cuisine de rue
/kɥi.zin də ʁy/
The English phrase street food is translated into French as cuisine de rue. Wiktionary also lists bouffe de rue.
Meaning: food obtainable from a streetside vendor (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| cuisine de rue | /kɥi.zin də ʁy/ |
| bouffe de rue | /buf də ʁy/ |
This refers to food that can be obtained from a streetside vendor. Common examples of items one might find include the crêpe, which is a thin pancake.
What does it mean word for word?
cuisine de rue literally translates to 'cuisine of street'. The alternative term bouffe de rue uses the word bouffe, which is a slang term for food or grub.
Which one should you use?
bouffe de rue is a colloquial or slangy way to refer to street food.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Marseille, the word panisse is used to describe a local street food consisting of a deep-fried chickpea flour fritter.
Did you know?
- The French word for street rue is believed to have developed figuratively from the Latin word ruga, meaning 'wrinkle' or 'furrow'.
- The slang term bouffe comes from the verb bouffer, which literally means to eat greedily or to stuff oneself.
- If you use the term bouffe de rue with a waiter, you might sound accidentally rude, as bouffe is the equivalent of saying 'grub' or 'chow' in English.
Examples in context
- Je suis en train de déguster une crêpe succulente de cette pâtisserie ambulante.I am enjoying a delicious crepe from this street pastry stall.
- Je ne peux pas résister à un hot dog lyonnais avec de la moutarde de Dijon !I can't resist a Lyon-style hot dog with Dijon mustard!
- J'adore la cuisine de rue.I love street food.
- La cuisine de rue est très variée ici.The street food is very varied here.
- On peut trouver de la bonne cuisine de rue ce soir.We can find some good street food tonight.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are deciding what to eat in a busy city.
- NathanTu as faim, Chloé ?Are you hungry, Chloé?
- ChloéOui, on cherche de la cuisine de rue ?Yes, shall we look for street food?
- NathanBonne idée, il y a un stand là-bas.Good idea, there is a stall over there.
- ChloéParfait, j'ai très envie de manger quelque chose de rapide.Perfect, I really want to eat something quick.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “street food” translations and entries cuisine de rue, bouffe de rue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bouffe, cuisine, de, rue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
