No, we don’t quite believe this either…

The caricature that French cuisine is all snails and frog legs is preposterous. Our Gallic cousins have a wonderful tradition when it comes to food and their restaurants and eateries are clearly some of the best and most adventurous in the world.

However, you can imagine our surprise when we found out that the best-selling dish in France is distinctly American.

In something of a culinary revolution, French restaurants have embraced ‘Le burger’. Three quarters of restaurants polled said that they have introduced burgers to their menu in recent years, with 80% of these saying it has gone on to become a best-seller.

Such is the popularity of this stateside staple; it has even overtaken sales of the classic ‘jambon beurre’ as France’s favourite lunchtime meal.

According to the report, the French now munch their way through 1.2 billion burgers a year.

How times change!

“Burger mania is unstoppable…it has become a way of life,” said Bernard Boutboul, the head of the food consultancy group Gira Conseil.

“From fast food to Michelin-starred restaurants, the hamburger is taking root,” he continued.

“It all started in 2010 when the Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alleno launched his burger a la carte in the Le Maurice (an esteemed five-star hotel in Paris) and won the title ‘best burger in the world’.”

The tables have turned.