In Focus - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 721

differences is one of the great joys of travelling in France, but one thing's for sure -
wherever you end up, you won't go hungry.

Meals in France
The classic French breakfast ( petit déjeuner
) consists of baguette, jam, coffee, and fruit
juice (croissants and pastries are traditionally
reserved as treats for the weekend, although
they're normally always included in hotel
breakfasts). Many hotels also offer a more
generous buffet breakfast, which might fea-
ture cereals, cold meats, yoghurt, cheese,
fruit and bread. Ask at the front desk when
you check in to see what the hotel offers and
whether it's likely to be worth the premium -
you might well be better served by seeking
out a local café instead.
Lunch ( déjeuner ) is served from noon to
around 2pm, and is often the main meal of
the day for French people. There is usually a
good value 2- or 3-course menu du jour (daily
menu) consisting of a plat du jour (daily spe-
cial) with an entrée (starter) and/or a dessert.
Most restaurants only offer the menu du jour
at lunchtime, which is why it's often easier to
find a free table for dinner than for lunch.
Dinner ( diner ) usually starts around
6.30pm and continues till around 10pm. Two
or three courses are the norm; fixed menus
generally offer better value than à la carte , but you'll have fewer dishes to choose
from. Cheese and coffee is usually extra.

Things to Try

1 BOUILLABAISSE IN MARSEILLE
( CLICK HERE )

2 CAMEMBERT IN NORMANDY (
CLICK HERE )

3 SAUSAGES IN LYON

4 FONDUE IN THE FRENCH ALPS

5 OYSTERS AND SHELLFISH IN
BRITTANY

6 BLACK TRUFFLES IN THE
DORDOGNE

Cheese
Charles de Gaulle famously declared that it was impossible to govern a country with
246 types of cheese; the number of French fromages is over double that these
days. The choice can be overwhelming to the uninitiated, but any decent fromagerie