Steak frites may be the most iconic dish in any Paris bistro, but almost nothing about it started in France.
Caroline and Emily trace the fries to Belgium and the street carts of the Pont Neuf, the steak to England, and the dish itself to a 1950s national myth. They also explain why French beef tastes so different, how to order your cuisson, and why the sauce may be the most French part of all.
Podcast Show Notes
In this episode:
• Why frites trace back to Francophone Belgium, not France
• The fish-fry legend about how fries were invented, and why it falls apart
• How French fries likely got their name from World War I soldiers
• A Belgian historian’s theory about pommes Pont-Neuf sold from Paris street carts
• Why “steak” is an English word, and why the French call the British les rosbif
• How beefsteak à l’anglaise arrived in France by way of an England-based chef’s cookbook
• Roland Barthes and the 1950s birth of the steak frites myth
• The story of Le Relais de Venise and its one-dish menu, launched in 1959
• Why French beef is butchered, raised, and aged differently than in the US and UK
• Ordering your steak in France, from bleu to saignant to à point
• The sauces that make steak frites French, from Café de Paris to béarnaise
Key Takeaways
• French fries most likely originated in Francophone Belgium, and American soldiers in World War I helped popularize the name.
• The legend that fried potatoes replaced fried river fish in 1680 doesn’t hold up, since potatoes weren’t yet common in the region.
• Steak is an English word and an English technique, served on 19th century French menus “in the English style.”
• Historically, French cattle were raised for work and dairy, then slow cooked, which is why braises like pot-au-feu and boeuf bourguignon came first.
• Steak frites became a French national dish in the 1950s, when Roland Barthes described steak as a shared national myth.
• French beef is mostly grass-fed and slaughtered at roughly 28 to 38 months, compared with about 18 months in the US and two years in the UK.
• Leaner, older beef is one reason French steak is served rarer and paired with rich sauces.
• Well-done steak is rare in France, and diners who prefer it are often better off ordering something else.
Get Emily’s guide to the best steak frites in Paris here!
https://news.fishwivesofparis.com/steak-frites
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ABOUT THE HOSTS
Caroline Fazeli
Caroline is a French food and wine expert, WSET Diploma holder, former chef, and founder of Lyon Wine Tastings. She has spent nearly a decade helping visitors discover French food, wine, and culture.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/winedinecaroline
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Emily Monaco
Emily is a culinary journalist, author, and longtime Paris resident whose work focuses on French food culture, history, and tradition.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/emily_in_france
Substack:
https://emilyinfrance.substack.com/
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ABOUT FISHWIVES OF PARIS
Fishwives of Paris is a podcast about French food, wine, history, and gastronomy. Every episode uncovers the stories, myths, and surprising truths behind the foods and drinks that define France.
Recorded in Lyon.
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