A simple, relaxed meal, sometimes improvised but always convivial: that's what the expression "à la bonne franquette" means, dating back to the 17th century. At the time, it was a way of distinguishing between meals eaten at court, which were highly formalized with its own set of rules of decorum and rituals to be respected, and those eaten by the common people, who were not so constrained.
In the language of the time, a distinction was made between eating "à la française" (of which the Unesco-listed Repas gastronomique des Français is the direct heritage) and sharing a meal in a more informal manner, "à la franquette". The suffix "ette", surely of Normandy-Picardy origin, implied the idea of eating "frankly, quite simply".
An expression with performative virtues, the fact of hearing it in the mouth of a host had the immediate power to put the host in the mood. To find out more about La bonne franquette de Montmartre, click
here.
