Table & Foraging

France Loves Its Steak Frites—But Something’s Changing

Classic and modern vegetarian options in a famously un-vegan cuisine

Walk past any café and it’s still the same smell—butter, wine, meat. Nothing subtle about it.

But look at a few menus side by side and you start to see it. It’s not everywhere, but vegetarian options are at a lot more bistros than they used to be. Things are shifting.

At the Paris Olympics, half the dishes were vegetarian—something they made a point of.

In supermarkets, there are chickpea “steaks” now. Carrefour has a vegan butcher counter, or something that looks like one.

None of this means France has gone vegan. It hasn’t.

But meat—how much, how often, what kind—is starting to feel less automatic than it used to.

TL;DR
Plenty of French food was already vegetarian—no one bothered to call it that.

Now they do. That’s a bigger shift.

Then a clever song about vegans, several truly delicious veggie recipes for anybody. I’ve made them all, except the complicated kind of Cauliflower Wellington that one chef put together.

France Loves Its Steak Frites

But maybe a little less than it used to.

Governments, worried about emissions and healthcare costs, are now promoting “less but better” meat policies, while corporations chase profit in plant-based foods. It’s a strange alliance—environmental policy meets marketing opportunity.

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Then again, meat was once marketed too—sold as a symbol of progress, strength, and even patriotism throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Only about 5% of French people identify as vegetarian—roughly the same as in the U.S.—depending on how you ask. France has a complicated relationship with polls. The country also seems to have a complex relationship with personal dietary definitions.

People might say they “eat less meat” but stop short of calling themselves végétarien. Estimates range from 2% to 6%—basically within the margin of error.

Yet something is happening…

I’m curious how this looks elsewhere—especially outside the cities. Are you seeing more vegetarian options where you are, or is this still mostly a Paris/Lyon/other city thing?

Je ne suis pas vegan.

I’m not a vegan. Or a vegetarian. Neither of those.

Just to get that out of the way.

I cook with butter, eat saucisson, and will work bacon into all kinds of dishes without reservation, often without need. I think we should all eat small, invasive animals.

But I also get the appeal of eating less meat.

The classic vegan joke goes like this:
Q: How do you know if someone is vegan?
A: They’ll tell you.

Like a lot of vegan jokes, it’s not that funny. All of these ones are just terrible.

Quietly Vegetarian

Ratatouille, omelette aux fines herbes, gratin dauphinois, poireaux vinaigrette—France does vegetarian nicely, just without calling it vegetarian.

These aren’t “meatless” versions of anything; they’re classic dishes built on what’s local and in season.

The first vegan restaurant to earn a Michelin star, ONA, opened in Gironde in 2016 after being crowdfunded after traditional banks refused to back a fully vegan concept. It closed six years later—but not before making a point: French fine dining can work without animal products.

And in Lyon, the capital of offal, Les Mauvaises Herbes stays booked solid, drawing vegetable-curious eaters. Their photos section is inspiring (link above).

Recipes

French veggie options: three classics, three modern.

Classics

Ratatouille (Provence) – A stewed mix of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers. Cook low and long, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some torn basil leaves. Eat warm with bread or cold the next day—it gets better. Get your eggplant right, it all falls together.

Gratin Dauphinois (Dauphiné) – Thinly sliced potatoes baked with milk, cream, garlic, and nutmeg. Don’t overthink it: layer, season, pour, bake until bubbling and brown. Cheesy potatoes, a win. Thinner potatoes = better.

Poireaux Vinaigrette (Parisian bistro) – Steamed leeks dressed in mustard vinaigrette, sprinkled with walnuts or a poached egg — or hard boiled & crumbled, as above..

Eaten chilled or just warm, it’s a cheap, flavorful dish. the essence of French thrift. If you get the leeks steamed tender, everything else falls into place.

Modern

Chickpea Salade Niçoise (Nice) – remove tuna and anchovies, add chick peas. People will disagree—this is possibly the most debated salad in France, which is a strangely large category. David Leibovitz’s version is wonderful - and he’s great.

Wheat Berry “Risotto” with Vegetables (Provence) – Inspired by a Perfectly Provence recipe: simmer soft wheat berries in broth until creamy, fold in sautéed zucchini, peppers, and herbs. Proof that rustic can feel refined.

Mushroom bourguignon (Burgundy (Bourgogne)) is wonderful – and very fast, compared to beef. I prefer crimini, portobello or even button mushrooms over ceps or porcini. The first one I liked was the one from Smitten Kitchen.

Bouef Beet Tartare

I spotted a beetroot tartare next to pork rillettes on a Lyon menu recently. I like this version from Not Hangry Anymore, has all the cool, savory depth of steak tartare. And this one doesn’t leave me feeling like I need to sleep the rest of the day.

Roasted Celeriac “Steak”

I’ve read that this was done to replace veal kidneys. They’re nothing alike (which may be a good thing?). If you slice it just right, you can make it look like a kidney.

This tastes nothing like a kidney and is delicious.

Alan Bergo did a fancier version. It looks wonderful.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):
• 1 whole large celeriac (celery root), cleaned and peeled
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs (e.g., parsley or thyme)
Optional: finish with a bit of butter, truffle oil or lemon squidge, btu not all 3.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200-220 °C (≈ 425 °F).

2. Cut off top & bottom of celeriac so it sits flat. Slice into thick “steaks” or large wedges.

3. Toss in olive oil, salt & pepper (& herbs or lemon, if using).

4. Spread on baking tray in a single layer and roast ~25-30 min until golden and tender (turn halfway).

Serve with a light Dijon-mustard vinaigrette or pair with sautéed greens. I also like this with a simple mustard cream sauce.

Musical interlude

Elle est vegan Les Goguettes (2020)

Les Goguettes are a Paris-based performing group that does clever songs. A goguette was a 19th-century French singing club where people gathered to drink, laugh, and perform satirical songs about people, politics and society.

Most often, worker’s cafés making fun of the upper classes.