France has gorgeous & diverse geographical landscapes, each unique to cultivating different French fruit. Did you know that France is considered the #1 producer of wine worldwide? With this high title comes millions of pounds of grape production across the country in famous regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Grape production notwithstanding, fruit is common in French cuisine and daily consumption. When learning the language, it’s necessary to nail down fruit vocabulary so you can use it in everyday conversations. When you’re in the produce aisle at the supermarket (le
supermarché) you’ll need to know what a strawberry is called, or if peaches or bananas are best in season.
It’s time to dive into both the history & vocabulary of fruits in French. Grab a juicy pear, and let’s dig our teeth into the French language!
Which Fruits Are Most Popular In France?
One of France’s highest-yielding industries is fruit production and cultivation. As you could have guessed, most local cultivation of fruits is used directly in winemaking. But there are other fruits that you may be surprised to learn are popular in France.
A big part of French culture is cooking; half the battle with cuisine is finding fresh fruits. Thankfully, France grows it’s own berries needed for jam and other desserts. The most common fruits might surprise you! Let’s begin!
Grapes – Les Raisins
This word should be easy to remember! In English, raisins are the word for dried-up grapes. In French, however, grapes are known as ‘raisins.’
As mentioned above, France has a booming wine industry, so grape cultivation and farming are quite common. The most harvested grape in France is the Merlot grape variety, which is used in winemaking production. Most harvesting occurs in the south of France. There are over 300 grape varieties in the south of France, with 120 native to the land & vineyards.
Fun fact: France produces 7-8 billion bottles of wine annually. That’s almost a bottle for every living person in the world!
Apples – Les Pommes
Time to move to the north of France! Apple production in areas such as Normandy (apple cider) and Brittany flourish in the northwest regions of France. More than 1 million tons of apples are produced in these areas per year. Some examples you may know are the pink lady or granny smith apples. Though the French love apples in the form of desserts (the famous French apple tart ‘une tarte aux pommes’, for example), more than half of the apples grown in France are exported to other parts of the world.
The remaining half of the apples are shipped all over France and made into delectable desserts, sweet jams, and splendid spreads. Head to Normandy, and you’ll find apple trees everywhere. And where there are apple trees, you’re sure to find fresh apple cider at a local farmers market or fair.
Cherries – Les Cerises
Would you ever have guessed that cherry trees are abundant in France? I wouldn’t have, but it’s true! There are hundreds of wild cherry trees in southern regions of France, particularly in the Loire Valley. Guess what they’re used for? The French sure do love alcohol … and cherries from this region are used to make a cherry liqueur called Guignolet.
The beautiful region of Provence is also a high cultivation area for cherries, though most of them are exported or made into delicious cherry jams!
Pears – Les Poires
The final fruit on our list is pears. Along with grapes, apples, and cherries, France produces millions of tons of pears a year. You guessed it … pears are used for jams, and an alcoholic beverage called Perry uses fermented pears in its ingredient list. Pears are pretty similar to apples in genealogy, produced in similar regions in France (north).
Fun fact: The ‘passe crassane’ is a popular French pear variety from Rouen that Frenchmen & Frenchwoman enjoy in the cold winter months.
List Of French Fresh Fruits
Now that you know the background context of French fruit production, let’s learn more popular fruit names (and whether they are feminine or masculine) in the French language.
Adjectives To Describe Fruit
Now that you have the fruit names vocabulary down let’s learn adjectives to describe the fruit.
Want to learn more French adjectives? Check out colors in French.
Final Thoughts
Hungry yet? Whether strolling through a French grocery store in Paris or a vineyard in Bordeaux, this guide to French fruit will help you. Culturing grapes, apples, cherries, and pears in France makes the country so juicy and sweet!
Now that you’ve got fruits in French down click here for an essential guide to French vegetables.
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Want even more resources? Check out How To Tell The Time In French? 7 Things To Know & French Numbers And Counting: Easily Count From 1 To 100.
