Test your knowledge: fun French facts

1. All hail his nibs

Next time you scribble with a pencil, say a little thank-you to the forward-thinking Frenchman who paved the way for the manufacture of modern pencils. 

A polymath who invented many gadgets for the French army under Napoleon, Nicolas-Jacques Conté devised a mixture of clay and graphite, enclosed by two half-cylinders of wood.

Q: What is the French word for pencil?

2. Breton banger 

The hot dog is the ultimate US street food, but it has a strong rival in Brittany, where the galette saucisse is a culinary emblem. Galettes filled with bits of pork were long popular, but combining the galette with grilled pork sausages transformed it into a dish of renown in the streets of Rennes.

Q: What type of flour is used for galettes?

3. Sentimental Souchon

Singer Alain Souchon is one of France’s best-loved and respected singer-songwriters. Born in Casablanca in 1944 to Franco-Swiss parents (his father died when he was 15), he lived and worked in London before returning to Paris, where he signed his first record deal in 1971. Souchon achieved huge success with his single Foule Sentimentale (Sentimental Crowd) in 1993. 

Q: Souchon is also an actor, his most famous role being in the film One Deadly Summer (L’Été meurtrier) in 1983. Which femme fatale played alongside him?

Answers

1. Crayon 2. Sarrasin or blé noir 3. Isabelle Adjani