As France works to reinvigorate the image of its cuisine, environmentally-friendly food choices will take center stage during this summer’s Paris Olympics, reports The New York Times.
There will be no French fries or foie gras available for the 15,000 participating athletes. Instead, the largest restaurant at the heart of the Olympic Village will offer vegetarian hot dogs, quinoa muesli, and other climate-conscious choices.
“French fries are too risky because of fire-hazard concerns over deep-fat fryers,” said Charles Guilloy, one of the chefs in charge of the Olympic offerings. “No to foie gras because animal well-being is on everyone’s mind, and no to avocados because they are imported from a great distance and consume a lot of water.”
Guilloy said that there would be offerings including vegetarian shawarma, za’atar-spiced sweet potatoes with hummus, cabbage pickles, beetroot falafel, and grilled eggplant with smoked paprika. Another chef in charge, Stéphanie Chicheri, added that traditional French cuisine like French cheeses, baguettes, and other items like a blanquette of veal will still be made available.
With roughly 15 million visitors expected at the games, the country, and Paris, will be on display. The minister for tourism, Olivia Grégoire recently spoke of a movement to revitalize the French culinary landscape.“ We’re a country of centuries-old gastronomic tradition, but the truth is that if you have a talent and you don’t nurture it, it can fade,” she said. (SFA)
