One of the biggest clichés about French food could have its days numbered, as burgers become more popular than jambon-beurre (the ham and butter baguette) in France.
Last year almost 1.5 billion burgers were sold in France, an increase of 9% from 2016.
"We've been talking about a burger frenzy for three years. This year, we don't know how to describe the phenomenon. It's just crazy," Gira Conseil director Bernard Boutboul told AFP.
"One wonders whether the burger might even overtake our famous steak-frites in France."
Price is definitely not a factor for the new food-shift, as burgers are more expensive in France (on average, 11.58 euros) than jambon-beurre (2.94 euros). Burgers are coming on top mainly because they are sold in restaurants, unlike the jambon-beurre, which is more of a takeaway lunch found in bakeries. Seventy-percent of burgers last year were sold in restaurants with table service and only 30 percent in fast-food restaurants.
The jambon-beurre remains the most popular sandwich in France, (with 50.5% of market share) but losing some of its appeal as French consumer grow more health-conscious by choosing multigrain bread and sandwiches with vegetables.
Conseil also found that more gastronomic and expensive fast-food restaurants were emerging in France. Even McDonalds has got on the bandwagon in the last few years, offering burgers with camembert, macarons and McBaguette.
