What is À L’ancienne?
Audio For À L’ancienne
Phonetics For À L’ancienne
à l’ancienne
ah lah~/syehn
A Quick Overview Of À L’ancienne
What does à l'ancienne mean in French?
'À l'ancienne' when applied to food, for instance, bread, or preserves, means it is made 'in the traditional way' rather than 'in the ancient way' which the term suggests to English speakers. It describes old-fashioned cooking techniques and usually indicates that whole-grains are used in the case of bread and mustard. The term will also be used to describe rustic, home-made traditional recipes. L'Ancienne is also the name of 'brand of absinthe which seeks to mimic the original drink, before it was banned, as closely as possible. You can translate the term as 'traditional', or 'made in the traditional way' or 'old style'.
How to say à l'ancienne
This word is quite easy for an English speaker to pronounce. Just remember to nasalize the first 'n'. You most certainly do pronounce the final 'n', though the 'e' is silent.-
pain à l'ancienne - bread (made the traditional way)
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moutarde à l'ancienne - mustard (made the traditional way)