from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Eggs.
Œuf or Œufs - Pronounced erf or erfs.
ΠРFor more about these two letters linked together see the last paragraph in this post.
Œuf – An egg. Unless otherwise qualified this will be a chicken egg.
Jaune d' Œuf – An egg yolk.
Blanc d'Œufs – Egg whites.
Œufs de Caille - Quail eggs. A quail egg tastes exactly the same as a chicken egg; despite that, if you were planning to make an omelet the size of a normal two chicken-egg omelet you will need about 10 quail eggs.
A quail and chicken egg.
Une Œuf - One egg.
Deux Œuf - Two eggs.
Œuf de Canard – A duck's egg.
For egg sizes and free range and organic eggs see the paragraph below marked Buying in the Market or Supermarket.
Œuf de la Marans – The naturally dark brown eggs from the chickens of Marans.
Œufs de Pâques - Easter eggs.
Œufs de Poule – Another way to describe a regular chicken’s egg.
Œuf Dur - A hard-boiled egg.
Œuf Dur - A hard-boiled egg.
Œufs Frais – Fresh eggs.
Buying Eggs in a Market and Supermarket.
On the box:
XL -Extra large. Over 73 grams (2.6 oz).
L - Large. Between 63 (2.20 oz) and 73 grams (2.6 oz).
M - Medium. Between 53 (1.90 oz) and 63 grams (2.20 oz) .
S - Small. Less than 53 grams (2.20 oz).
Fresh and Extra Fresh Eggs:
Extra Frais - Eggs laid in the past nine days.
Frais - Eggs laid in the past 28 days.
The Letters and Numbers on an Egg’s Shell.
are a series of eight numbers and letters
The first digit is one of four numbers; either 0, 1, 2, 3 and these numbers indicate how the chicken that laid the egg was raised. Following those numbers, there are two letters that indicate the country of origin. Finally, comes a five-digit code that identifies the farm where the eggs were produced.
0 - Œufs Bio - Eggs from free-range Label Rouge, red label, chickens raised on poultry feed that is at least 95% organic. These are free-range chickens with 4 sqm (43 sq ft), for each chicken The Green AB logo on the box is the French government guarantee that the eggs are organic. These eggs are the most expensive and hold about 1% of the market.
Organic eggs
For more about Label Rouge, label rouge, click here.
1 – Œufs au Plein Air - Eggs from chickens that are, like the organically farmed chickens, raised with at least 4 sqm (43 sq ft), for each chicken. These are not organic eggs, but the chickens are free range and they hold 25% of the market.
2 - Œufs au Sol or Œufs en Volière - Eggs from cage-free chickens. However, these eggs come from chickens raised inside a building. That means the chickens while having access to natural light do not have access to the open air. These eggs hold 6% of the market.
3 – Œufs en Cage - Eggs from battery chickens, chicken in cages. These eggs hold 68% of the market.
Eggs on French Menus:
I have included alternative menu listings for ordering one or two fried eggs in the first five examples. The same usages are used elsewhere. The most popular menu listing is highlighted, nevertheless if you are not 100% sure ask.
Fried Eggs.
Œuf au Plat – One fried egg.
Un Œuf Sur le plat - One fried egg.
Œufs au Plat - Two fried eggs. N.B. Read carefully my own experience when ordering Deux
Œufs sur le Plat - Two fried eggs.
Œufs Sauté à la Poêle - Two fried eggs.
Œufs Sur le Plat Tourné - Two fried eggs, over easy.
N.B. The French do not usually order fried eggs over easy; however, chefs will understand the request shown above, but then the eggs may be served well done. I suggested a solution for a friend, and in one particular café it worked; so try: Œufs sur le plat tournés pour une minute, fried eggs over easy for just one minute, (pronounced erfs oh plat tour-nee por oon minoot).
Œufs au Plat avec Jambon avec Pain Beurré -Two fried eggs with a slice of cured ham, and buttered bread on the side. Unless otherwise noted jambon, ham, in France will be thinly sliced cured ham. The ham that is usually seen in ham sandwiches and sold as canned ham in France is called Jambon Blanc, white ham, or Jambon de Paris, Parisian ham.
One fried egg.
www.flickr.com/photos/ronniechan/5693221851/
Eggs Benedict.
Œufs Benedict or Œufs à la Bénédictine.
The legendary New York restaurant called Delmonicos is credited with the creation of Eggs Benedict. Sadly Delmonicos is no longer around. While Eggs Benedict is definitely not a French creation they are quite often on French menus. Eggs Benedict is poached eggs served over an English muffin and Canadian bacon and covered with Sauce Hollandaise. There is no connection between Eggs Benedict and the Bénédictine D.O.M. liquor.
Scrambled eggs
Œufs Brouillés - Scrambled eggs.
The French prefer their scrambled eggs, very slightly runny If you want your scrambled eggs well done then request them bein cuit, pronounced bien kui.
Œufs Brouillés Nature - Plain scrambled eggs .
Œufs Brouillés à la Tomate – Two scrambled eggs with tomatoes
Deux Œufs Brouillés et Deux Tranches de Bacon Grille - Two scrambled eggs and two rashers of grilled bacon. NB – In French there are two words that mean bacon: Bacon and Lard. Lard in English is pig fat but in French the word means Bacon.
Scrambled eggs on toast with bacon.
www.flickr.com/photos/ultrakml/6850327577/
Brouillade
Brouillade is a light version of scrambled eggs and originated in Provence, France. In a brouillade the eggs whites are beaten separately and only then mixed with the yolks; that provides a light and delicate form of scrambled eggs.
La Brouillade d’Œufs aux Morilles et Trompettes De La Mort - Eggs brouillard served with morel, and black trumpet mushrooms.
Œuf Cassé
Œuf Cassé or …à l’Œuf Cassé – Directly this translates as a broken egg, but that is not what the recipe calls for or what you will usually be served. Œuf Cassé on your menu indicates a dish made with a traditionally poached egg that will be part of another dish. A traditionally poached egg is made by simply lowering the egg, on a spoon, directly into boiling water, not in a poacher; the egg will only be in the water for two minutes or so. Then this lightly poached egg will be placed on top of your salad or mushrooms, or whatever dish you ordered. Unfortunately, not all restaurants follow the tradition. In a restaurant with lots of tourists as customers, I have seen a œuf cassé reduced to a shelled medium-boiled egg.
Œuf or Œufs Cocotte
Œuf or Œufs Cocotte – Eggs baked in a casserole. The word cocotte will be part of the title of a dish on the menu when the egg or eggs are cooked in the oven and served in a casserole. For breakfast you may be offered bacon and eggs "Au Cocotte," and for a light lunch, the eggs may be baked on top of a vegetable. Despite being baked œufs cocotte are cooked to arrive with a semi-liquid yolk.
Boiled eggs.
Œuf Dur - A hard-boiled egg.Œufs Durs - Hard-boiled eggs.
Œufs Pochés - Poached Eggs
Œufs Pochés or Deux Œufs Poché - Two poached eggs
Œufs Pochés au Bacon - Two poached eggs and bacon
Poached eggs on toast with bacon.
www.flickr.com/photos/ultrakml/27541794282/
Other popular egg dishes
Œufs Mimosa – Part of a salad or another dish. Hard-boiled eggs that will have been cut in half and the yolks removed, then depending on the recipe the yolks are mixed with herbs, mustard, mayonnaise. The yolks and other ingredients and decoratively replaced in the white egg halves.
Œuf Mollet - An œuf mollet will be cooked in its shell and is a soft boiled egg. However, this is not the way eggs are usually served for breakfast. A œuf mollet on the menu will be a soft boiled egg, shelled, and will often be served as part of another dish or salad.
Œufs Mornay – Hard-boiled eggs prepared with a Mornay cheese sauce served on top and then baked in the oven. A Mornay sauce is a Sauce Béchamel with added egg yolks and Comte cheese. Sauce Béchamel is a white sauce flavored with nutmeg and like Sauce Hollandaise is one of France's "mother" sauces.
Œufs en Meurette – Eggs, often poached eggs, served with a Sauce Meurette. Œufs en Meurette is one of Burgundy’s most popular entrées, the French starter. It will be on many lunch and dinner menus; it is not a breakfast dish. The sauce is made with a red Burgundy wine flavored with meat stock, shallots, herbs, and lardons, bacon bits, that are added for flavor. Sauce Meurette will also accompany other dishes.
Omelets
Un Omelette - An omelet.
Une Omelette Nature – A plain omelet.
The French prefer their omelets slightly runny on the inside, that’s called baveux; I have learned to prefer them cooked that way. However, if you want your omelet well done ask for your omelet: Non-Baveuse or Bien Cuit, pronounced bien kwee.
Omelette aux Lardons - An omelet with lardons, fried bacon pieces. Lardons are small bacon pieces and a popular flavor fixture in French kitchens.
Omelette aux Fines Herbes - An omelet with France’s favorite herb group Les Fine Herbes - Omelette aux Fines Herbes offers an excellent introduction into French dishes that include a variety of herbs. The Fine Herb group has a very mild taste and is composed of five herbs: cerfeuil, chervil; ciboulette, chives; estragon, tarragon; persil, parsley, and thym, thyme.
The Fine Herbes.
www.flickr.com/photos/plpiette/7669439204/
Omelette aux Champignons – A mushroom omelet.
Omelette au Fromage – A cheese omelet.
Omelette de Blancs d'Œufs - An egg white omelet.
The letter Œ in the word Œufs and elsewhere,
Œ – The two letters O and E linked together have a history much longer than the few grammar lessons that I participated in in school. I believe you can blame the Romans and Greeks for this strange letter or ligature as it is properly called. When the letters are separate, they have their individual sounds, and in English, you mostly hear the letters sounded separately as in beachgoer and poet. In French, linked together, o and e form their own unique sound and so œuf is pronounced erf.
To type Œ in capital letters on a PC keyboard hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and them type & and 0…Voila… Œ.
To type œ in lower case hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and type &, remove your fingers from the Ctrl and Shift keys and type o……Voila… œ.
I am sorry that I cannot offer any suggestions for Mac keyboards.
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