French Culinary Identity

French cuisine is known worldwide for its unique commitment to ingredients, regionality, and the refinement of its dishes, which also contributes to its traditional character. The culinary identity of contemporary French people, which consists of customs and traditions, is visible not only in culinary literature; in recent years, we have seen a large amount of content related to culinary tradition in French social media. Fast-food chains, which are present and popular on the French market, are trying to adapt their marketing campaigns to social realities and tailor them to the needs of French consumers.

The corpus of my research consisted of posts (descriptions and/or photos) published on the French profiles of the five most popular fast-food chains: McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Quick, and Domino’s Pizza (Statista 2020) in 2023.

An attempt was made to systematize the researched content using IT tools (Sketch Engine), with particular emphasis on content that directly refers to French tradition and culture and uses linguistic humor (wordplay, irony, etc.) that draws on structures deeply rooted in the Francophone consciousness. In this way, the process by which the internet becomes a place where two forces collide was examined: conservative traditional French cuisine and provocative forms of internet marketing aimed at the digital generation.