ideas or recipes. We still ended up on several occasions with a plate with an empty space in the middle (where the meat or fish 'should' have been) and portions of various side dishes (pommes dauphinoises, carrottes Vichy, salad) arranged around the rim.

In France it really depends where you are. IME Access to “alternative” foods - whether vegetarian, vegan, dairy free or gluten free - can even differ from village to village in the same area.

we visit france a lot and have at various times required vegetarian, DF and / or GF food.

i cannot imagine being vegan here. And as for vegetarian - you really need to find some recommended cafes / restaurants and then book accommodation nearby!
or self cater

currently we are in southern france about an hour east of where we usually go. Finding both GF and DF food in the supermarket has been a problem. Some supermarkets have nothing
my DD has been a little upset by it as on previous trips we have found plenty of DF desserts without soya. This time - we eventually found 1 supermarket with only a couple of suitable items - she enjoyed them (thankfully!).

we have a friend who ordered cheese on toast without bacon - and was clear with the waiter that they were vegetarian and so didn’t eat meat so could not eat bacon - their food arrived with bacon on it!!! When challenged the waiter said it was “wafer thin” and part of the dish so they should eat it!!!!!

The French are very proud of their cuisine and generally eat very high quality and unprocessed food. Therefore vegetarianism has not been a huge thing here because there are not the worries about the conditions animals live in.

I understand access is getting better but seems very omelette and cheese based when out n about!

hope you found some suitable places to eat.

Our old friends in Paris once asked the chef-proprietor of a local restaurant they'd been eating at for nearly 30 years if he would do a vegetarian dish for us so we could eat there with them while visiting. DH was there at the time, they'd run into the guy on the street. He just said 'Non', and when our friend, laughing, but also a bit embarrassed, asked why, the guy just shrugged and said 'Because I don't have to.'😀

I remember going to Paris for a romantic weekend and basically just eating McDonalds fries and going to bed hungry. Even the ‘vegetable’ based dishes are full of animal fats, stock and gelatine. I was a skinny minny then and didn’t care but I just wouldn’t go on holiday there now.

Go to Southern Italy next time!

My dd is veggie and ends up eating a lot of potato and cheese in France. Once in a small village cafe, the only vegetarian option was a potato patty with a slice of cheese on top, in a burger bun, served with chips lol. In Lille recently there still wasn't much veggie on the menu apart from cheese pizza, but they were happy to adapt dishes to be vegetarian when we asked them.

This is my DH's argument for retiring there. But I adore France, despite food restrictions.

Honestly, go. I live in the sticks and you can easily get veggie choices everywhere these days, especially if you're self-catering or OK with fish.

I speak fairly fluent French, and DH and I have been spending time in various parts of France since the start of the 90s, and I can honestly say that the approach suggested in that article (to ask for a 'modified' version of a dish without meat or fish) is largely going to be met with incomprehension or a kitchen physically just lifting the piece of meat or fish off the plate, and giving you the accompaniments that have been cooked with/dripped on by said meat or fish. Plus, often meat or fish is integral to dishes, in a stock or sauce. I've had to turn down offers of onion soup very often because it usually has beef stock.

Of course @RuthandPen, that’s the whole point that France doesn’t really understand vegetarianism (although is improving) but the article is useful if the OP is a non/limited French speaker and is stuck with zero veggie options and needs to eat.

I’m fluent in French and have lived there several times, when I was a student at Sciences-Po years ago and when I worked there as the only non-native French person in my organisation, as well as being backwards and forwards there over the years both on business and for pleasure. I love France, both the people and the food but vegetarian friendly it is not!

We eat...at home mostly.

I know every restaurant within an hour that makes veggie food and will check each ones menu weekly so that I can book a table if something looks fabulous on there.

When relatives visit we go to the ones that have veg options.

And we steer clear of one's with 'veg options available as that usually means just not adding in the meat and you have no idea what is in it.

I have two main ones who do specific vegan as well as loads of veggie food, we are about 45 mins west of limoges so if anyone wants to know the names let me know.

Oh, I get you, it's just that for someone who doesn't really speak much French, the idea that many or most restaurants will be willing and able to modify dishes to remove meat or fish they consider integral is probably going to end in disappointment! (My goddaughter is currently at Sciences-Po, following in a long family tradition...)