Mac and cheese is a classic comfort food dish in many countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, it’s not as universally beloved or common worldwide. So an interesting question arises: do they eat mac and cheese in France?
The short answer is yes, mac and cheese is eaten in France, but it’s not nearly as popular or ubiquitous there as it is in some other countries. The history and food culture of France explain why mac and cheese has never really taken hold there compared to other places.
The History of Mac and Cheese
To understand why mac and cheese isn’t so popular in France, it helps to understand the history and origins of the dish. Mac and cheese is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom, with the earliest known recipe dating back to the 14th century. It was originally a dish made of just cheese and pasta, without any added milk or sauce.
Over the next few centuries, mac and cheese evolved in England and other parts of Europe into a baked casserole-style dish. The classic, creamy American-style mac and cheese with milk or a cheese sauce didn’t emerge until the 19th century.
The United States can be considered the country most associated with modern mac and cheese today. Immigrants from England and other parts of Europe brought early versions of the dish to North America. Then later adaptations like using processed cheese and boxed mac and cheese mixes made it even more popular and accessible in the U.S.
So while mac and cheese has origins in Europe, it became especially beloved and ubiquitous in America, while never gaining the same widespread popularity across Europe.
French Food Culture and Attitudes
Another major reason mac and cheese is not so common in France is that it doesn’t really fit with traditional French cuisine and food culture. France has its own distinct culinary traditions that emphasize things like:
– High quality, fresh ingredients
– Complex layers of flavor
– Technique and finesse in cooking
– Regional diversity
– Mastery of sauces, stocks and pastry
French cuisine is held in very high regard. France also takes a lot of pride in its regional food specialties, breads and cheeses. Against this backdrop, mac and cheese comes across as humble, simple fare. What’s seen by many French people as a basic, child-like food doesn’t align with their culinary values.
There is also still some resistance in France to embracing Americanized foods compared to some other countries. So the very American-ness of modern mac and cheese doesn’t help it gain traction in French cooking compared to more established French dishes.
Is Mac and Cheese Completely Unknown in France?
Does this mean you can’t find any mac and cheese in France at all? Not exactly. While it’s nowhere near as popular as regional specialties like bouillabaisse, coq au vin, cassoulet, cheese soufflés and so on, you can find some mac and cheese in France, especially in larger cities.
There are a few ways mac and cheese is served in France:
Mac and Cheese on Kids’ Menus
One place you may find mac and cheese in France is on children’s menus at restaurants. France’s kids are still exposed to some American and global food trends through media, travel, and expat communities. So mac and cheese is seen as a familiar kids’ dish to offer at some French restaurants, albeit not one most adults would order.
At American Restaurants or Fast Food Chains
You can also find mac and cheese in France at American restaurants, fast food chains like McDonald’s, or restaurants catering to expats craving a taste of home. These places serve familiar American comfort foods to diners who appreciate that style of cuisine.
“Street Food” Trends
One food trend that has become popular in France’s big cities like Paris in recent years is American-style street food. New vendors focusing on burgers, hot dogs, tacos, donuts and more casual, on-the-go foods draw inspiration from U.S. street food culture. Some of these places may include mac and cheese as part of their menus along with other American favorites.
So while mac and cheese is still not a staple of French cooking, these examples show it has a small niche in parts of France influenced by globalized food trends.
What About Baked Mac and Cheese Dishes?
When mac and cheese is served in France, it’s most often the simpler stovetop version using elbow pasta and cheese sauce. But what about more elaborate casserole-style mac and cheese baked in the oven with a crispy topping?
This baked mac and cheese has even stronger American associations. So it’s even less common to see baked mac and cheese dishes in French cooking. However, a few French chefs with experience working in the U.S. have included baked mac and cheese on their menus as a nod to American cuisine.
These kinds of “westernized” French restaurants serving American comfort foods are still outliers though, not the norm across France. Most French chefs stay true to their own native cuisine traditions versus emulating American dishes.
What Dishes are Similar to Mac and Cheese in France?
If mac and cheese itself is not so prevalent in France, are there any similar national dishes? There are a few French recipes that share some loose similarities with mac and cheese:
Gratin Dauphinois
This classic French dish also combines potatoes and cheese, though in a more elegant presentation than mac and cheese. Thinly sliced potatoes are layered with cheese like Gruyère and baked until the potatoes are perfectly tender. The cheese forms a delicious crust on top.
Crozets de Savoie
Crozets are small pasta squares made from buckwheat flour that hail from the Savoie region in southeastern France. They are often served baked in a gratin dish with local cheeses like Beaufort or Tomme de Savoie.
Tartiflette
Tartiflette also comes from Savoie and features potatoes baked in a casserole dish with cream, Reblochon cheese and lardons (small diced bacon). It makes a rich, hearty winter meal.
So in some ways, France has its own regional takes on dishes combining cheese and carbs for comfort. However, the French emphasis on quality regional ingredients still differentiates these from American-style mac and cheese.
Mac and Cheese in the Rest of Europe
Mac and cheese also hasn’t become as popular across most of Europe as it is in North America. However, attitudes vary across different European countries. Here’s a quick look at how other parts of Europe regard mac and cheese:
United Kingdom
As the birthplace of mac and cheese, it has a long history here. Mac and cheese remains popular comfort food in the UK today, though still not quite as ubiquitous as in the United States.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Mac and cheese is not very common in these German-speaking countries either. They have their own versions of pasta and cheese dishes instead.
Italy
Like France, Italy also prides itself on regional cuisine traditions and artisanal ingredients. Mac and cheese is seen as more kid-friendly fast food not in line with Italian cooking values.
Spain and Portugal
Mac and cheese has not become part of Spanish or Portuguese cultures much either. Their climates and culinary styles are better suited to different dishes.
Netherlands and Belgium
These Low Countries have more open attitudes to Americanized and international dishes. Mac and cheese is catching on here, especially among younger generations.
Eastern Europe
Mac and cheese is generally not as familiar in this region. Local cuisines and limitations during the communist era inhibited the spread of American food trends that boosted mac and cheese elsewhere.
So while mac and cheese is not completely absent from Europe, France and most other countries never adopted it widely. Regional food traditions and cultural attitudes help explain why it remains far more popular across North America versus Europe.
The Appeal of Mac and Cheese
What is it about mac and cheese that made it catch on so much in the U.S. and Canada versus European nations like France? Some of the factors in mac and cheese’s success include:
Familiar, Childhood Favorite
Mac and cheese is widely regarded as kids’ comfort food in North America. Many adults still love that nostalgic childhood taste. This child-food status inhibits mac and cheese in Europe though.
Convenience
Boxed mac and cheese mixes and microwavable cups make mac and cheese an easy weeknight dinner. French cuisine favors more technique and elaborate dishes instead.
Compatibility with Regional Ingredients
Mac and cheese mixes well with other common ingredients in American cooking like hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork etc. France’s regional dishes don’t mesh as well.
Abundant Cheese
The U.S. is one of the world’s highest cheese consumers with easy access to cheese. Cheese quality and variety are prioritized more in France.
American Branding and Pop Culture
American restaurants and brands like Kraft have boosted mac and cheese domestically. France rejects branding driving food trends versus terroir.
So mac and cheese’s status as everyday American comfort food made it a hit across the Atlantic, while clashing with French culinary culture.
Conclusion
Mac and cheese enjoys a place in France, but a niche one. The dish’s humble origins, associations with kids and American cuisine mean it has never been widely embraced in French cooking. France prefers dishes that align with its cuisine philosophy of quality regional ingredients, culinary mastery and depth of flavor.
However, globalization has introduced some French people, especially kids and city-dwellers, to mac and cheese through travel and multinational food trends. Mac and cheese can be found in small doses in France at children’s menus, expat restaurants and hip street food joints even if it’s not a fixture of French cooking. But traditional French dishes featuring high-quality, localized ingredients still dominate over pastas in cheese sauce.
Mac and cheese remains far more popular across the Atlantic where its convenience, customization, nostalgia appeal and branding solidified its status as a beloved comfort food. So while the French enjoy some limited doses of mac and cheese here and there, it hasn’t become a staple of their national cuisine. For authentic French mac and cheese experience, you still need to look towards the classic recipes of regional cooking.