It’s no secret that all French people, whether they live in Paris or other French cities, “do their market” regularly, especially on Sundays. Every town in France has its own markets, and how many it has depends on the size of the town (a big city like Paris has many markets, while a village might have just one small one). Each market is open three times a week, and when a town has several markets, the schedule is arranged so that every day of the week has at least one market open somewhere in town. Markets are usually open from 7:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the latest, and once a market ends, the vendors pack up their stalls. Shortly after, the city cleaning crews get to work, and five minutes after they finish, you’d never guess a market had just been standing there.
Why do the French love to shop at the market on Sundays?
As I said, the French love to do their main shopping at the market on Sunday mornings, and you might wonder why.
It’s a wonderful tradition tied to the Sunday meal shared with family, which used to follow mass. It’s also the day the French “really” get their weekend, resting after devoting Saturday to errands like trips to the bank, the doctor, and so on. Contrary to the myth of the French woman who strolls to the market and picks up two tomatoes and a bunch of radishes, the French actually go to the market to stock up on fresh produce for the week, mainly fruits and vegetables. A true French shopper prefers to buy directly from the farmers who brought their produce in from the surrounding countryside, rather than from vendors who simply bought it at the Rungis wholesale market. And the truth is, farmers don’t have to travel far to bring fresh goods to Paris, since within about ten kilometers you can find farms supplying poultry, dairy products, and many kinds of fruits and vegetables (for meat, you’d need to go about 150 km from Paris).
France, as we know, is becoming increasingly secular, so a large share of the French now use the time once devoted to mass for a little more sleep. But they will never give up the traditional walk through the market and “Sunday lunch” with the whole family. It’s an age-old tradition, much like a Sabbath dinner. Those who skip the Sunday meal will probably prefer brunch at a cozy restaurant with kids and friends, but that’s a topic for another article 🙂
Which market should I shop at, and where can I find a recommended list of markets?
Since I live in a small, charming suburb of Paris not far from the Bois de Vincennes, that’s where I do my shopping. But since most of you will be staying in Paris itself, you’ll probably be looking for a market close to where you’re staying. Luckily, the Francophile, having lived in Paris for years, has already put together a list of recommended markets, and I fully endorse it. You can find it in his article Markets in Paris I Especially Love.
What and how much should you buy at a market in France?
Let’s get back to the market and look at what, how, how much, and why the French buy there. Before we start, just a small clarification: I’m writing here about a typical Parisian market, and of course markets in other cities might have slightly different elements. But broadly speaking, there are a few things that repeat themselves at every market in France. The first thing you’ll notice is the calm and quiet. The French wait patiently in line in front of each stall for the vendor to serve them (they’re not big believers in “self-service”).
Vegetables: buy straight from the farmer
The French start their rounds at the market at the vegetable stall, where you’ll find the best vegetables. Contrary to the myth, they’re not necessarily more expensive than what’s sold at the supermarket, and often they’re even cheaper. The reason is simple: buying directly from farmers cuts out the markup from the wholesale market and the supermarket, so prices end up lower. But to get the best price, you need to buy not just vegetables straight from the farmer, but seasonal vegetables, since that saves the cost of shipping produce from greenhouses abroad and the money spent on storing vegetables.
A true French shopper prefers to buy each product from the relevant vendor, so if the vegetable seller also offers eggs, they’d rather not buy them there but from the farmer who raises chickens. Along with vegetables, the French also buy garlic, onions, and herbs.
Fish and seafood
Next, they’ll line up at the fishmonger, where they buy the best of whatever’s come in, either from France‘s rivers or from the sea off Brittany or Normandy. I personally love buying cod or sole, which I prepare using the famous sole meunière recipe. For a special occasion, I’ll also pick up a few crabs by weight, shrimp, and coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops). And if you buy enough, the fishmonger will throw in a free bunch of parsley and a lemon, handed over with a smile 🙂
The butcher and the traiteur
After they’re done with the fishmonger, they’ll head to the butcher, who often also doubles as a traiteur (someone who sells ready-made food). There you can buy delicatessen items by weight, such as grated carrot salad, leek vinaigrette, celery remoulade, and more. Sadly, the younger generation is less drawn to these dishes, which have been around for centuries, and leans more toward “international” food. If you’ve stopped by the butcher, don’t miss the rotisserie, which sells roasted chickens and potatoes dripping with fat, sometimes joined by caramelized pork ribs.
Cheeses
And finally, you arrive at the cheese shop, where you buy the cheeses that will be served at the end of Sunday lunch. If you too want to serve a cheese platter worthy of the name, here are the types of cheese it should include:
- A cheese with a soft rind, like Brie or Camembert
- A soft, flat cheese like Pont-l’Évêque
- An uncooked pressed cheese (Reblochon, Saint-Nectaire, Cantal…)
- A cooked cheese (Emmental, Comté…)
- A blue cheese, such as Roquefort
- A processed cheese (for example, Cancoillotte)
- A goat or sheep cheese
- And to finish, a fresh white cheese like Brousse de Provence or Faisselle
How do the French eat cheese?
The cheese you bought is usually eaten at the end of the meal or as an aperitif. For this, we switch plates (we don’t eat cheese on the main course plate) and serve a green salad with a vinaigrette alongside the cheese. And of course, don’t forget: with the cheese we pair a good glass of wine (usually red, from regions like Bordeaux, the Loire, or the Côtes du Rhône, depending on the cheese). Now that everything’s ready, it’s time for the eating “ritual”:
- Take a slice of bread (cut into small pieces and arranged in a basket).
- Cut a few pieces of cheese from the cheese board and arrange them on your plate.
- Put a small piece of cheese inside a small piece of bread, and in the same bite, add a bit of the green salad. After chewing, wash it all down with a sip of wine.
- And there you have it: a guaranteed explosion of flavor in your mouth!
So now it should be clear why I never make a plain bread and cheese sandwich 🙂
What else can you find at the market?
And finally, if all that wasn’t enough for you, in recent years you can find more and more “exotic” and very un-French foods at traditional markets. Examples include vendors selling Greek olives, dried fruits, Moroccan couscous, Italian food, and even Chinese dishes. Beyond all that, you’ll also find shoe sellers, clothing, and all sorts of assorted knickknacks, and of course flower sellers (you can’t go home to your wife or mother without a bouquet). The French shopper will load all these purchases onto their shopping cart and wheel it home, where they’ll prepare a magnificent meal.
What do the French do once they’re back from the market?
After the Sunday market, we restock during the week, buying fruits and vegetables by choosing products that are more or less ripe, so we can eat them throughout the week (the ripe ones right away, the less ripe ones later on).
- The French will wash, chop, and freeze their herbs in small storage bags, or even in ice cube trays (!), so they always have fresh herbs on hand in the right quantity for whatever dish they’re making.
- Meats and other deli salads get eaten quickly.
- The meat will be frozen and eaten later in the week.
- The cheeses will be stored in the cheese box that every self-respecting French person keeps in the fridge, if there’s room!
- In winter, we leave the butter out of the fridge so it doesn’t get too hard.
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