When Dining In France, You Need To Know This Old-School Rule For Eating Salad

You've made it to France on your dream vacation. Now, you know what they say: When in France, do as the French do — and this idiom applies to a variety of international dining etiquette rules. Specifically, you need to know an old-school rule for eating salad in French homes or restaurants: Never cut your greens. Instead, to eat a large piece of lettuce with the finesse of a local, tuck it over with your knife and fork. It's also acceptable in France to use a small piece of bread to push an unwieldy lettuce leaf onto your fork. 

Most people know that it's customary in France (and other European countries) to wish your friends health while making eye contact and toasting with cocktails and other drinks. Rules about salad etiquette, however, are less well known among visitors. The general thinking is that leaf cutting may offend whoever prepared your meal by suggesting they didn't rip the lettuce into small enough bits. Some say this dining rule originated with French society's higher echelons, whose fine cutlery could tarnish after contact with acidic vinaigrette. Others have suggested that using a knife to pierce salad greens could give the lettuce a metallic taste. No matter the reason, trust us when we say to go with a delicate salad tuck instead of chopping it up with your utensils.

The French are particular about their food, and for good reason. French cuisine is flavorful, rich, and tends to incorporate the highest-quality ingredients. An exquisitely prepared French salad is among the French dishes — like boeuf bourguignon and cassoulet — that you need to try at least once. In France you'll learn that a simple yet delicious salad of Parisian greens, like radicchio, butter lettuce, or endive, drizzled with vinaigrette, is actually meant to be served after the main dish, before the cheese and dessert courses. There are, of course, more involved French salads that are eaten as the main course during lunch, like salade Niçoise, with tuna, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, and olives. The traditional salad of greens, potatoes, and green beans can also be divinely delicious as a meal. 

Some may roll their eyes at the French rule about not cutting salad greens with a knife and fork. Soon enough, though, they may notice other French rules around the proper use of cutlery. For example, most foods in France would not call for a knife unless it's a firmer meat like steak. And when cutting said steak, it is preferred that you hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right, even if you're right-handed. Master these and other French dining customs to impress your hosts and fit right in with the locals.