The menu for this year’s Olympics in Paris has been announced, but it appears to be quite different from what one might expect from French cuisine.
Despite its reputation for meat-based dishes such as foie gras, steak tartare, and beef bourguignon, the Paris Olympics 2024 will offer mostly vegetarian options.
The event is set to be the most environmentally-friendly Olympics yet, with plant-based meals such as meat-free hotdogs, falafels and plant-based “tuna” being served to athletes and visitors this summer.
According to Express UK, 60% of the food served during the event will be meat-free and 80% of all dishes will be sourced from local produce in France, which is one of the top meat-consuming countries in the world.
So why have they eradicated meat from the Olympics menu?
This is because the organisers of the 33rd Olympiad are implementing measures to reduce meat consumption, and are introducing a variety of vegetarian dishes to demonstrate that France is now more about “leaf” than “beef”.
Additionally, the approximately 15,000 athletes will eat off washable plates instead of disposable ones for the first time in Olympic history.
French food service company Sodexo Live! which is overseeing the catering at the athletes’ village and 14 venues of the Paris Games, has created 500 recipes.
French chef Amadine Chaignot said that she’ll be incorporating truffle and artichoke with the croissant, a French food staple. Sodexo Live!’s executive chef, Charles Guilloy, has created a potato zaatar, hummus and chimichurri dish.
Daily specials will include a wide range of salads, pastas, and soups and top-quality cheeses. It will also feature a boulangerie producing fresh baguettes and a variety of other breads.
