France, which is struggling to reduce its meat consumption, which is a sign of good nutrition, will try to take the plunge during the Paris Olympics in 2024, with a gastronomic offer for athletes with an emphasis on plant-based Nutrition lies.
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“When we think of traditional cuisine, we certainly think of veal blanquette or pepper steak rather than quinoa risotto,” laughs Amandine Chaignot, one of the three chefs working alongside the Sodexo Live! will promote French gastronomy! responsible for feeding the 15,000 athletes in the Olympic Village.
If she were imagining a guinea fowl dish with crayfish, Alexandre Mazzia would use just a little fish to accompany his vegetable and legume dishes, while Akrame Benallal opted for vegetables with a muesli with quinoa.
AFP
“In terms of greening, this is fantastic,” says Laurent Pasteur, project manager of the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games from Sodexo Live!, whose stated aim is to reduce the carbon footprint of menus with locally sourced products and less animal products Reduce protein.
Dahl made from green lentils from Ile-de-France with skyr (a type of yogurt) with coriander and corn oil: the “signature” recipe from Sodexo Live! goes in the same direction.
“Not for everyone”
“33% of the offer is made up of vegetable proteins (…) There is a real change,” estimates Laurent Pasteur, while ensuring that among the more than 500 recipes served during the event, every athlete “finds that what he wants”. Olympia.
Because a diet based on plant proteins and legumes, good for the planet, is not suitable for all athletes, admits Hélène Defrance, Olympic champion, nutritionist and member of the Paris 2024 Athletes Commission.
If “vegetation is a big trend” and these antioxidant foods “protect the body,” “we can’t force that on everyone.” Some people find amino acids in plant proteins, but not all organisms adapt,” she emphasizes in an interview with AFP.
As for legumes, “they are quite complex foods to digest,” adds Hélène Defrance.
The chefs’ dishes thus “enrich” the overall offering and are intended for tasting after the tests.
“I was interested in everything about kilocalories and stuff, but that’s not what I’m here for. An athlete doesn’t come to my house for dinner the night before his competition. We are here to bring our French know-how and a party side,” Alexandre Mazzia, former top basketball player, 3 Michelin stars, told AFP.
Decisive moment?
The Olympics will serve as a “showcase” to show that French cuisine is modern and could become “a defining moment” for changing habits, Loïc Bienassis, a historian at the European Institute of History and Sciences, told AFP. Food cultures in Tours.
“Historically, there is no great French food without meat (…) To say, ‘Let’s make great French food and leave out the meat’ is a reversal of perspective,” he emphasizes.
When it comes to plants, France is far behind England and the Nordic countries.
In a recent report urging people to eat less meat, the daily Libération cited data from the Institute for Climate Economics that the French “consume more than twice as much meat and animal products as the world average.” » and offered Grill recipes without meat.
An idea implemented this summer at the Trianon Palace in Versailles, with meatless skewers and a beetroot and quinoa burger.
The green shift for the Olympics “does not surprise us,” palace sous chef Abdourahamane Cissé told AFP, adding that American and Asian tourists, as well as the French, are increasingly asking for vegetarian dishes.
In order not to frustrate meat lovers, the palace continues to offer a meat alternative, which is chosen by about 10% of customers.