MAGRET de canard has knocked blanquette de veau off its perch as the favourite dish of French people and left moules-frites and couscous trailing in its wake.
A study by TNS Sofres for magazine Vie Pratique Gourmand found that more than one in five people preferred the duck dish, invented in the south-western department of Gers by Auch chef André Daguin in the late 1950s.
It took 21% of votes, one point ahead of mussels and chips from the north of France and North African couscous in the poll of 40 notable dishes. Blanquette de veau - the veal stew which has been in top spot since 2006 - was left in fourth place, on 16%.
However, regional variations showed through with Parisians preferring pavé de saumon grille, people in Centre going for tomates farcies with boeuf bourguignon second and the east preferring couscous, followed by choucroute garnie.
People in the north preferred steak-frites with moules-frites - which, at the least, confirms the northerners' love of chips - and those in the south-east plumped for gratin
The French are thoroughly attached to their meat dishes, however; with seven of the top eight places being taken by meat dishes.
Women had slightly different - and perhaps healthier - tastes with magret de canard still No1, followed again by moules-frites, couscous, tomates farcies and then pavé de saumon grille. Joint sixth place went to blanquette de veau and endive au jambon.
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