Do you know the super useful French word "apéro"?
"Apéro" means "the time to have a drink with friends, family, colleagues or a partner before dinner."
If we were to translate this into Japanese terms, I think the closest expression would be something like "Let's have a drink before dinner" or "Shall we have a drink first?"
In France, "apéro" is highly valued as a special time before dinner, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is a part of the food culture loved by all people, regardless of age or gender. That is why in France, you often hear the phrase "On prend l'apéro?" = "Shall we have an apéro first?"
Apréro generally starts before dinner, and people enjoy chatting with their loved ones over their favorite drink. Sparkling wine, white wine, beer, and of course non-alcoholic drinks like juice are all OK! The most important thing is to enjoy the time. The French, who love to chat, take their time to enjoy this apéro time.
Dinner in France starts late, around 9 p.m., so people often start aperitif around 7 p.m., but in Japan it might be better to start at 5 or 6 p.m.
As I mentioned earlier, the most important thing to enjoy apéro is not to focus on "drinking alcohol", but to focus on "time spent with important people" and enjoying the conversation and atmosphere! This is the best part, so please don't forget it.
Therefore, in France, it is not only common to have aperitif before dinner, but also after work with colleagues, before lunch on weekends with the whole family, and before dinner with neighbors. By the way, when having aperitif with family, friends, and neighbors, not only adults but also children join in with apple juice.
It is also French style to prepare food together while having apéro. At a home party with friends, you can prepare food while having apéro (relieving the pressure of having to entertain guests), or on weekdays at home, hungry children can start apéro with juice while mom or dad is cooking (relieving the pressure of having to prepare food quickly), making it extremely versatile.
Another appeal of apéro is that it has permeated the lives of French people and has become a valuable communication tool.
Here we introduce some easy and fun French apéro styles (a collection of recommendations from Guillaume, Chloé, and Loïc).
Please feel free to use this as a reference ♪ The basic style of apéro is a bring-your-own style.
- For a weekday aperitif, start with a toast with a plate of easily prepared nuts, chips, cut bread, and cheese!
・On weekends, when you come back from your morning shopping trip, you toast with your family! You can have a lively conversation over oysters and chilled white wine bought at the market. You can also have lunch and then enjoy an evening aperitif!
・When inviting friends or neighbors over for aperitif on the weekend, decide on roles. Some will be in charge of salads, some of the quiches, some of the desserts, etc. As the aperitif begins, toast with salads! Everyone prepares the table and starts lunch.
We hope you will enjoy aperitif time with your family, friends, and loved ones!
