---
title: "Paysanne: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Paysanne is a rustic knife cut of thin, flat pieces about 1 cm across and 3 mm thick, keeping the shape of the vegetable. It suits soups that cook fast."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/paysanne"
---

# Paysanne

Paysanne is a rustic knife cut of thin, flat pieces about 1 cm across and 3 mm thick, keeping the shape of the vegetable. It suits soups that cook fast.

Paysanne is a French knife cut that makes thin, flat pieces of vegetable. The pieces are about 1 to 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) across and 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Their shape follows the vegetable, so they can be squares, triangles, rounds or half moons. The name means "peasant style" or "country style".

## How to do it

1. Peel the vegetable. Carrots, turnips, leeks, celery and potatoes are the usual choices.
2. Cut it lengthwise into a long piece about 1 to 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) wide. For a carrot, you can cut it into quarters lengthwise instead. For a leek, halve it lengthwise.
3. Slice across the piece every 3 mm (1/8 inch) to make thin, flat pieces.
4. For a rounded vegetable, you do not need to square it off first. The pieces keep the outline of the vegetable, which is the point of the cut.

## Why it works

Thin, flat pieces cook quickly and evenly. They soften in about 10 minutes in a soup and give a lot of surface to [sweat](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/sweat) in butter for flavor. Because the cut keeps the shape of the vegetable, there is very little waste, which is how home cooks in the country used it.

## How to use it

* Vegetable soups, such as a country-style soup of leek, carrot, turnip and potato.
* Quick braises of mixed vegetables.
* A neat [garnish](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/garnish) for broths.

## Common mistakes

* Cutting the pieces too thick. They take longer to cook than the other ingredients and look clumsy.
* Mixing very different sizes in one pot, so some pieces go mushy and others stay hard.
* Squaring off the vegetable and wasting the sides. That turns it into a regular [dice](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dice) and loses the rustic look.

## In recipes

"Cut paysanne" or "cut into thin, flat pieces" means this cut. A round slice of a whole carrot or zucchini is a [rondelle](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/rondelle). Small, even cubes of the same width are a [macédoine](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/macedoine).

## Related terms

* [DiceTo dice is to cut food into small, even cubes. Large, medium and small dice have set sizes, so everything in the pan cooks at the same rate.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dice)
* [RondelleA rondelle is a round slice cut straight across a carrot, cucumber, zucchini or other long, round vegetable, usually 3 to 6 mm thick and all the same.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/rondelle)
* [MacédoineMacédoine is a small, even dice of about 6 mm, and also a mix of fruit or vegetables cut that way and served as a salad, side dish or garnish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/macedoine)
* [SliceTo slice is to cut food into flat pieces of even thickness. Good slicing is about a sharp knife, a safe grip and, for meat, cutting across the grain.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/slice)
* [SweatTo sweat vegetables is to cook them gently in a little fat over low heat until soft and translucent, without browning, to bring out a mild, sweet flavor.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/sweat)

[More in knife skills and preparation](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/knife-skills)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)