story by KALEA MARTIN • photo by OLENA BOHOVYK / UNSPLASH
When I’d get home from school as a kid, my after-school snack would be whatever I could find in the fridge or pantry. Sometimes, it’d be a Kraft cheese single melted over some Doritos, other times, a bowl of oatmeal with a side of cold hot dog straight out of the package. (I’m American, in case that wasn’t already obvious). French kids on the other hand? Their after-school snack choices aren’t nearly as random. In France, eating between meals isn’t really a thing, because the belief is that if you actually savor and enjoy your breakfast, lunch, and dinner like you’re supposed to, you shouldn’t need a snack in between. There is however one exception: le goûter.
So… what is le goûter?
Between school getting out around 4pm and dinner at 8pm, there’s this magical little window of time — roughly 4:30pm to 5:30pm — where French kids are handed an afternoon snack called le goûter.
Literally meaning “to taste” in French, the goûter is usually sweet: a pastry, some biscuits (what us Americans would call cookies), or chocolate in some form. The classic go-to? A chocolate and butter sandwich — yes, really.
It’s exactly what it sounds like: a baguette, a slab of cold butter, and a chunk of dark chocolate. For younger kids, says Isabelle Bertolami, who’s known on TikTok for her French-mom-lifestyle content, the chocolate bar is substituted for chocolate spread, like Nutella or Nociolatta, since a crusty baguette plus a chocolate bar can sometimes be too hard for little mouths to handle.
Verdict on the French kid snack
Am I a French kid? No. But for research purposes, I decided I’d have to taste test the iconic goûter for myself. In any case, adults are encouraged to indulge in le goûter too, not just kids. As explained by French creator Eva Bonnet, better known as Bonjour Mate on YouTube, “goûter avoids les fringales [translation: cravings] and avoids having large dinners, which is healthier.” Personally, I can’t say le goûter kept me from demolishing my dinner later that night, but I do understand why this snack has such a hold on both kids and grown-ups alike.
For authenticity’s sake, I made sure to pick up the good stuff for my very first goûter — a fresh baguette, high-quality butter, and a bar of dark chocolate — and I of course ate it right on schedule at 4:30pm. My honest opinion? It’s giving pain au chocolat vibes without the fuss. Buttery, crispy, melty, and so easy to throw together.
Who could say no to a chocolate and butter sandwich? Oh, to be a French kid.
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