Couscous with chickpeas and vegetables is on many menus in France.
France is famous for its culinary delights, from the duck specialties of the southwest to Lyon's onion-heavy cuisine to the cream-and-butter-soaked delights from the Normandy area. There's a lot more to food in France than escargots and foie gras, however. It has long been a magnet for expatriates worldwide, who bring their native dishes with them and maintain their traditions in their own restaurants.
North African
Like many world powers, France had numerous colonies as recently as the 1960s. Three of them make up what is called the Maghreb: Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. With a generally higher quality of life in Europe and a knowledge of the language, many North Africans migrated, welcomed by a labor-short France. At home and at their restaurants, they still make the couscous dishes, tagines, lamb recipes, and desserts starring honey and almonds that are enjoyed across Northern Africa.
Vietnamese
Before the United States became embroiled in this East Asian country, France was there. It ruled from the 1800s until the end of World War II, then fought the French-Indochina War to try to maintain its hold. It finally gave up in 1954. Though some Vietnamese followed the occupiers back to France, the largest influx came in 1975, after the fall of Saigon. Many restaurants throughout the country are still run by these immigrants or their descendants. The menus center largely on rice, including in the desserts, though some dishes are served over noodles. Many vegetarian dishes are available as a nod to the large Buddhist population of Vietnam. Lemongrass is a common seasoning, and many meals contain peanuts.
Turkish
In 1966, France and Turkey signed an agreement that resulted in a jump in the previously tepid numbers of Turks heading northwest. In 2004, the secretary general of the French Council for the Muslim Religion estimated that there were about 400,000 Turks in France, including those with French citizenship. Especially in urban areas, you see their small casual restaurants everywhere, usually marked by a vertical, lighted sign with a picture of the meat used for doner kebab, sandwiches that are similar to Greek gyros. (The meat, usually mutton, is stacked on a vertical spit and is in a sort of inverted cone shape, though the top of the cone isn't much larger than the bottom.) In addition to the doner kebab, which usually come with French fries, plates are served with beef, chicken or merguez sausage, often with a small salad and couscous or rice. Some offer a wider range of fast food, such as pizza, burgers and paninis, but their stock in trade is the doner kebab.
Tags: doner kebab, delights from, their restaurants, with French