Flammekueche, sauerkraut, and bacon omelet: Emmanuel Macron’s tastes reflect a president attached to familiar pleasures as much as to grand official dinners. At the Élysée, Brigitte Macron would, however, keep a watchful eye on his plate, according to testimonies reported by the press: the “food lover” enjoys good food, but his presidential daily life also imposes a few compromises.
Brigitte Macron oversees the president’s eating habits
In the book The Invisibles of the Élysée, Emery Doligé describes Brigitte Macron as attentive to her husband’s menus. According to the journalist, she sometimes chooses the dishes and even goes down to fetch the bottles from the cellar. This organization reminds us that, behind the protocol, the presidential meal retains a domestic dimension: the couple dines in their private apartments when the schedule allows.
The reported breakfast is rather reasonable: orange juice with lemon, kiwi, cereal, cottage cheese, and tea. Between two meetings, Emmanuel Macron would also snack on dried fruits. In the evening, he prefers not to be served at the table as during an official dinner; the dishes are placed in the refrigerator. And when Brigitte takes to the kitchen, the bacon omelet is one of the favorites.
Flammekueche and sauerkraut, memories of Alsatian cuisine
The taste for regional specialties dates back to his years at the ENA in Strasbourg. Gaspard Gantzer, who was close to Emmanuel Macron at that time, recalls meals around flammekueche and sauerkraut. These emblematic dishes of Alsatian cuisine illustrate a convivial pleasure at the table, far from the decorum of republican banquets.
Gantzer also mentions a ribeye steak cooked on the barbecue at the couple’s home in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. These anecdotes, recounted in a story dedicated to his food tastes, illustrate a continuity between student years and life at the palace: French gastronomy is also appreciated in its simplicity.
From cordon bleu to seafood platter at the Élysée
On April 23, 2017, during the first round of the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron asked for a cordon bleu at a highway rest area. Upon learning that it was on the children’s menu, he ultimately chose salmon. A scene that became a revealing anecdote: even during an intense campaign, food can provide a very ordinary interlude.
At the Élysée, seafood later featured in some working meals. Olivier Beaumont reports that Emmanuel Macron loves it and that he would tease Édouard Philippe, who is not very fond of shellfish, by having him reserve a separate plate. To find out more about his preferences, Europe 1 revisits his favorite dishes, from blanquette to fish.
A presidential meal, also a matter of culinary traditions
In June 2017, during a quick dinner with Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron reportedly refused to eliminate the starter, stating that in France, a real meal would be served. This attention to the rhythm and the dishes says something about the place given to culinary traditions in national representation. From the family omelet to official tables, the menu sometimes becomes a political detail, but also a cultural marker.
To extend this discovery beyond the gourmet anecdotes and find other insights into Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, consult this story dedicated to their complicity and explore more content about Sébastien Auzière and the Macron family on sebastien-auziere.fr.
