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Famous Food in France

Updated: Jun 21, 2021


There are many dishes that are considered part of French national cuisine today.
A meal often consists of three courses, hors d'œuvre or entrée (introductory course, sometimes soup), plat principal (main course), fromage (cheese course) or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert.



Baguette

The French bread loaf is long and thin, mainly it is made with white wheat flour but now there are also baguettes made out of rye flour or whole wheat flour.

baguette

Brioche

Brioche is a type of bread made from egg and butter.

The bread is puffy in nature, because of using a large quantity of egg and butter.

Sometimes, brandy and sugar are also added to the mixture.

It is, usually eaten for breakfast, or as a dessert, and can also be served with a Fillet of Beef.

brioche-loaf

Croissants

Croissants are typically used for breakfast, it is a buttery, flaky, pastry.

It is made of layered yeast-leavened dough. The dough is layered with butter, rolled, and folded several times in succession.

It can be eaten filled with ham and cheese or jam.

Croissants are a common part of a continental breakfast in France.

They are now more often found in straight than curved shapes.

croissants

Soupe à L'oignon (Onion Soup)

The queen of all soups.

It is a traditional French soup made of onions and beef stock,

usually served with croutons and melted cheese on top.

The remarkable taste in the soup is from the caramelization of the onions, to which sometimes brandy or sherry is added at the end of the slow-cooking process.

The soup's origin dated back to the Romans.

soupe-oignon

Nicoise salad

It is a French salad made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies, lettuce, tuna, green beans and dressed with olive oil.

It can be served as a side dish or a light meal.

It is named after the city of Nice and the name means 'Salad from Nice'.

saladenicoise

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is a soup from Marseille.

Since there are so many fishers in the area, so the dish is made of various fish, shellfish, mussels, vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, mustard, egg yolks, and olive oil.

It is served with bread and potatoes.

bouillabaisse

Ratatouille

It is a stewed vegetable recipe that can be served as a side dish, meal, or stuffing for other dishes, such as crepes and omeletes.

It consists of tomatoes, garlic, onions, zucchini, eggplant, carrots, bell peppers, basil, marjoram, thyme, and other green herbs.

It is usually eaten as vegetable stew, but there is another way to cook which includes meat.

ratatouille

Piperade

It is a little bit like ratatouille.

It is prepared with onion, green peppers, and sauteed tomatoes.

It may be served as a main course or as a side dish.

Egg, garlic or meats, or ham can be added.

piperade

Escargots "herb buttered snails"

It is a famous dish in France.

It consists of snails removed from their shells, and cooked with butter, garlic, and parsley, chicken stock, or wine, and then placed back into the shells with the butter and sauce for serving.

escargot-persillé

Oysters "Huîtres"

Oysters are the second most common product at Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in France.

It can be eaten warm, or raw.

It can eat either plain, or with lemon juice, or vinegar, or with a shallot sauce.

Oysters

Frogs’ Legs "Cuisses de Grenouilles"

They are generally breaded or fried with a bit of onion. The meat is delicate and soft and tastes a bit like poultry.

Cuisses de Grenouilles

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche lorraine is a popular pie all over France.

It is an open pie filling of eggs and milk or cream and lardons (smoked bacon pieces).

Quiche has a pastry crust it is filled with smoked bacon, custard, cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables.

Quiche can be served hot or cold.

classic-quiche-lorraine

Flamiche

It is a puff-pastry crust filled with cheese and vegetables and looks like the quiche.

The traditional French filling is with leeks and cream.

Flamiche

Steak Tartare

Steak tartare is a meat dish, made from raw minced meat "beef or horse meat".

It is usually served with onions, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned with spices.

It is often served with a raw egg yolk, and french fries.

Steak_Tartare

Cassoulet

A cassoulet is a dish of white beans stewed slowly with meat, pork, duck, sausages, goose, and rarely mutton.

It is also sold in cans.

cassoulet1

Beef Burgundy (bœuf bourguignon)

Boeuf bourguignon is a traditional French meal that has become internationally well-known.

Originating in the region of Burgundy in France.

It is a stew made of beef braised in red wine, beef broth, and seasoned with garlic, pearl onions, fresh herbs, and mushrooms.

It is also one of the rare dishes that is even better the second day.

Beef bourguignon

Coq Au Vin "Rooster with wine"

One of the most famous French foods.

It is a dish of chicken marinated in wine (usually Burgundy), mushrooms, salty pork or bacon (lardons), onions, often garlic, and sometimes with a drop of brandy.

Although the name Coq means "rooster" but the recipe usually uses chicken.

coq au vin

Duck Confit "Confit De Canard"

It is considered one of the finest French dishes

It is prepared using a braised leg of a duck, although goose and pork can also be used.

The meat is specially prepared using a slow-cooking process (confit), where the duck meat is marinated in salt, garlic, and thyme and then slow-cooked in its own fat at low temperatures.

It is served with confit roasted potatoes and garlic on the side.

Duck confit can be served for both lunch and dinner.

duck confit

Duck Breast " Magret De Canard"

It is a fillet meat thin, cut from the chest of a goose or duck.

Can be dried or smoked, cut into thin slices, it is most often served rare or pink after being cooked in a grill or pan.

magret-canard

Foie Gras

It is prepared from the liver of a goose, or duck.

It's considered a luxury food in France.

The best way to try it is on a piece of brioche with a bit of onion spread or fig jam.

Foie gras can be served during breakfast, as a side dish, or main course meal.

It is mainly prepared on special occasions, such as Christmas, or New Year.

duck-foie-gras

Cottage Pie "Hachis Parmentier"

Hachis Parmentier consists of two layers a layer of mashed potatoes and a layer of juicy ground beef.

In general, it is served with a green salad.

It is the French version of shepherd's pie

hachis-parmentier

Blanquette of Veal (Blanquette de Veau)

It is a traditional slow-cooked meal.

It is cooked with veal shoulder or chest, cream, and a carrot and onion broth.

Sometimes it is served with mushrooms.

blanquette de veau

Raclette

It is a dish of melted cheese that is eaten with potatoes, cold meat, onions, and pickles.

This is the ultimate winter-friendly meal.

Raclette

Cheese Fondue

Cheese fondue is also a perfect winter-friendly cheese meal.

It consists of three kinds of cheeses that are melted together in a pot (Beaufort, comté, and Emmental), and white wine is added.

With a specific skewer, each guest dips a bit of bread.

According to the tradition, if someone drops their bread into the pot, a forfeit is given to them.

cheese fondue


Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin Dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in milk.

It is made up of sliced potatoes cooked with cream, milk, and nutmeg.

No cheese is added in the original recipe but sometimes it can be added.

gratin dauphinois



Aligot

Aligot is a dish made from cheese blended into mashed potatoes.

Aligot is a dish made from cheese blended with mashed potatoes, butter, cream, crushed garlic, and the melted cheese.

Aligot



Dessert

Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is a favorite French dessert.

It consists of a rich custard base topped with a layer of tough crunchy caramel prepared using a blow torch.

It is normally served slightly chilled.

Crème Brûlée


Profiteroles

Profiteroles are little balls of puff pastries filled with sweet whipped cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

The puffs may be decorated or left plain.

Savory profiterole is also made, filled with pureed meats, cheese, and so on.

Profiteroles

Macarons

Macarons are a popular dessert in France.

These delicious sweet cookies made with eggs white, icing sugar, sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring*.

Two layers of cookies are filled with buttercream or jam.

*Macarons come in many colors such as pink for raspberry taste, brown for chocolate, yellow for vanilla or lemon, green for pistachio, blue for blueberry.



Éclair

Éclair is a cylindrical pastry made from choux dough having a cream filling, with icing on the top.

The dough is piped into its typical cylindrical shape using a pastry bag and is baked till it is crisp.

The cream filling is done once the pastry cools down, and is later topped with fondant icing.


Mille-feuille "Napoleon Pastry"

It is a famous French pastry It is made up of three layers of puff pastry, two layers filled with pastry cream.

The top pastry layer is coated with powdered sugar, and sometimes cocoa, pastry crumbs, roasted almonds or a striped layer made of white icing and chocolate are combined together.

mille feuille

Madeleines

Madeleines are very small sponge cakes it has the shape of shells.

It is prepared with flour, eggs, almonds, and sugar.

Traditionally, a madeleine contains finely ground almonds, but many variations exist.

Madeleines

Tarte Tatin

This 'upside-down' apple tart was made with apples that were caramelized in butter and sugar before baking.

Before the tart is baked, the fruits are caramelized in butter and sugar.

Tarte Tatin can also be baked with other fruits, such as plums, peaches, pears, and pineapple.

First prepared as a result of an accident in the kitchen of Hotel Tatin (France).

tartin tart

Crêpe

Crêpe is a thin pancake made from either wheat flour or buckwheat flour.

Crêpes are filled with different fillings, which can be sweet, or savory.

Sweet crepes are served as breakfast, or as a dessert, while savory crepes can be eaten for lunch or dinner. The sweet fillings include sugar, maple syrup, whipped creams, and custard, chocolate, and fruits.

the savory fillings include eggs, ham, mushrooms, cheese, and other products.

crepes

Iles Flottante

It means “floating island”.

Ile Flottante is made from whipped egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and custard.

Sometimes, it can be served with some almonds or coconut on top of it.

This dessert is very common in Paris

Île-flottante-036823-2

Petit Fours

A petit four is a small bite-sized sweet appetizer. It is made of flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, baking powder, and vanilla.

after baking, Jam and cream are added to the petit fours.

petit fours

Creme Caramel

Crème caramel or caramel dessert is a custard dessert with a layer of caramel sauce, it is opposed to crème brûlée which is custard with an added hard clear caramel layer on top.

creme cramel


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