Roast them, bake them, fry them, boil them, mash them, slice them…
Whichever way you prefer to eat your potatoes, this deliciously versatile vegetable has been a staple of diets and on French dinner tables for centuries.
A potato is typically known in French as une pomme de terre (literally an earth apple).
It is often called une patate (similar to a spud) in a less formal setting.
Our vocab list below looks at how to describe different patate preparation methods.
It can act as a potato point of reference if ever you are hosting a dinner party, ordering in a restaurant, or simply chatting about what you ate for lunch.
Roast potato: Pomme de terre rôtie au four, or, à la poêle
A classic element of a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner, every family has their own way of doing roast potatoes.
The French refer to them by their specific cooking method, done au four (in the oven) or à la poêle (in a pan).
Baked potato or jacket potato: Pomme de terre au four, or pomme de terre en robe des champs, or pomme de terre en robe de chambre
A filled baked potato can be hard to find in France, however the French food chain La Pataterie went viral in 2021 after an American couple raved about their amazing potato dish called Pom’ Au Four Savoyarde.
It consisted of a baked potato with an assortment of ham, cheese, cornichons and salad.
Most people from the UK would call this kind of dish a ‘jacket potato’.
The French also have an amusing alternative: une pomme de terre en robe des champs (literally: a potato in a field dress) or en robe de chambre (in a dressing gown).
Both the English and French versions are referring to the fact that these potatoes are cooked in their skins.
Boiled potato: Pomme de terre à la vapeur, or, pomme de terre à l'eau
Boiled potatoes (or small baked potatoes) are often opted for when eaten with melted cheese dishes such as raclette.
Whenever you need to talk about boiling something, you can use the terms: à la vapeur (with steam), or faire cuire à l'eau (to cook in water).
Mashed potato: Purée (de pomme de terre), or, pommes purées
Fun fact: The Michelin star chef Joël Robuchon led a team of 200 apprentices in creating the largest ever serving of mashed potatoes for the 25th anniversary of Futuroscope theme park near Poitiers in 2014.
The French often use purée as a more polite way of swearing, much like we would say fudge or sugar in English.
Crisps: Des chips
Watch out for this false friend – we are already aware of the differing US and UK definitions of chips, however in France it can be equally confusing.
Des chips refer to crisps rather than fries.
Read more: Un chips: When French adopts English words it gets confusing
Chips or fries: Des frites, or pommes frites
There are many conflicting theories surrounding the origins of chips, also known as French fries in the US.
Some argue that the first mention of frites can be traced to the late 1600s, sold by street vendors in the Belgian city of Namur.
It is reported that American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War One and assumed the fried potato chips were French due to the widespread use of the French language. The name French fries has stuck ever since.
Take a look at this Connexion article to learn more frites phrases and to find out where France’s best chip shops are located.
Potato wedge: Quartier de pomme de terre
Literally translated as, a potato quarter, this term refers to the fact that potatoes are typically chopped into chunky quarters to create the classic wedge form.
Cubed potato: Pommes de terre (patates) rissolées - pommes de terres en cube
This is a popular way of preparing potatoes as it can be done in a frying pan.
The potatoes are often cut into small cubes but can also be sliced.
Hasselback potato: Pomme de terre rôties à la Suédoise
Hasselbacking is a cutting technique that consists of slicing a fruit or vegetable halfway through to create thin sections. These can then be stuffed with flavour or extra toppings.
One theory suggests Hasselback potatoes got their name from the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm.
Hasselback translates from Swedish as hazel slope, with the restaurant being found on a hazel tree-covered mountain.
This theory explains why the French refer to Hasselbacks as Swedish-style roast potatoes.
Pommes de terre dauphinoise: Gratin dauphinois
This traditional French dish is a national favourite, featuring sliced raw potatoes baked in cream. Some people even add cheese on top.
It comes from the Dauphiné region of south-east France and dates back to the late 1700’s.
Dauphine potatoes: Pommes dauphine
Be careful not to confuse dauphinoise and dauphine potatoes.
These crisp French potatoes are made by combining mashed potatoes with savoury choux pastry. The mixture is then formed into quenelle shapes or oval mounds, which puff up after being deep-fried.
Read also: Why people in France also call Toussaint break ‘the potato holidays’
