Blue vs. Bleu — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 18, 2024
Blue is a color, while "bleu" refers to a preparation of meat in French cuisine.
Difference Between Blue and Bleu
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Blue is a primary color in the spectrum, situated between green and violet. It is one of the most common colors in nature, symbolizing stability, tranquility, and depth in various cultures. "Bleu," on the other hand, is a French term most commonly used in culinary contexts, particularly to describe the level of doneness of steak. "Steak bleu" is a preparation where the steak is seared on the outside but remains very rare on the inside, often just warm.
Blue can vary in shade from light sky blue to dark navy, encompassing a wide range of tones and hues that are often associated with calmness, serenity, and reliability. The term bleu highlights the cultural nuances and specific cooking practices that are characteristic of French cuisine, emphasizing the importance of precision and personal preference in the culinary arts.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A primary color in the spectrum.
A French term for a steak cooked very rare.
Application
Art, design, fashion, psychology.
Culinary arts, specifically French cuisine.
Symbolism
Calmness, stability, tranquility.
Precision in cooking, personal taste in food preparation.
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Sensory Experience
Visual perception.
Taste and culinary enjoyment.
Variations
Light sky blue, navy blue, etc.
Varies with the degree of doneness preferred.
Compare with Definitions
Blue
A color in the spectrum visible to the human eye.
The sky at noon often appears a brilliant shade of blue.
Bleu
French for "blue," used in culinary contexts to describe very rare meat.
He ordered his steak bleu, preferring it barely cooked.
Blue
A term used to describe feelings of sadness or melancholy.
The gloomy weather left her feeling blue.
Bleu
Indicates a specific preference in steak doneness.
Chefs must understand how to cook a steak bleu to satisfy certain diners.
Blue
Symbolic of tranquility and stability in many cultures.
The company chose blue for their logo to evoke reliability.
Bleu
Associated with the tradition and sophistication of French dining.
Ordering steak bleu is a nod to classic French dining preferences.
Blue
A popular choice in art and design for its calming effects.
The artist used various shades of blue to create a serene landscape.
Bleu
A term reflecting culinary precision and personal taste.
Cooking steak bleu requires careful attention to timing.
Blue
Associated with various idioms and expressions in English.
Out of the blue, meaning something unexpected happened.
Bleu
Part of the lexicon in French cuisine for describing meat.
In French cuisine, bleu is among the various terms for meat doneness.
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours of pigments in painting and traditional colour theory, as well as in the RGB colour model. It lies between violet and green on the spectrum of visible light.
Bleu
Cheese containing a blue mold
Blue
The hue of that portion of the visible spectrum lying between green and indigo, evoked in the human observer by radiant energy with wavelengths of approximately 420 to 490 nanometers; any of a group of colors that may vary in lightness and saturation, whose hue is that of a clear daytime sky; one of the additive or light primaries; one of the psychological primary hues.
Blue
A pigment or dye imparting this hue.
Blue
Bluing.
Blue
An object having this hue.
Blue
Dress or clothing of this hue
The ushers wore blue.
Blue
A person who wears a blue uniform.
Blue
Blues A dress blue uniform, especially that of the US Army.
Blue
A member of the Union Army in the Civil War.
Blue
The Union Army.
Blue
A bluefish.
Blue
Any of various small blue butterflies of the subfamily Polyommatinae.
Blue
The sky.
Blue
The sea.
Blue
Of the color blue.
Blue
Bluish or having parts that are blue or bluish, as the blue spruce and the blue whale.
Blue
Having a gray or purplish color, as from cold or contusion.
Blue
Wearing blue.
Blue
Being a trail, as for skiing, marked with a sign having a blue square, indicating an intermediate level of difficulty.
Blue
Relating to or being a blue state.
Blue
Gloomy; depressed.
Blue
Dismal; dreary
A blue day.
Blue
Puritanical; strict.
Blue
Aristocratic; patrician.
Blue
Indecent; risqué
A blue joke.
A blue movie.
Blue
To make or become blue.
Blue
Having blue as its color.
The deep blue sea
Blue
(informal) Depressed, melancholic, sad.
Blue
Pale, without redness or glare; said of a flame.
The candle burns blue.
Blue
(politics) Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by a political party represented by the colour blue.
Blue
Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by the Democratic Party.
I live in a blue constituency.
Congress turned blue in the mid-term elections.
Blue
Supportive of or related to the Liberal Party.
Illawarra turns blue in Liberal washout
Blue
(UK politics) Supportive of or related to the Conservative Party.
Blue
(astronomy) Of the higher-frequency region of the part of the electromagnetic spectrum which is relevant in the specific observation.
Blue
(of steak) Extra rare; left very raw and cold.
Blue
(of a dog or cat) Having a coat of fur of a slaty gray shade.
Blue
(archaic) Severe or overly strict in morals; gloomy.
Blue and sour religionists;
Blue laws
Blue
Literary; bluestockinged.
Blue
(particle physics) Having a color charge of blue.
Blue
(informal) Risqué; obscene; profane; pornographic.
His material is too blue for prime-time
The air was blue with oaths.
A blue movie
Blue
The colour of the clear sky or the deep sea, between green and purple in the visible spectrum, and one of the primary additive colours for transmitted light; the colour obtained by subtracting red and green from white light using magenta and cyan filters; or any colour resembling this.
Blue
Anything coloured blue, especially to distinguish it from similar objects differing only in color.
I don't like red Smarties. Have you got a blue?
Blue
A blue dye or pigment.
Blue
Blue clothing.
The boys in blue marched to the pipers.
Blue
(in the plural) A blue uniform. See blues.
Blue
A member of a sports team that wears blue colours; (in the plural) a nickname for the team as a whole. See also blues.
Come on you blues!
Blue
An umpire, in reference to the typical dark blue color of the umpire's uniform. Sometimes perceived by umpires as derogatory when used by players or coaches while disputing a call.
He was safe! Terrible call, blue!
Blue
Sporting colours awarded by a university or other institution for sporting achievement, such as representing one's university, especially and originally at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England. See also full blue, half blue.
He excelled at rowing and received a blue in the sport at Oxford.
Blue
A person who has received such sporting colours.
He was a blue in rugby at Cambridge.
Blue
(slang) A member of law enforcement.
Blue
A bluestocking.
Blue
The sky, literally or figuratively.
The balloon floated up into the blue.
His request for leave came out of the blue.
Blue
The ocean; deep waters.
Blue
The far distance; a remote or distant place.
Blue
A dog or cat with a slaty gray coat.
Blue
(snooker) One of the colour balls used in snooker, with a value of five points.
Blue
(entomology) Any of the butterflies of the subfamily Polyommatinae in the family Lycaenidae, most of which have blue on their wings.
Blue
A bluefish.
Blue
An argument.
Blue
A liquid with an intense blue colour, added to a laundry wash to prevent yellowing of white clothes.
Blue
Any of several processes to protect metal against rust.
Blue
(British) A type of firecracker.
Blue
(particle physics) One of the three color charges for quarks.
Blue
(UK) A member or supporter of the Conservative Party.
He is a true blue.
Blue
(ergative) To make or become blue; to turn blue.
Blue
To treat the surface of steel so that it is passivated chemically and becomes more resistant to rust.
Blue
To brighten by treating with blue (laundry aid).
Blue
To fight, brawl, or argue.
Blue
To spend (money) extravagantly; to blow.
Blue
Having the color of the clear sky, or a hue resembling it, whether lighter or darker; as, the deep, blue sea; as blue as a sapphire; blue violets.
Blue
Pale, without redness or glare, - said of a flame; hence, of the color of burning brimstone, betokening the presence of ghosts or devils; as, the candle burns blue; the air was blue with oaths.
Blue
Low in spirits; melancholy; as, to feel blue.
Blue
Suited to produce low spirits; gloomy in prospect; as, thongs looked blue.
Blue
Severe or over strict in morals; gloom; as, blue and sour religionists; suiting one who is over strict in morals; inculcating an impracticable, severe, or gloomy mortality; as, blue laws.
Blue
Literary; - applied to women; - an abbreviation of bluestocking.
The ladies were very blue and well informed.
For his religion . . . 'T was Presbyterian, true blue.
Blue
One of the seven colors into which the rays of light divide themselves, when refracted through a glass prism; the color of the clear sky, or a color resembling that, whether lighter or darker; a pigment having such color.
Blue
A pedantic woman; a bluestocking.
Blue
Low spirits; a fit of despondency; melancholy.
Blue
To make blue; to dye of a blue color; to make blue by heating, as metals, etc.
Blue
The color of the clear sky in the daytime;
He had eyes of bright blue
Blue
Blue clothing;
She was wearing blue
Blue
Any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are blue;
The Union army was a vast blue
Blue
The sky as viewed during daylight;
He shot an arrow into the blue
Blue
Used to whiten laundry or hair or give it a bluish tinge
Blue
The sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnotic
Blue
Any of numerous small chiefly blue butterflies of the family Lycaenidae
Blue
Turn blue
Blue
Having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky;
October's bright blue weather
A blue flame
Blue haze of tobacco smoke
Blue
Used to signify the Union forces in the Civil War (who wore blue uniforms);
A ragged blue line
Blue
Low in spirits;
Lonely and blue in a strange city
Depressed by the loss of his job
A dispirited and resigned expression on her face
Downcast after his defeat
Feeling discouraged and downhearted
Blue
Characterized by profanity or cursing;
Foul-mouthed and blasphemous
Blue language
Profane words
Blue
Morally rigorous and strict;
Blue laws
The puritan work ethic
Puritanic distaste for alcohol
She was anything but puritanical in her behavior
Blue
Causing dejection;
A blue day
The dark days of the war
A week of rainy depressing weather
A disconsolate winter landscape
The first dismal dispiriting days of November
A dark gloomy day
Grim rainy weather
Common Curiosities
What is meant by "steak bleu"?
"Steak bleu" refers to a steak that is seared very briefly on the outside, leaving the inside very rare and just warm.
How does blue affect mood and design?
Blue is known to evoke feelings of calmness and serenity, making it a popular choice in design and art for creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Can the color blue have different shades?
Yes, blue has a wide range of shades, from light sky blue to dark navy blue.
Is "bleu" used only in French cuisine?
While "bleu" originates from French cuisine, it is recognized in culinary arts globally to describe a specific level of steak doneness.
What does the color blue represent?
Blue often represents tranquility, stability, and depth in various cultures.
Why would someone prefer their steak "bleu"?
Some people prefer their steak "bleu" for the texture and minimal cooking to enjoy the natural flavors of the meat.
Do all languages have a word for blue?
Most languages have a word for blue, but the perception and categorization of color can vary across cultures.
Are there cultural differences in the use of blue?
Yes, the symbolism and use of blue can vary significantly across cultures, influencing art, fashion, and traditions.
Is blue a warm or cool color?
Blue is generally considered a cool color in the color spectrum and design.
Is cooking steak "bleu" safe?
Cooking steak "bleu" is generally safe, especially with high-quality meats, but it's important to consider personal health and preferences.
How is "bleu" achieved in cooking steak?
Achieving "bleu" involves searing the steak at a high temperature for a very short time, keeping the interior cool and minimally cooked.
What's the main difference between blue and "bleu"?
The main difference is that blue is a color perceived visually, while "bleu" refers to a culinary term for very rare meat, specifically in French cuisine.
Can "bleu" be used to describe other meats besides beef?
While traditionally associated with beef, "bleu" can be used to describe the doneness of other meats, depending on personal preference and culinary context.
What psychological effects does blue have?
Blue can have calming and soothing psychological effects, often used in spaces designed to promote relaxation and peace.
How do chefs ensure a steak is cooked "bleu"?
Chefs rely on experience, timing, and high heat to sear the steak's exterior while keeping the interior very rare to achieve "bleu."
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
