Paris 2024 Olympics menu revealed - and it's really not very French

Vegetarians will be the grand gourmands of the Olympics with Paris 2024 set to be the greenest staging of the sporting extravaganza in history.

Meat-free hotdogs, falafels and plant-based “tuna” will be among the meals offered to athletes and visitors during the Games this summer.

The organising committee have put a slew of measurements in place to cut carbon emissions from the events, including reducing meat consumption.

France is famed for its love of the latter, with popular dishes including foie gras, steak tartare, beef bourguignon, frogs’ legs and snails.

The French consume twice as much meat as the global average, boasting the highest beef and veal consumption per inhabitant in Europe.

But the organisers of the 33rd Olympiad are looking to flip the script by introducing an array of vegetarian dishes to show that France is now more about “leaf” than “beef”.

It’s been announced that 60 per cent of the food served to the general public during the event will be meat-free and 80 per cent of all dishes will be sourced from local produce in France.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said: “It’s also our responsibility to educate the people who will be engaged in Paris 2024.

“It’s a collective duty now to change our habits and definitely to reduce our carbon footprint.

“So, when you buy food in the venue, you should also try the vegan food that is served because, in terms of taste, it’s very good.”

French food service company Sodexo Live!, which was selected to oversee the catering at the athletes’ village and 14 venues of the Paris Games, said it has created a total of 500 recipes, which will notably be offered at a sit-down eatery for up to 3,500 competitors.

Nathalie Bellon-Szabo, global CEO of Sodexo Live! said: “Of course, there will be some classics for athletes, like pasta, but the food will have a very French touch.”

Athletes will also have access to “grab and go” food stands, including one dedicated exclusively to French cuisines cooked up by chefs.

Renowned French chef Amadine Chaignot, who runs a restaurant and a café-bistro in Paris, on Tuesday unveiled one of her recipes based on the iconic croissant.

She said onboard Le Yacht de Paris on the river Seine: “For this big event, I wanted to imagine a fun and easy recipe, so what could be better than a croissant to represent Paris?

“This recipe is vegetarian to please as many people as possible, with truffle and artichoke which are two ingredients that I particularly appreciate.”

Every day, during the July 26 to August 11 Games, a top chef – including some awarded with Michelin stars – will cook in front of the athletes at the Olympic Village.

This is “so they’ll be able to chat and better understand what French cuisine is about – and to understand a bit of our culture as well,” Chaignot said.

Daily specials will be accompanied by a wide range of salads, pastas, and soups. Cheeses will include top-quality camembert, brie, and sheep’s milk-based Ossau-Iraty from southwestern France.

The Olympic Village will also feature a boulangerie producing fresh baguettes and a variety of other breads.

Sodexo Live!’s very own executive chef, Charles Guilloy, created a potato zaatar, hummus and chimichurri dish, which he shared with members of the press on Tuesday.

He said: “I wanted to create a signature recipe that combines products that will also be present in the Village’s main restaurant and that athletes can use to create their own dish.

“Hummus provides a wealth of plant-based protein from chickpeas, while sweet potato provides natural sweetness.

“The chimichurri sauce enhances the dish, giving it acidity and dynamism. Finally, dried fruits add crunch and excellent nutrition.”

Paris 2024 organisers have also promised to reduce the use of plastic in an attempt to make the Games more sustainable and environment-friendly.

The approximately 15,000 athletes will eat off washable plates instead of disposable ones for the first time in Olympic history.

Another first is Olympic sponsor Garden Gourmet, a subsidiary of Nestle. For the first time ever, it will offer meat-free burgers, falafels, nuggets, fillets, and plant-based ‘tuna’ to fans.

The urban park at the Place de la Concorde, in central Paris, will offer visitors 100 per cent vegetarian food – a first in the Games’ history.

The place will be the stage for Paris 2024’s most contemporary sporting disciplines: BMX freestyle, 3x3 basketball, skateboarding and breakdancing.

Georgina Grenon, environmental excellence director for Paris 2024, said: “We’re in France, so food is important.

“But it is about presenting another way to eat deliciously, even in a fast-paced way, like vegetarian hamburgers and hotdogs at a stadium.”