We have eaten our method throughout France, from the bustling bistros of Paris to tiny, family-run auberges within the countryside, and we’ve discovered one easy reality: French delicacies is extra than simply meals. It’s a language of its personal, a lifestyle woven into the material of each village, metropolis, and residential. It’s the ritual of a morning croissant, the ceremony of a multi-course dinner, and the easy pleasure of an ideal baguette.
This isn’t only a record of conventional French meals. This is our information to the dishes we dream about, those we order the second we land, and the flavours that outline this unbelievable nation.
We’ll share our private tales, recommendations on the place to discover the perfect variations, and the know-how to assist you to navigate the menus with confidence. Prepare to style the easiest of French cooking.
Best French Foods To Try: A Quick Guide
For first-time guests on the lookout for the perfect meals in France, listed here are the important dishes to add to your record, damaged down by class:
Top 5 Must-Try Dishes: If you solely have time for a couple of, prioritize these: Boeuf Bourguignon, a traditional Croissant from a neighborhood boulangerie, Steak Frites in a Parisian bistro, Duck Confit (Confit de Canard), and a easy, good Baguette.
Classic Main Courses:
Boeuf Bourguignon: Rich, slow-cooked beef stew in pink wine.
Coq au Vin: Chicken braised in pink wine with mushrooms and bacon.
Duck Confit: Crispy, succulent duck leg cooked in its personal fats.
Cassoulet: Hearty white bean and meat casserole from the south.
From the Sea:
Bouillabaisse: The iconic saffron fish stew from Marseille.
Moules Frites: A steaming pot of mussels with a aspect of fries.
Huîtres (Oysters): Freshly shucked, particularly from the Brittany coast.
Starters & Bistro Favorites:
Soupe à l’Oignon (French Onion Soup): Topped with crusty, tacky bread.
Escargots de Bourgogne: Snails baked in garlic-parsley butter.
Quiche Lorraine: Savory tart with bacon, egg, and cream.
Foie Gras: A wealthy delicacy of duck or goose liver.
From the Boulangerie & Pâtisserie (Bakery & Pastry Shop):
Baguette & Croissant: The important day by day breads and pastries.
Macarons: Delicate almond meringue cookies with numerous fillings.
Crème Brûlée: Creamy custard with a crackly burnt sugar high.
Tarte Tatin: An upside-down caramelized apple tart.
Cheese & Alpine Specialties:
A Cheese Plate (Fromage): Featuring cheeses like Comté, Roquefort, or Brie.
Raclette & Tartiflette: Molten cheese dishes good for winter.
Before You Eat: Understanding French Dining Culture
Navigating a French restaurant for the primary time can really feel intimidating, however a couple of key pointers will make you’re feeling like a neighborhood.
How to Read the Menu:
Entrée: This means starter or appetizer, not the principle course.
Plat: This is the principle course.
Dessert: Dessert.
Formule or Prix-Fixe: This is a set menu, typically for lunch, providing glorious worth. It normally contains two or three programs (e.g., entrée + plat or entrée + plat + dessert) for a hard and fast worth.
Plat du Jour: The dish of the day, normally contemporary, seasonal, and a specialty of the chef.
Essential Dining Phrases:
“Bonjour/Bonsoir“: Always greet the workers if you enter.
“Je voudrais…” (zhuh voo-dray): “I would like…”
“L’addition, s’il vous plaît” (lah-dee-syon, seel voo play): “The bill, please.”
“C’était délicieux!” (say-tay day-lee-syuh): “It was delicious!”
Bread, Water, and Tipping:
Bread: The bread basket will not be an appetizer to be eaten with butter earlier than your meal. It’s a utensil—use it to sop up the unbelievable sauces left in your plate.
Water: If you ask for water (“une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît“), you’ll get free faucet water. If you need bottled, you should specify eau plate (nonetheless) or eau gazeuse (glowing).
Tipping: Service is included by legislation within the remaining worth (service compris). Tipping will not be anticipated, nevertheless it’s widespread to spherical up the invoice or depart a couple of further euros in money for distinctive service.
Part 1: The Soul of Paris – The Bistro & Brasserie Experience
There’s no higher introduction to conventional French meals than a traditional Parisian bistro. These bustling, intimate eateries are the guts of French eating, serving timeless dishes perfected over generations.
French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’Oignon)
We as soon as ducked right into a tiny bistro in Le Marais on a miserably chilly, wet Parisian afternoon. The second a steaming bowl of soupe à l’oignon was positioned in entrance of us, the day was saved. The aroma of wealthy beef broth and caramelized onions is pure consolation.
What It Is: A wealthy, savory soup produced from beef inventory and onions slowly caramelized till deeply candy. It’s served in a ceramic bowl, topped with a thick crouton and a effervescent, golden crust of Gruyère cheese.
Pro Tip: An excellent onion soup has a deep, darkish broth, which implies the onions have been cooked low and sluggish for hours. If the broth is pale, it’s a shortcut model.
Where to Try: Classic bistros and brasseries all through Paris, particularly within the colder months.
Steak Frites
This is the unofficial nationwide dish of each French brasserie. It’s easy, satisfying, and when finished proper, totally elegant. Our favourite reminiscence is of a late-night dinner in Montmartre, sitting at a sidewalk desk, watching the world go by with a superbly cooked steak and a mountain of crispy fries.
What It Is: A high-quality steak (typically an entrecôte or bavette) pan-fried or grilled to your liking, served with a pile of frites (fries). It’s sometimes accompanied by a sauce, like a creamy peppercorn (au poivre) or a wealthy béarnaise.
Know Your Cuisson (Doneness):
Bleu: Barely seared, uncooked inside.
Saignant: Rare.
À level: Medium-rare (the usual French method).
Bien cuit: Well-done.
Where to Try: Almost any brasserie or bistro in France. For a traditional expertise, strive Le Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris, which serves solely steak frites.
Duck Confit (Confit de Canard)
The first time you expertise a correct duck confit is a culinary revelation. We have been within the Dordogne area, the heartland of duck nation, and have been served a leg of confit the place the pores and skin was so crisp it shattered like glass, revealing essentially the most succulent, fall-off-the-bone meat beneath.
What It Is: A duck leg slow-cooked in its personal fats for hours till extremely tender. It’s then pan-fried or broiled till the pores and skin is golden and crispy.
Pro Tip: It’s historically served with pommes de terre sarladaises, potatoes sautéed in garlic and, you guessed it, extra duck fats. Do not miss this pairing.
Where to Try: The Southwest areas of France like Dordogne and Gascony are the epicenter, nevertheless it’s a staple on bistro menus nationwide.
Escargots de Bourgogne
Don’t be shy! For many, consuming snails is a ceremony of passage in France. After all, if you consider traditional French meals, this comes to the highest of your thoughts.
We have been hesitant on our first journey, however one chunk of that garlicky, parsley-infused butter and we have been transformed. Use the little tongs and fork, and have your bread prepared to mop up each final drop of the butter.
What It Is: Plump Burgundy snails baked of their shells with a beneficiant quantity of garlic, parsley, and butter.
How to Pronounce It: es-kar-goh duh boor-GOHN-yuh
Perfect Pairing: A crisp white wine like a Chablis or a glowing Crémant de Bourgogne to minimize by the richness of the butter.
Steak Tartare
Ordering steak tartare looks like becoming a member of a secret membership. It’s a dish for purists, and we love watching the tableside preparation at old-school brasseries. If you belief the restaurant, you’re in for a deal with.
What It Is: High-quality uncooked beef, hand-chopped (by no means minced), and seasoned with capers, onions, mustard, and a uncooked egg yolk.
Pro Tip: This dish is all concerning the high quality of the meat. Only order it at a good, busy bistro the place you may be assured of its freshness. If you’re not sure, ask if it’s ready au couteau (minimize by knife).
Croque-Monsieur & Croque-Madame
This is the last word French grilled cheese sandwich. It was our go-to lunch on busy sightseeing days in Paris; fast, reasonably priced, and extremely scrumptious.
What It Is: A scorching sandwich made with baked ham and Gruyère cheese on ache de mie (comfortable white bread), topped with creamy béchamel sauce and extra cheese, then broiled till bubbly. A Croque-Madame is identical however with a fried egg on high.
Where to Try: Any nook café or brasserie at lunchtime. It’s the proper accomplice for a easy inexperienced salad with a pointy French dressing.
Part 2: Hearty Feasts: Flavours of the French Countryside
Venture past the cities, and also you’ll discover the country, slow-cooked dishes that kind the true soul of French delicacies. These are the recipes handed down by generations.
Boeuf Bourguignon
I’ll always remember the primary time we had an actual Boeuf Bourguignon. We have been driving by Burgundy in late autumn, the vineyards blazing gold and pink, and stumbled right into a tiny auberge close to Beaune. The air inside was thick with the scent of pink wine and slow-cooked meat. It’s not only a beef stew; it’s a hug from the within out.
What It Is: A testomony to sluggish cooking and a type of well-known French dishes you could have heard about. Tougher cuts of Charolais beef are braised for hours in a full-bodied native Burgundy pink wine, together with pearl onions, carrots, button mushrooms, and a bouquet garni of herbs. The result’s impossibly tender beef in a wealthy, shiny sauce.
Where to Try: Its native Burgundy. Look for eating places that record it as a plat du jour. A key signal of an important model is a sauce that’s deep, darkish, and coats the again of a spoon.
Coq au Vin
Like its beef-based cousin, Coq au Vin is one other iconic French stew. We had an unforgettable model in a standard bouchon in Lyon, the place the sauce was so darkish it was virtually purple, an indication of a very genuine, long-simmered recipe.
What It Is: Chicken (historically an older rooster, or coq) braised slowly in pink wine with lardons (bacon), mushrooms, and pearl onions. The lengthy cooking time makes the rooster extremely tender.
How to Pronounce It: kok-oh-VAN
Where to Try: Lyon is known for this dish, however you’ll discover it in conventional eating places throughout France.
Cassoulet
Be warned: cassoulet will not be a light-weight meal. It’s a wealthy, rib-sticking masterpiece. We shared one within the medieval metropolis of Carcassonne and promptly had to take a protracted, sluggish stroll alongside the town partitions to get better. It was price each single chunk.
What It Is: A hearty, slow-baked casserole from the Languedoc area containing white beans, duck confit, pork sausage, and sometimes different meats like pork shoulder. It’s historically cooked in a clay pot and has a scrumptious crispy crust.
Where to Try: The cities of Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudary every declare to have the one true recipe. Trying it anyplace on this area is a should.
Poulet Basquaise
This dish is a vibrant style of the French Basque Country, with its sunny, daring flavours. It’s a stupendous one-pot meal that captures the area’s love for peppers and tomatoes.
What It Is: Chicken items braised in a flavorful sauce of piperade, a mixture of onions, inexperienced peppers, and tomatoes sautéed with a touch of Espelette pepper for a mild heat.
Where to Try: The French Basque Country within the southwest, close to the Spanish border.
Aligot
Watching aligot being served is half the enjoyable. This tacky, stretchy potato dish is pure theatre. A server will carry a spoonful excessive into the air, making a seemingly countless ribbon of molten cheese and potato.
What It Is: Silky easy mashed potatoes blended with garlic and Tomme de Laguiole or Cantal cheese, whipped till it develops an unbelievable, elastic texture.
How to Pronounce It: ah-lee-GOH
Where to Try: A specialty of the Aveyron and Auvergne areas in central France. It’s typically served with native sausages.
Part 3: A Taste of the Coast – The Best French Seafood
From the rugged coast of Brittany to the sun-drenched Mediterranean, France’s shoreline gives a few of the finest seafood on the planet.
Bouillabaisse
Eating bouillabaisse within the Vieux-Port (Old Port) of Marseille, with the fishing boats bobbing within the harbour, is a quintessential French meals expertise. It’s not only a soup; it’s a two-course occasion.
What It Is: An iconic fish stew from Marseille. An genuine model should include at the least 4 forms of native rockfish. The aromatic, saffron-infused broth is served first with croutons and rouille (a spicy garlic mayonnaise), adopted by the fish fillets themselves.
Pro Tip: Real bouillabaisse is dear due to the standard and number of fish required. Be cautious of low cost variations marketed to vacationers.
How to Pronounce It: boo-yah-BESS
Moules Frites
This Belgian traditional has been wholeheartedly adopted by Northern France. There’s nothing higher than sitting at a seaside restaurant in Normandy or Brittany with an enormous steaming pot of mussels, a cone of salty fries, and a view of the ocean.
What It Is: A beneficiant portion of mussels, sometimes steamed in a broth of white wine, shallots, parsley, and garlic (marinières fashion). It’s at all times served with a aspect of fries.
How to Eat It: Use an empty mussel shell as a pair of pincers to pluck the meat from the others.
Oysters (Huîtres)
The French coast, notably Brittany and Normandy, produces a few of the world’s best oysters. We love visiting the oyster market in Cancale, Brittany, the place you should buy a dozen fresh-shucked oysters instantly from the producers and eat them standing by the ocean with a squeeze of lemon.
What It Is: Fresh, uncooked oysters, sometimes served on a mattress of ice with lemon wedges and a mignonette sauce (chopped shallots in pink wine vinegar).
Where to Try: Coastal cities in Brittany and Normandy are finest. In Paris, you’ll discover them at devoted seafood brasseries (écaillers), particularly throughout months with an ‘R’ in them.
Coquilles Saint-Jacques
This is a wealthy, elegant dish typically served as a starter for a special day. The creamy sauce and golden-brown high make it pure indulgence.
What It Is: Plump sea scallops, typically poached in a wine-infused cream sauce with mushrooms, then positioned again right into a shell, topped with cheese or breadcrumbs, and browned beneath a grill.
Where to Try: A traditional on menus in Normandy, the guts of France’s scallop fishing business.
Sole Meunière
Simple, elegant, and timeless. This dish, famously cherished by Julia Child, proves that with good elements and approach, you don’t want sophisticated recipes to create one thing magical.
What It Is: A complete Dover sole, evenly dusted in flour, pan-fried in butter till golden, and served with a sauce of browned butter (beurre noisette), lemon juice, and contemporary parsley.
Perfect Pairing: A crisp, unoaked Chardonnay like Chablis.
Part 4: The Art of the Apéro – Cheese Course, Charcuterie & Wine
The hours earlier than dinner, referred to as l’apéro, are a cherished French ritual and actually a part of the French tradition.. It’s a time to unwind with a drink and a few savoury bites.
A Beginner’s Guide to French Cheese
With over 1,000 forms of cheese, understanding the place to begin is daunting. A cheese course is usually served after the principle course and earlier than dessert. These are our favorite French cheeses:
Comté: A tough, nutty cheese from the Jura mountains.
Roquefort: A robust, salty blue cheese produced from sheep’s milk.
Chèvre (Goat Cheese): Comes in lots of varieties, from comfortable and contemporary to laborious and aged. Look for Crottin de Chavignol from the Loire Valley.
Camembert: A comfortable, creamy, and earthy cheese from Normandy. Let it come to room temperature earlier than consuming.
Brie de Meaux: The well-known “King of Cheeses,” soft-ripened with a light, buttery flavour.
Cheese Plate (Fromages AOP). Start with Comté (Jura), Camembert de Normandie (Normandy), Sainte-Maure de Touraine (Loire goat’s cheese), and Saint-Nectaire (Auvergne). Ask for cheeses “à point” (ripe). Note: the baguette, now on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage record, actually is half the enjoyment.
Charcuterie (Pâté, Terrine, Rillettes)
A charcuterie board is a celebration of preserved meats.
What It Is: A platter that includes a wide range of cured meats and preparations.
Pâté & Terrine: A mix of floor meat (like pork, veal, or duck), fats, and seasonings, cooked in a mildew. A terrine is called for the dish it’s cooked in, whereas a pâté en croûte is baked in a pastry crust.
Rillettes: Meat (normally pork) slow-cooked in its personal fats till it’s shreddable, then cooled to kind a wealthy, savory unfold.
How to Eat It: Spread it on a chunk of contemporary baguette and serve with cornichons (tiny pickles) and Dijon mustard.
Foie Gras
A controversial however undeniably iconic French delicacy. We first tried it seared scorching (poêlé) at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, served merely on gingerbread. It was unbelievably wealthy and melted in our mouths.
What It Is: The specifically fattened liver of a duck or goose. It may be served as a chilly terrine (mi-cuit) with toast and fig jam, or seared scorching.
Perfect Pairing: A candy dessert wine like a Sauternes from Bordeaux or a Jurançon from the Southwest.
Part 5: The Morning Ritual – The Boulangerie & Pâtisserie
No journey to France is full with out day by day visits to the native bakery (boulangerie) and pastry store (pâtisserie).
Baguette Tradition
The French baguette is a cultural icon. Our day by day ritual in France is to discover the perfect native boulangerie and seize a heat baguette de custom for the day.
What It Is: A protracted, skinny loaf of bread with a crisp crust and a comfortable, ethereal crumb. A “Tradition” is made with solely flour, water, yeast, and salt, protected by French legislation.
Pro Tip: Look for bakeries with the “Artisan Boulanger” signal. An excellent baguette ought to have an irregular, open crumb and a deeply golden, crackly crust.
Croissant & Pain au Chocolat
The odor of baking butter is the fragrance of a French morning. A correct croissant ought to be flaky, gentle as air, and depart a pleasant mess of crumbs throughout your plate.
What It Is: A laminated pastry, which means it’s made with numerous paper-thin layers of dough and butter. A ache au chocolat is identical dough wrapped round two sticks of darkish chocolate.
Pro Tip: Avoid pale, doughy-looking croissants. An excellent one is deep golden-brown and has clearly outlined layers.
Macarons
These delicate, jewel-like almond meringue cookies are a world away from the coconut macaroons you could be used to. We love sampling the ingenious seasonal flavours on the well-known Parisian patisseries.
What It Is: Two light-as-air almond meringue shells sandwiching a flavorful filling like ganache, buttercream, or jam.
Where to Try: Pierre Hermé and Ladurée are essentially the most well-known in Paris, however many native patisseries have glorious variations.
Tarte Tatin
A cheerful accident. This upside-down caramelized apple tart was created by the Tatin sisters within the nineteenth century after they supposedly overcooked the apples and tried to salvage the dish by placing the pastry on high.
What It Is: Apples caramelized in butter and sugar till darkish and sticky, then baked beneath a layer of pastry. It’s inverted earlier than serving.
How to Eat It: Served heat, typically with a dollop of crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Crème Brûlée
The satisfying crack of the caramelized sugar topping is without doubt one of the nice joys of French desserts. It’s a traditional for a motive.
What It Is: A wealthy, creamy vanilla custard base with a contrasting layer of hardened, brittle caramelized sugar on high.
Pro Tip: The high ought to be skinny and shatter simply with a spoon. The custard beneath ought to be cool and silky easy.
Part 6: Casual Bites & Market Fare
Not each French meal is a proper affair. These dishes are good for a fast lunch, a picnic, or an informal market go to.
Quiche Lorraine
The quintessential French savory tart. It’s good for a light-weight lunch or a picnic.
What It Is: A wealthy, open-faced tart with a pastry crust crammed with a savory custard of eggs, cream, and smoky lardons (bacon).
Where to Try: Originally from the Lorraine area, however present in each boulangerie and traiteur (deli) throughout France.
Crêpes & Galettes
We spent every week in Brittany, the birthplace of the crêpe, and ate them virtually each day. They are extremely versatile and scrumptious.
What It Is: Crêpes are skinny pancakes produced from wheat flour and are sometimes served with candy fillings (sugar, Nutella, fruit). Galettes are from the identical household however are made with savory buckwheat flour and crammed with issues like cheese, ham, and eggs (une complète).
Pro Tip: In Brittany, they’re historically served with a bowl of native dry cider.
Salade Niçoise
This isn’t just a salad; it’s an entire meal in a bowl, filled with the contemporary flavours of the French Riviera.
What It Is: A composed salad from Nice that includes tomatoes, inexperienced beans, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies or tuna.
Good to Know: An genuine Niçoise salad doesn’t include cooked potatoes or lettuce, however many fashionable variations embody them.
Ratatouille
An attractive summer time vegetable stew that tastes of the Provence solar. It’s excess of the easy dish from the film.
What It Is: A vibrant stew of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes, slow-cooked with garlic and herbs. Each vegetable is commonly cooked individually to preserve its texture and flavour earlier than being mixed.
Where to Try: Provence, in the summertime, when the greens are at their peak.
Raclette & Tartiflette (The Alpine Experience)
These are the last word winter consolation meals, finest loved in a comfortable chalet after a day of snowboarding within the French Alps.
What They Are:
Raclette: A big wheel of Raclette cheese is melted and scraped onto diners’ plates over boiled potatoes, charcuterie, and pickles.
Tartiflette: A ridiculously good casserole of sliced potatoes, lardons, onions, and an entire wheel of creamy Reblochon cheese baked on high till molten and golden.
Tips for Gluten-Free Travellers in France
While France is bread-and-pastry heaven, consuming gluten-free may be very manageable.
Focus on naturally gluten-free dishes like grilled meats and fish (grillé), seafood platters, ratatouille, and most salads.
Buckwheat galettes (galettes de sarrasin) are your finest good friend—they’re naturally gluten-free and scrumptious.
Carry a French Celiac eating card (carte de régime coeliaque) to clearly talk your wants. Simply stating “sans gluten” (with out gluten) can be very efficient.
To actually know France, you should eat your method by it. Be adventurous. Try the dish you’ll be able to’t pronounce. Trust the waiter’s suggestion. Every meal is a chance for discovery, an opportunity to join with the tradition, the land, and the folks. Bon appétit!
Frequently Asked Questions about French Food
While it’s laborious to slender down, 5 of essentially the most iconic and important French meals are Boeuf Bourguignon for its rustic historical past, the Croissant for its baking artistry, Steak Frites as the last word bistro meal, Bouillabaisse representing the Mediterranean coast, and Crème Brûlée for its common attraction as a traditional dessert.
A conventional multi-course meal follows a particular construction. It typically begins with an apéritif (a pre-dinner drink with small bites), adopted by an entrée (starter), a plat (primary course), then a cheese course (fromage), and at last a dessert. Coffee is normally served after dessert, not with it. This construction is extra widespread for particular events or weekend meals.
It is changing into extra so, nevertheless it requires some navigation. Classic French delicacies is closely meat- and fish-based. However, you could find glorious vegetarian choices like Ratatouille, vegetable tarts (tartes aux légumes), Aligot, cheese plates, and salads (make certain to order a Salade Niçoise sans thon). Many fashionable eating places, particularly in bigger cities, now have devoted vegetarian menus. Always be clear when ordering: “Je suis végétarien/végétarienne.”
Paris is a melting pot of French delicacies, nevertheless it’s notably well-known for its bistro and brasserie tradition. The quintessential Parisian meals are Steak Frites, French Onion Soup, Croque-Monsieur, Duck Confit, and street-side crêpes. It’s additionally the worldwide capital of pâtisserie, so classics like Macarons, Croissants, and Paris-Brest are at their finest right here.