>>80658660It's not. It's a contracted form of the preposition "à" and the article "le"
It's not something English has an equivalent of. Basically, when referring to the fashion or way a dish is made, French people will say "to" instead of "with".
Italian does the same. If you cook youself some pasta and add tomato sauce it will not be "pasta con pomodoro" but "pasta al pomodoro".
"Omelette du fromage" literally translates to "omelette (made out) of cheese". It makes sense but it's completely macaronic. Any naticeFrench speaker will use "au".
