Despite their global reputation for haute cuisine, people in France are swopping traditional fare in favour pizzas and burgers.
The popularity of foreign fast food shows no sign of letting up, according to a new study by food consultancy company Gira Conseil.
It found, inter alia, that the French have left the Italians in the dust when it comes to consuming pizza. The French are now tied with the Americans in their love of the dish, with both nations outstripping all others.
The Italians made it only to tenth place in the consumption league.
Last year, the French managed to put away 819 million pizzas, an additional 10 million from those devoured the year earlier. The total comprises both frozen pizzas for home consumption (49%) and those eaten in pizzerias (51%).
Gira Conseil’s director, Bernard Boutboul, suggested the popularity of the Italian speciality could be down to the ability to share it “which fits in with our culture based on conviviality” alongside the factor of price. With an average cost of €6.27, pizza makes for an affordable, filling meal.
Another major trend is the downing of burgers. In the swirl of “burger mania”, French consumers munched through nearly 1.2 billion last year, a whopping 11% jump from 2014.
The popularity of the burger looks likely to overpower the traditional jambon-buerre (ham and butter) sandwich. Although 1.23 billion sold last year, the increasing price is being outstripped by pizzas and burgers.
Fast food chains such as Burger King and McDonald’s sold just 34% of burgers in France.
Gira Conseil's Boutboul revealed: “75% of French restaurants now have a burger on the menu, and 80% of those tell us it has become their biggest seller."
