Quote:
Originally Posted by svandamme
It's a French name for a dish... and they got it from Americans, which would be "les Americains" in French
So Filet americain means "minced fillet like the Americans did"
Americain preparé is short for Filet americain, preparé
which translates to , "minced fillet like the Americans did but prepared."
It's like you guys say French fries.. There's nothing French about them fries.
They weren't made from French potatoes, weren't really done in a particulary French way.. And the concept of "fries" is probably not French either..
That being said , i'm pretty sure that nobody would even consider calling them , Français fries or Fries français...
So technically , the starting A in americain should be small case..it's not an indication of nationality, but a dish name.
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OK that makes sense. Thanks.
In my experience the style of food in a restaurant has little to do with the real food from another country. One of my many neighbors over the years was an Italian chef from Italy. He said the food eaten by locals in Italy is nothing like the food cooked in Itailian restaurants in the states. If you asked almost any American in the states to name a Belgian food they would say Brussels sprouts or Belgian chocolate.
When I have talked to people from other countries and asked them what is American food to them it is a big steak or a hamburger.