Team GB have requested one particularly British food staple ahead of the Paris Olympics due to begin this week – porridge – despite the enticing French pastries on offer.
“There’s the porridge, but this was the only one that I remember, actually, from the British islands,” Philipp Würz, head of food and beverages at the Games, told The Telegraph, adding that Team GB were very happy with the menu on offer.
Countries, as well as sport-specific venues, have been able to submit their own requests. Others included kimchi for the South Koreans, sticky rice for the Chinese and “skewers” for the Japanese, Würz added.
Similarly, beach volleyball and taekwondo teams requested cold meat, sandwiches and salads, while rowing teams required “hot buffets”. The Asian badminton teams, according to Würz, are “not big fans of bread”, while sport “dominated by European delegations would then find a rather basic English, French, or German style catering program”.
This year, the Olympics is attempting to make a big shift from fast food to dining cuisine, with Michelin stars replacing McDonald’s in a food-focused French revolution in the athletes’ village. Delicacies such as artichoke, truffle and sheep’s cheese have been introduced to the menu.
At the London 2012 Olympics, one in five meals consumed by athletes were prepared by an on-site McDonald’s. Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history, famously claimed he achieved his first of his eight Olympic golds at Beijing 2008 after consuming 100 chicken McNuggets a day. The fast-food chain’s sponsorship deal with the Olympics has since expired.
This year, though, Amandine Chaignot, which has two Michelin stars – Alexandre Mazzia and Akrame Benallal – are among the leading French chefs to inspire the new offerings.
“One very specific French feature that we have set up at the main village, also close to the bakery, is our Michelin starred chef kitchen, so twice per day, the athletes can also go there and really discover very high level, high profile French cuisine cooked on site by our Michelin star chefs,” Würz added.
“We have four of them, and they all do eight recipes, so we have a nice rotation as well. This has become a very popular spot because the bakery and the chef’s corner are close together, which makes it a really nice area for the athletes to discover everything that is related to the French.”
Examples of the impressive figures on offer include: 12 types of French cheese, including Comte and various goat’s cheese, 550 recipes on offer, of which 30 percent are vegetarian and the 3,500-seats in the main restaurant, which will prepare food for the 11,000 due on site. This year, zero chicken nuggets are set to be served.
He added that there is “definitely less junk food on site compared to previous Olympics Games, while an on-site bakery is producing “480 metres of baguettes per day”.
All meat on offer will be 100 percent French origin and athletes will be encouraged to eat plant-based alternatives where possible, Würz added.
A large variety of French pastries are also on offer, which have already been the recipient of much positive feedback as the athletes have not been offered this at previous games.
The athletes village also has a no alcohol policy, in line with the most recent games.
Of the dishes served so far, chicken skewers, chicken fillet, salmon and margarita pizza are proving to be the most popular.
