What French Kids are Eating for Lunch This Week…In Montpellier |

As promised, here is my weekly blog update on school lunch menus in France. This week we’re in Montpellier, a city of 250,000 people on the Mediterranean coast, just next to Provence in southern France. Over a thousand years old, Montpellier is best-known for its beaches, historic buildings, castles, and sunny climate. (I know, I know…)

The meals listed below were served to all school students in the city (all grades, all ages). The meals are all at least three courses: that’s normal for French schools. The cost? $4.66 per meal (3,38 €uros), but lower-income families pay as little as $2.43 (1,76 €uros) per child. With that in mind, read on…

(Don’t believe me? See the Montpellier municipal website here: http://bit.ly/pKnsy8. Menus are posted on school doors and online so that parents can see what their children are eating. This way, parents can ensure that they kids served the same dish at home during the week, variety being an important principle of French eating habits.

Monday, October 17th

Savory salad and shallot vinaigrette (Salade saveur et vinaigrette à l’échalotte)
Roast veal (Rôti de veau)
Baked pasta with cream sauce and cheese topping (Pâtes à la crème gratinées)
Fresh cottage cheese and sugar (Faisselle et sucre) with red berry sauce (Coulis de fruits rouges)

Faisselle is best described as a cross beween yogurt and cottage cheese, and is as yummy as it sounds.

Tuesday October 18th

Endives and croutons (Endives et croûtons)
Braised lamb with thyme and garlic (Braisé d’agneau au thym et à l’ail)
Runner beans (the flat, green ones) with olive oil (Haricots plats à l’huile d’olive)
Blue cheese (yes, that’s the moldy kind!) (Fromage à pâte persillée)
Fresh Fruit

Wednesday October 19th ~ no school

Thursday October 20th

Salad: Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and basil vinaigrette (Tomate mozzarella et vinaigrette au basilic)
Spaghetti with seafood (Spaghettis aux fruits de mer)
Fresh Fruit

Friday October 21st