fruits à coque
The English phrase 'tree nuts' is translated into French as fruits à coque.
fruits à coque is the standard term used to describe the edible kernels from trees, such as walnuts or almonds, especially when denoting tree nut allergens. It is the official term you will find on food packaging and in medical contexts in France.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'fruits with a shell' or 'shell fruits'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is typically used in the plural form fruits à coque when referring to the category of allergens, but you can use the singular fruit à coque to refer to a single tree nut.
Did you know?
- The word coque is used in France to describe both the hull of a ship and a mobile phone case.
- In French, a peanut is called cacahuète, but it is not a fruit à coque because it is a legume.
- The word coque comes from the Latin coccum, which originally meant 'berry'. Over time, the meaning shifted from the fleshy berry to the hard shell surrounding it.
Examples in context
- Cette barre contient des fruits à coque.This bar contains tree nuts.
- Je suis allergique aux fruits à coque.I am allergic to tree nuts.
- Vérifiez s'il y a des fruits à coque dans la liste.Check if there are tree nuts in the list.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at food labels in a supermarket.
- ManonEst-ce qu'il y a des fruits à coque ici ?Are there any tree nuts in this?
- HugoNon, il n'y en a pas.No, there aren't any.
- ManonOuf, Hugo, c'est plus sûr pour moi.Phew, Hugo, it's safer for me.
- HugoBonne nouvelle pour toi, Manon.Good news for you, Manon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coque, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
