Brasseries in France.
from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Photograph courtesy of Jeanne Menjoulet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmenj/25283371869/
A brasserie is a brewery in French. Even 200 years ago the Alsace and the Lorraine in Northern France were known for their many small but good craft breweries that also served light meals. Today more that 50% of the beer brewed in France comes from large breweries in the Alsace and Lorraine.
The Alsace and the Lorraine.
Alsace-Lorraine territory, France
Brittanica AI
The history of Brasseries in France.
In 1871, Germany had mostly become a single
German state, having already precipitated the Franco-Prussian War against
France in 1870. This war led to the exile of Napoleon III to England and the
establishment of France’s Third Republic. After Germany’s victory, it annexed
most of the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine. Following the annexation,
there was a rush of emigrants from Alsace in the new German territory to Paris
and the south.
Brasserie Lipp in Paris.
Photograph courtesy of Blowing Puffer
Fish
The first brasseries were in Paris.
Some of these Alsatian
immigrants had worked in or owned brasseries in the Alsace brewing and selling
beer. In Paris, and in other cities, they opened restaurants whose first
menus were typically Alsatian, and some did, in the beginning, brew their own
beer. These brasseries began as open noisy restaurants and, apart from whatever
else they offered, they included traditional Alsatian dishes including Choucroute, pickled
cabbage; Timbales, pies; Foie
Gras, fatted goose and duck liver; Baeckeoffe, a hearty stew, and of course beer.
Le Grand Café, bar-brasserie in the town of Moulins.
Its decoration has remained unchanged since 1899.
The style is a mixture of Art Nouveau and Art-Déco.
Photograph courtesy of Jean-Pierre
Dalbéra
At the end of the World War I, Alsace
and Lorraine returned to French rule. A
new wave of Alsatian immigrants arrived, following the success of those who had
come before. By the 1920s, Art Deco had become popular and many
brasseries are still recognized today by their unique Art Deco exteriors and
interiors. Well-established offered full
menus including Alsatian specialties, and they continued to sell more beer than
wine.
Brasserie Le Champ de Mars, Paris France
Photograph courtesy of zoetnet
The Brasserie Today.
Today, brasserie menus may have
less obvious links to the Alsace; in some cases, perhaps only a quarter of the
menu offers Alsatian dishes and wines, and they may sell more wine than beer.
Today, the brasserie has shifted from its purely Alsatian roots into a more
general symbol of French reliability.
Brasseries are more likely,
especially in Paris, to offer service continu. Unlike restaurants that
close between lunch and dinner, many (but not all) brasseries are open from
7:00 AM until midnight or later, serving the same full menu all day.
The Modern Brasserie Menu
While you’ll still find
Alsatian dishes, modern menus in the larger brasseries now include the "Greatest
Hits" of French cuisine. Expect to see:
Steak
Frites and
Steak
Tartare: The quintessential French comfort foods.
Onion
Soup and
Escargots
(snails): In almost every brasserie.
While brasserie means brewery,
wine has largely overtaken beer in popularity. Most modern patrons will order a
carafe of house wine or a crisp white (like an Alsatian Riesling) rather than a
pint of lager.
Connected Posts:
Baeckeoffe – A Traditional
Alsatian Peasant Stew That Made the Big Time.
Choucroute Garnie. Famous
Dishes of France’s Alsace Region.
Crabes
- Crabs. Crabs Among the Crustaceans on Your French Menu. Crustaceans II.
Crevettes
and Gambas - Shrimps and Prawns. Shrimps in French Cuisine.
Escargots
- Snails. Snails in French Cuisine. How to Order Snails in France.
Huitres.
Oysters in France 1. Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying Oysters.
Ordering a Beer in France? All
the French you need to know.
Steak
Frites - the Great Steaks from France. Onglets and Bavettes in French Cuisine.
Tartare - Tartar on French Menus. Steak Tartare, Fish Tartare and Vegetable Tartare.
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2016, 2025.
