Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| crème chantilly | /kʁɛm ʃɑ̃.ti.ji/ | feminine |
| crème fouettée | /kʁɛm fwɛ.te/ /kʁɛm fwe.te/ |
feminine |
| chantilly | /ʃɑ̃.ti.ji/ | feminine |
crème fouettée is a general term for any cream that has been whipped. crème chantilly refers specifically to a variety of whipped cream that has been sweetened and is often infused with vanilla extract. In a culinary context, such as when reading a dessert menu, you may see chantilly used as a noun on its own to refer to the whipped cream topping.
What does it mean word for word?
The term crème fouettée literally means 'whipped cream', where fouettée is the feminine past participle of fouetter, meaning 'to whip'.
Which one should you use?
While crème fouettée is a general term for any whipped cream, crème chantilly specifically refers to whipped cream that has been sweetened and often flavored with vanilla.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the phrase crème fouettée sucrée is used to mean sweetened whipped cream.
How does it change in a sentence?
All these forms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁɛm ʃɑ̃.ti.ji/ (3 syllables)
Did you know?
- The verb fouetter, used in crème fouettée, also means 'to whip' or 'to lash' someone with a whip in a punitive context.
- The term chantilly is actually an eponym, named after the town of Chantilly in France where this specific style of sweetened cream was popularized.
- The word crème shares a root with the Ancient Greek word khrîsma, which referred to an anointed oil used in religious rituals.
Examples in context
- Où est la crème fouettée ?Where's the whipped cream?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of the crème fouettée.Tatoeba #1942126 by sacredceltic, translation #1937647 by Spamster
- Tom a mangé une glace à la Chantilly.Tom ate an ice cream with whipped cream.This sentence shows how chantilly is used to refer to the cream topping on ice cream.Tatoeba #6597413 by felix63, translation #6602082 by Eccles17
- Aimes-tu manger de la crème chantilly ?Do you like to eat whipped cream?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes to eat crème chantilly.Tatoeba #13728274 by Ioan_Cristian, translation #13728271 by Ioan_Cristian
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are finishing a dessert at home.
- LéaNathan, est-ce que tu veux de la crème chantilly ?Nathan, do you want some whipped cream?
- NathanOui, s'il te plaît, j'adore ça.Yes, please, I love that.
- LéaTiens, la voilà pour ton dessert.Here, there it is for your dessert.
- NathanMerci Léa, c'est délicieux.Thanks Léa, it is delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whipped cream” translations and entries crème chantilly, crème fouettée, chantilly, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries crème, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
