France embraces 'leaf' over 'beef' at Paris Olympics 2024: 60% of meals to be meat-free

Foie gras. Steak tartare. Beef bourguignon. Blanquette de veau. Frogs’ legs. Snails.

Let’s be real, France isn’t particularly renowned for its vegan-friendly cuisine. In fact, the French consume twice as much meat as the global average, boasting the highest beef and veal consumption per inhabitant.

But the organisers of the Paris Olympics are looking to flip the script. They’re introducing an unprecedented offering of vegetarian cuisine, surpassing anything seen in previous Games. The aim is to show that France is now more about ‘leaf’ than ‘beef’.

It’s been announced that 60% of the food served to the general public during the event will be meat-free and 80% of all dishes will be sourced from local produce in France.

“It’s also our responsibility to educate the people who will be engaged in Paris 2024,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet in a statement.

“It’s a collective duty now to change our habits and definitely to reduce our carbon footprint. So, when you buy food in the venue, you should also try the vegan food that is served because, in terms of taste, it’s very good.”

So, what’s on the menu?

Herbaceous chickpea pomade served by French three star Michelin chef Alexandre Mazzia Credit: Michel Euler/AP

The restaurant in the athletes’ Olympic Village, which will serve 40,000 meals a day and is open 24 hours, will become the largest restaurant on Earth, with space for 3,500 hungry diners.

33% of the food will be plant-based, and for the first time, the approximately 15,000 athletes will eat off washable plates instead of disposable ones.

Sodexo, the company responsible for overseeing catering at the village and other Paris Games sites, has unveiled some items on the menu of a sit-down restaurant that will feature dishes created by some of France’s most renowned chefs.

Bringing a “fun, gourmet, and healthy” touch to the plates is key to the job, said Alexandre Mazzia, whose AM restaurant in Marseille earned three Michelin stars. He presented a recipe featuring crushed chickpeas with herbs and a smoked fish sauce.

French three star Michelin chef Alexandre Mazzia of the restaurant “AM” in Marseille presents his herbaceous chickpea pomade dish during media conference, 9 May 2023. Credit: Michel Euler/AP

Other chefs have revealed dishes including a quinoa risotto and a chocolate mousse with raspberries.

For the first time, a plant-based meat substitute company, Garden Gourmet, a subsidiary of Nestlé, is an Olympic sponsor. It will offer meat-free burgers, falafels, nuggets, fillets, and plant-based “tuna.”

The Olympic Village will also feature a boulangerie producing fresh French baguettes – which last year received UNESCO world heritage status – and other breads. Croissants and other pastries will also be available.

While it all sounds pretty scrumdiddlyumptious, there’s one small catch perhaps for the Olympians: no alcoholic drinks will be served in the village.