Paris 2024 Olympics to highlight global cuisine with 500 recipes
The Paris Summer Olympics 2024, set to take place from July 26 through August 11, will host approximately 10,500 athletes from over 206 countries. The event's food provider, Sodexo Live!, plans to cater to the diverse dietary needs of the athletes and support staff. Estelle Lamotte, Sodexo Live! director of Athletes's Village operations expressed enthusiasm about welcoming global cultures into the village.
Olympic Village to serve 40,000 meals daily
The culinary team at the Olympic Village will prepare an impressive 40,000 meals per day. Charles Guilloy, the executive chef of the village, aims to "meet the nutritional needs of the 15,000 athletes taking part in the Games while respecting over 200 nationalities' eating habits." Guilloy stressed that nutrition is vital for sports performance and menu planning was done with sports nutritionists and Paris 2024 Athletes Commission's involvement.
Four culinary themes to define Paris 2024 Olympics menu
The International Olympic Committee initially proposed nine culinary themes, but eventually settled on four: French, Asian, World and African-Caribbean. Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet expressed their desire to offer both quality and diversity in the menu. Lamotte revealed that once the themes were decided, they worked backward to identify the best dishes for each theme to formulate the menu.
Renowned chefs design diverse menu for Paris 2024 Olympics
Chefs Charles Guilloy and Stephane Chicheri, along with famed French partner chefs Akrame Benallal, Amandine Chaignot, and Alexandre Mazzia, designed the menu. One of the standout dishes includes local green lentils sourced from Yvelines, near Paris. Lentils are praised for sustainability and high protein content in nutrition circles. Under Guilloy's expertise, the lentils are crafted into a flavorful lentil dal, complemented by creamy skyr—a protein-rich Icelandic cultured cheese with probiotics. He expressed his admiration for lentils, noting their timeless popularity.
Two million meals and imported ingredients for Paris Olympics
The culinary team will prepare two million meals for the athletes, serving 40,000 meals daily. Nearly 15,000 people will depend on the chefs and caterers for proper nutrition. Bananas, coffee, and chocolate are the only items imported from other countries. The event will see three million bananas consumed by athletes and 27 tons of coffee used, with its residue repurposed as fertilizer.
