Surprise with that? Burgers now France’s favourite snack

LONG despised in the country that gave the world cordon bleu cookery, the burger has for the first time overtaken le jambon-beurre, the traditional ham sandwich, as France’s favourite snack.

The French are being forced to swallow their culinary pride after the revelation that they munched their way through nearly 1.5billion hamburgers last year, according to a survey by the food consultancy Gira Conseil.

In a further blow to the Gallic sense of gastronomic superiority, burgers have spread beyond the fast food industry and now figure on the menus of 85 per cent of the country’s restaurants. In many of them, “posh burgers” are now the most popular item, ahead of more traditional dishes such as beef bourguignon or cassoulet.

France is Mcdonald’s second most profitable market, but has not yet become a fast food nation. Rather, burgers have become part of the national cuisine, with French touches such as foie gras, truffles or Roquefort cheese.

Bernard Boutboul, the managing director of Gira Conseil, said fast-food outlets accounted for only 30 per cent of burger sales last year, while the remaining 70 per cent were savoured by more discerning diners in traditional sit-down restaurants.

Mr Boutboul said: “We’ve been talking about the burger frenzy and euphoria for three years so it’s hard to find new words to describe the steamroller effect. It’s hysteria. We saw phenomenal growth of nine per cent in 2017.”

By comparison, sales of burgers and ham sandwiches were neck and neck in 2016. Mr Boutboul attributes the trend to the fact that a burger meal “combines four products that are hugely popular with the French: bread, meat, cheese and fries, of course”.