Book Review: Vegetarian France

Vegetarian France
Alex Bourke and Alan Todd

Published by Vegetarian Guides (1998)
128 pages

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Whatever else can be said of French cuisine, it can hardly claim to be vegetarian-friendly. French menus are dominated by meat and fish in all their gory variations. Yet it is not so difficult to find good vegetarian - and even vegan - fare in France if you know where to look. This book will help.

Vegetarian France lists some 150 restaurants, hotels and pensions where vegetarians are welcome. Around half the establishments are completely vegetarian; the remainder are flagged as veggie-friendly. These are not back-street down-market dives; for the most part, they are good-quality restaurants where the standards are as high as you will find anywhere in France.

The book covers the entire country, but it is inevitably Paris that gets the highest concentration of listings. Around three dozen establishments are listed for the capital, of which 20 are restaurants with a one hundred percent vegetarian menu. Most of them also offer vegan dishes.

I can personally vouch for three of the Parisian eateries: Au Grain de Folie and Rayons de Santé, both in Montmartre, and Le Grenier de Notre Dame, on the Left Bank, near the cathedral. I'm looking forward to checking out more of these restaurants on future trips.

The biggest problem with this book is that it will inevitably get out of date. The current edition was published in 1998 and would already benefit from an update - not least because the prices are still given in francs.

In addition to the restaurant and hotel listings, the book includes a short list of vegetarian and vegan organizations in France, and a handy English-French vegetarian food glossary.

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