bistro

In a 2007 survey of national cuisines, a bistro is characterised as typically:

{{blockindent|a neighborhood restaurant where one can partake of French home cooking, typically robust, earthy dishes such as cassoulet .... Bistros are not temples of haute cuisine, but places for affordable and simple country food.Porcelli, p. 98|}}

A Paris newspaper in 1892 referred to dishes served at a bistro, including escargots, veal with sauce ravigote, navarin of lamb, hachis Parmentier, eggs, sausages and hot roast chicken.Anfossi, Marc. [https://www.retronews.fr/journal/le-petit-moniteur-universel/29-juin-1892/2209/4074991/2 "Un bistro – fin de siècle"], Le Petit Moniteur universel, 29 June 1892, p. 2, column 5

The Oxford Companion to Food comments that the idea of simple inexpensive food served in a French atmosphere has wide appeal, so that by the end of the 20th century the term had "begun to be annexed by more pretentious premises".Hyman, pp. 77–78{{refn|In the 21st century a Parisian bistro, Le Benoit, has a Michelin Guide star rating.[https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/ile-de-france/paris/restaurant/benoit5826 Benoit], Michelin Guide. Retrieved 28 January 2023|group=n}}

File:Bistro!.jpg, 6, place du Tertre, Paris. (English: On March 30, 1814, the Cossacks were the first to launch their very famous "bistro" here and, on the hill, the worthy ancestor of our bistros was born. 180th anniversary. Tourist Office of Old Montmartre)]]

The etymology is unclear. The Dictionnaire de l'Académie française dates the word from the 19th century term, bistro, "innkeeper", and suggests that it may be linked to the Poitevin word bistraud ("little servant"), or to bistrouille ("cheap liquor"). It recommends the spelling "bistrot" in preference to "bistro".[https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9B1261 "bistrot"], Dictionnaire de l'Académie française. Retrieved 28 January 2023

The word was used to describe a drinking establishment, estaminet or small popular local restaurant where alcoholic beverages were served. In the early part of the 19th century, the term "gargote" signified a basic style of restaurant,{{refn|Defined by the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française as a "Restaurant à bas prix, où l'on sert une nourriture médiocre" − a low-cost restaurant, serving mediocre food.[https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9G0276 "gargote"], Dictionnaire de l'Académie française. Retrieved 6 January 2023|group=n}} but the term "bistro" or "bistrot" is not recorded until towards the end of the century. An early appearance of the term in print is in Les deux gosses by Pierre Decourcelle, published in 1880.{{refn|"un 'bistrot' à côté de chez elle ou ils se réunissent tous." – "a 'bistrot' next to her house where they all meet".Decourcelle, p. 2683|group=n}}

A popular folk etymology, not attested by the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, claims that the word originated among Russian troops who, following the Battle of Paris in March 1814, occupied the city and visited these tiny places to drink a coffee. They might have shouted bistro! bistro! ({{langx|ru| text=быстро |translation=quickly}}) when they wished to be served quickly. This etymology has been dismissed by linguists, because there is no attestation to the occurrence of the term until the late 19th century.Gold, pp. 19–47; and Rey, p. 408

The bistro became familiar in France throughout the 19th century. At this period, the Auvergnats (French people originating from the Auvergne region), often called the "bougnats",{{Cite web |title=La petite histoire des bistrots parisiens |url=https://www.pariszigzag.fr/insolite/histoire-insolite-paris/la-petite-histoire-des-bistrots-parisiens |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Paris ZigZag {{!}} Insolite & Secret |language=fr-FR}} transformed and developed the French bistro. Indeed, they started to offer meats with their choice of wines and spirits.{{Cite web |last=UPNBOOST |title=Découvrez L'histoire et l'origine du bistrot – Couture |url=https://www.bistrotdepays.com/histoire-et-etymologie-des-bistrots |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.bistrotdepays.com |language=fr-FR}} Another older definition of bistrot is a wine merchant serving simple cuisine along with tasting samples of offered wines to potential buyers.

In the 20th century, these places became very popular and widely represented the diversity of the Parisian life.{{Cite web |title=La petite histoire des bistrots parisiens |url=https://www.pariszigzag.fr/insolite/histoire-insolite-paris/la-petite-histoire-des-bistrots-parisiens |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Paris ZigZag {{!}} Insolite & Secret |language=fr-FR}} More than that, bistros became the hallmark of the French lifestyle and inspire a multitude of artists (photographs, writers, etc.).{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

• Brasserie, a slightly more formal French restaurant that may brew its own beer
• Diner, an inexpensive restaurant in North America that is well-known for offering breakfast foods
• Parisian café, centers of French social and culinary life
• Sidewalk cafe, a serviced portion of a bar or restaurant located on a sidewalk

{{Reflist|group=n}}

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• {{cite book | last = Decourcelle | first = Pierre | title = Les deux gosses : grand roman | publisher = Rouff | date = 1880| location = Paris | url = https://archive.org/details/lesdeuxgossesgra03deco/page/2682/mode/2up |oclc =848184763}}
• {{cite book | last = Gold | first = David L. | title = Studies in Etymology and Etiology | chapter= The Alleged Russian Origin of French Bistro – Bistrot|editor1= David L. Gold|editor2= Antonio Lillo Buades|editor3= Félix Rodríquez González | publisher = Universidad de Alicante | date = 2009 | location = Alicante | isbn = 978-8-47-908517-9 }}
• {{cite book | last = Hyman | first = Peter| author2=Mary Hyman| chapter = bistro | editor = Alan Davidson | title = The Oxford Companion to Food | location = Oxford | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1999 | isbn = 978-0-19-211579-9 }}
• {{cite book | last = Porcelli | first = Joey | title = The Gyros Journey: Affordable Ethnic Eateries Along the Front Range | publisher= Fulcrum | date = 2007 | location = Golden | oclc=1200488715 }}
• {{cite book | last = Rey | first = Alain |authorlink=Alain Rey | title = Dictionnaire historique de la langue française | publisher = Dictionnaires Le Robert | date = 1998 | location = Paris | isbn = 978-2-85-036563-8}}

• {{wiktionary-inline|bistro}}
• [http://merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bistro Merriam-Webster definition]
• [http://www.whitings-writings.com/parbishome.htm Paris Bistros: The Democratization of Excellence]

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{{French cuisine}}

Category:Restaurants by type

Category:French cuisine