The food of the Olympians at the Paris Olympics: a key to performance, but also a cultural experience

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 07. 26. 11:31

One of the biggest challenges of the Paris Olympics is feeding the participating athletes and helpers. The quality and variety of the food provided to more than 15,000 people is not only important in terms of physical fitness and performance, but also affects mental balance. The organization of catering requires consideration of many aspects, including logistics, hygiene, cultural and nutritional habits. In addition, the hosts strive to include local traditional delicacies in the dishes served.

Local flavors and traditions on the athletes’ table

According to the New York Times article, the organizers put a lot of emphasis on the smell of freshly baked baguettes permeating the Olympic village. The bakery located at the entrance of the village bakes two thousand baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat and focaccia every day so that the athletes can get to know French pastries – mfor.hu reports.

The center of the feast: the Olympic Village

The athletes are catered for in a 46,000-square-meter complex consisting of six restaurants, where 0-24-hour food is provided. According to Philipp Würz, food and beverage manager of the Paris Olympic Games, the whole thing is like a college canteen, only much bigger and more imposing. The specialty of the catering is that three famous French chefs, Akrame Benalal, Amandine Chaignot and Alexandre Mazzia, cook for the athletes, with gourmet dishes such as coconut beans served with parsley ice cream and crispy mushroom croquettes.

Special needs of athletes

Despite the fact that French delicacies are prepared with special care, many athletes do not taste them until they are past their competition number. Many people are willing to eat only the usual flavors and foods with adequate nutritional value. For example, Koreans eat a lot of kimchi, Japanese favor miso, while people from Caribbean countries seek out passion fruit.